Danube Salon Europa-Forum Wachau 2022

“Safeguarding Peace In Europe” was the main topic of the Danube Salon discussion organized jointly the IDM and ARGE Donauländer on the campus of the University for Continuing Education Krems (UWK). High-ranking decision-makers and experts discussed together the current questions of cooperation and security:

  • Martin Eichtinger, President of the Europa-Forum Wachau and State Councilor for Housing, Labor and International Relations of the Lower Austrian State Government
  • Hana Hajnová, Deputy District Commissioner of the Vysocina Region, Czech Republic
  • Christian Spahr, Secretary General, Assembly of European Regions
  • Iryna Izarova, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Department for Legal Studies and International Relations UWK
  • Ivanka Popović, Vice President of DRC, University of Belgrade, Serbia
  • Claudia Crawford, head of the Vienna office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation Multilateral Dialogue

Moderation: Sebastian Schäffer, Managing Director, IDM

After decades of supposed stability, the events of the past few months have shown how fragile the foundations of peace in Europe are. The importance of institutions that devote their work to building and maintaining friendships across borders and thus creating a good basis for dialogue and contacts in the respective regions is all the greater. Friendships built in peacetime are relevant now for maintaining conversations, keeping interest alive and finding discussions about solutions in times of crisis. Together with representatives of various European institutions, the topic of international cooperation and its contribution to peace was taken up, current geopolitical developments were discussed and the contribution of the regions to peacekeeping in terms of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) was illustrated.