22nd Salzburg Europe Summit
Europe: A global player?
PROGRAM
The 22nd Salzburg Europe Summit, taking place from September 27th to 29th, 2026, will bring together international experts to discuss current European issues.
22nd Salzburg Europe Summit, September 27th - 29th, 2026
The program is updated regularly.
Sonntag, 27. September 2026
11.00 >>> Eröffnung der Kunstausstellung
12.00 >>> Generalversammlung
13.00 >>> 40 Jahre EU-Mitglied: Spanien
14.30 >>> IRE Forum
16.30 >>> Kolloquium
Montag, 28. September 2026
09.00 >>> Eröffnung
09.30 >>> Dialog I
12.00 >>> Dialog II
15.00 >>> Dialog III
17.00 >>> Workshop KAS
17.00 >>> Workshop UNECE
19.30 >>> Abendveranstaltung
Dienstag, 29. September 2026
10.00 >>> Dialog IV
12.00 >>> Workshop
ART EXHIBITION
art exhibition European regional culture
Guest region 2026: Istria, Croatia
Sunday, September 27, 2026
11:00 AM
Salzburg Congress,
Mozart Hall, Ground Floor
Art exhibition featuring artists from a European region.
The Institute of the Regions of Europe (IRE) is presenting regional European art and culture, the connection between history and modernity, and the regional cultural diversity of Europe as part of the "Salzburg Europe Summit." Zoran Šijakovic, IRE Special Advisor for Regional Culture, curated the exhibition. It was opened in the presence of political and diplomatic representatives.
GREETING
Franz Schausberger
Chairman of the Institute of the Regions of Europe (IRE)
OPENING SPEECH
Stefan Schnöll
Deputy Governor of Salzburg, responsible for cultural affairs
ARTIST
Edita Imamović
Artist from Umag, Istria, Croatia
INSTITUTE OF THE REGIONS OF EUROPE (IRE)
General Assembly 2026
Sunday, September 27, 2026
12:00
Salzburg Congress
Herbert von Karajan Hall, 1st floor
Members of the Institute of the Regions of Europe (IRE) are entitled to vote at the General Assembly.
Guests are very welcome.
GREETINGS
THOMAS STROBL
President of the State Parliament of Baden-Württemberg, Germany
GENERAL MEETING
Stefan Eder
Lawyer and chairman of the IRE support association
Helmut Falschlehner
Member of the IRE Board
Joachim Fritz
Secretary General of the IRE
Aisa Henseke
Member of the Board
Franz Schausberger
Chairman of the IRE
Josef Schöchl
Member of the IRE Board
INTERVIEW: "Spain: 40 years a member of the EU"
H.E. Maria Aurora Mejia Errasquín
Ambassador of Spain to Austria
STEFAN VEIGL
Foreign Policy Editor, Salzburger Nachrichten
LUNCH
Spain: 40 years a member of the EU
Sunday, September 27, 2027
1:15 PM
Salzburg Congress
1st floor
To mark 40 years of Spain's membership in the EU, the Embassy of Spain, the Embassy of Portugal and the Representation of the Regional Government of Catalonia present delicacies from Spain and the Autonomous Community of Catalonia.
GREETINGS
H.E. Maria Aurora Mejia Errasquín
Ambassador of Spain to Austria
Krystyna Schreiber
Delegates of the Government of Catalonia for Central Europe
IRE-FORUM
Is Europe dying out?
Demographic change as a challenge
Sunday, September 27, 2026
2:30 PM
Salzburg Congress
Herbert von Karajan Hall, 1st floor
LIVESTREAM
MODERATION
HEIDI HUBER
journalist
KEYNOTE
Sebastian Klüsener
Research Director at the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB), Professor at the University of Cologne, Germany
PANEL
Martin Fieder
Anthropologist at the University of Vienna
Gudrun Kugler
Member of the National Council, Special Representative for Demographic Change and Vice-President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
Stephan Marik-Lebeck
Head of "Demography and Health" at STATISTICS Austria
ERICH STRIESSNIG
Demographer, Deputy Head of the Institute of Demography, University of Vienna and Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital
COLLOQUIUM
Are values good(s)?
Economy and finance caught between responsibility and refusal
Sunday, September 27, 2026
4:30 PM
Salzburg Congress,
Herbert von Karajan Hall, 1st floor
LIVESTREAM
MODERATION
Claudia Reiterer
Journalist & moderator
KEYNOTE
Vinzenz Stimpfl-Abele
Procurator of the Order of St. George
DISCUSSION
David Dekorsi
Managing Director Association of Catholic Entrepreneurs, Germany
Martin Kocher
Governor of the Austrian National Bank
MARTIN RHONHEIMER
Professor of Ethics & Philosophy at the University of Santa Croce Rome, President of the Austrian Institute of Economics and Social Philosophy
JUDITH SIMON
Deputy Chair of the German Ethics Council, Professor of Ethics in Information Technology, University of Hamburg
Verica Trstenjak
Lawyer, member of the Administrative Review Board of the European Central Bank, frm. Advocate General at the European Court of Justice, Vice President of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, Slovenia
In cooperation with:
Order of St. George
OPENING
Opening of the 22nd Salzburg Europe Summit
Monday, September 28, 2026
9:00 AM
Salzburg Congress,
Europa Hall, 2nd floor
LIVESTREAM
EUROPEAN ANTHEM
Music classes at the New Middle School Maxglan
Greeting
Franz Schausberger
Chairman of the Institute of the Regions of Europe (IRE)
OPENING
Bernhard Auinger
Mayor of the city of Salzburg
Karoline Edtstadler
Governor of Salzburg
DIALOGUE I
Is Europe (still) a global player?
Monday, September 28, 2026
9:30 AM
Salzburg Congress
Europa Hall, 2nd floor
LIVESTREAM
MODERATION
Christian Ultsch
Head of Foreign Policy and Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Die Presse
ADDRESS
H.E. BAJRAM BEGAJ
President of Albania
H.E. Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova
President of North Macedonia
INTERVIEW
Christian Stocker
Chancellor of the Republic of Austria
Conversation"EUROPE: TOWARDS A GLOBAL PLAYER IN THE WORLD?"
Cristina Gherasimov
Deputy Prime Minister for EU Integration, Republic of Moldova
Florian Hahn
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Germany
REPRESENTATIVE OF THE GOVERNMENT OF DENMARK (tbc)
Impulse: "Europe as an economic global player?"
Frank Niederländer
Vice President Government Affairs Europe, BMW Group
DEEP DIVE: "EU AND UK: TOGETHER IN GLOBAL CHALLENGES?"
H.E. NICK PICKARD
Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Austria
DIALOGUE II
Enlargement as a geopolitical success for Europe?
Monday, September 28, 2026
12:00
Salzburg Congress
Europa Hall, 2nd floor
LIVESTREAM
MODERATION
Michael Martens
Correspondent for Southeast Europe, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ)
IMPULSE & DISCUSSION
Maida Gorčević
Minister for European Affairs, Montenegro
DISCUSSION
KRISTOF BENDER
Deputy Chairman & Senior Analyst European Stability Initiative (ESI), Austria
Thomas Hagleitner
Deputy Director for Enlargement Coordination, Strategy and Investment, Directorate-General for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, European Commission
CHRISTOPH RATH
Member of the Board of Directors, responsible for the Western Balkans, Vienna Insurance Group VIG
Nina Vujanović
Economist, expert on EU enlargement, Research Fellow Bruegel Brussels
DIALOG III
Blackouts, sabotage & co. - how safe is Europe?
Monday, September 28, 2026
3 PM
Salzburg Congress
Europa Hall, 2nd floor
LIVESTREAM
MODERATION
Martina Salomon
Publisher of 'Kurier'
PULSE - "Ukraine: Infrastructure as a lifeline"
ANATOLII KUTSEVOL (tbc)
Deputy Minister of Energy, Ukraine
CONVERSATION
MICHAEL BAMINGER
Chairman of the Board of Salzburg AG
Michael Strugl
CEO of VERBUND AG
DISCUSSION
Cornelius Granig
Management consultant, Austria
Verena Jackson
Expert for the protection of critical infrastructure, Center for Intelligence & Security Studies, University of the German Federal Armed Forces Munich
Dimitris Simos
Joint Professor of Cybersecurity, University of Salzburg & Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, Greece
Teija Tiilikainen
Director of the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats, Finland
INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP
Infiltrated – the defense of our information space and its dilemma
In cooperation with the Multilateral Dialogue of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Vienna.
Monday, September 28, 2026
5:00 PM
Salzburg Congress
Doppler Hall, 4th floor
MODERATION
Sebastian Swoboda
Political Advisor, Multilateral Dialogue of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Vienna
SPEAKER
Anna-Fotini Dermitzakis
Political scientist, YOUROPE | Our Continent
Arthur Krön
Historian (University of Oxford), YOUROPE | Our Continent
WORKSHOP
STRONG REGIONS AND COMMUNITIES THROUGH UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Best practices from Europe.
In cooperation with UNECE - United Nations Economic Committee for Europe
Monday, September 28, 2026
5:00 PM
Salzburg Congress
Trakl Hall, 3rd floor
MODERATION
Andreas Kiefer
Member of the IRE Board of Trustees, former Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe (2010 - 2022)
PULSE
ELISABETH TÜRK
Director Economic Cooperation and Trade Division (ECTD), UNECE
SPEAKER
Elisabeth ELLISON-KRAMER
Ambassador, Head of Department for Development Policy in the Context of the UN and EU, Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, Austria
Johannes Pressl
President of the Austrian Association of Municipalities
Jelena Tadić
PPP Investment, Serbia
Rok Vodnik
Managing Director Kolektor Technologies doo, Slovenia
Arnau Queralt Bassa
Director, Advisory Council for Sustainable Development, Government of Catalonia
EVENING EVENT
Salzburg Evening
Monday, September 28, 2026
7:30 PM
Augustiner Bräu Kloster Mülln
Lindhofstraße 7, 5020 Salzburg
The "Bräustübl," Austria's largest beer hall, has been in operation since 1621 – for over 400 years. The beer is served from wooden barrels in stoneware mugs, accompanied by traditional dishes. In a convivial atmosphere, participants of the Salzburg Europe Summit have the opportunity for interesting, informal conversations and networking. The Bräustübl is a place of encounter, of tradition – a piece of living history in the heart of Salzburg's World Heritage Site.
Greeting
Helmut Falschlehner
Member of the Board of Directors of the Institute of the Regions of Europe (IRE)
MUSICAL FRAMEWORK
Ensemble DANICA
Director: Zoran Šijaković
DIALOGUE IV
Youth. Europe. Democracy.
How valuable are democracy and freedom?
Tuesday, September 29, 2026
9:30 AM
Salzburg Congress,
Herbert von Karajan Hall, 1st floor
LIVESTREAM
What significance do democracy and freedom have for young people in Europe today? Are they achievements worth protecting, things we take for granted, or eroding cornerstones of our society? The discussion explores how young people can help shape politics and society, the challenges facing democracy in Europe, and why democratic values cannot be taken for granted.
Greeting
Josef Schöchl
Member of the Salzburg State Parliament and member of the IRE board
MODERATION
Stephan Schweighofer
University of Salzburg
PANEL
Maximilian Aigner
Youngest member of a state government in Austria, member of the Salzburg state government,
JULIANE FÜRST
Historian specializing in the post-Soviet space and protest and youth cultures, Central European University
Karina Radschenko
PhD student at the University of Salzburg, youth delegate to the Council of Europe, Ukraine
Shiva Shabanian
Iranian-Austrian scientist and activist (IRANO), Iran/Austria
INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP
Hybrid threat against Europe.
How vulnerable are we – and how do we build resilience?
In cooperation with AVE EUROPA and Global Shapers Salzburg
Tuesday, September 29, 2026
12.00
Salzburg Congress,
MODERATION
PAUL HAWELKA
Global Shapers Salzburg
SPEAKER
Christian Altenhofen
Senior Consultant for Geopolitics & Strategic Risk, Freshfields, Germany
JOVAN JOVANOVIC
Ave Europa board spokesman
Sergii Osachuk
Diplomat, historian, colonel, former governor of the Chernivtsi region, Ukraine
