Promoting regional economic cooperation has been the goal of Vienna Economic Forum since its foundation in 2004, and we are proud that the economic cooperation between entrepreneurs from the member countries of Vienna Economic Forum - Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia, Turkey and Ukraine - has developed successfully over all these years.

Among the founding members of the Vienna Economic Forum are some of the most renowned Austrian companies and industrialists. The Prime Ministers of the states of the region are, together with the Austrian Federal Chancellor, Members of the Patronage Committee of Vienna Economic Forum. All accredited ambassadors in Austria of the VEF- Members countries take part in the VEF- activities as Members of the Ambassadors Committee. To the organs of Vienna Economic Forum also belong the Honorary Committee and the Cultural Committee of the countries of the region of Vienna Economic Forum.

Vienna Economic Forum, which has been granted the Status of an International Non-governmental Organization and the Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), is constantly growing and developing.

Since 2015, Vienna Economic Forum has also been listed in the Transparency Register of the European Parliament and the European Commission.

In all these years, Vienna Economic has remained true to its founding goals:

• To popularize and promote investment opportunities in the region from the Adriatic to the Black Sea.
• To provide impulses and, based on research, the joint projects required in the region for short-term, medium-term and long-term realisation, and promoting their implementation
• Becoming a place of definition, encounter, and of realising the public and private interests in connection with the various projects in the region as part of a united Europe.

These goals incorporate the vision that led to the creation of the VEF in 2004: to follow a strategy that contributes to economic cooperation and development of the VEF member countries as a region that is growing together, a “VEF economic area”!

The implementation of this strategy is always in focus and determines the planning and execution of all the work of the Vienna Economic Forum team over the years!

Vienna Economic Forum & AACC
Sign a Memorandum of Understanding

25 January 2023
Vienna- Austria

With the aim of enhancing mutual relations and strengthening cooperation between Austria, Southeastern European countries and Arab countries, the Austro-Arab Chamber of Commerce (AACC), represented by its Secretary-General Eng. Mouddar Khouja, and the Vienna Economic Forum (VEF), represented by its Secretary-General H.E. Ambassador Dr. Elena Kirtcheva, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 25 January 2023.

The MoU ceremony was honoured by the presence of Dr. Ernst Huber, Member of AACC Board of Directors and Member of the VEF Honorary Committee. Dr. Snezana Kearns, Senior Project Manager, Ms. Irena Pal (BBA), Project & Office Manager, and Mag. Niko Petković, Project Manager additionally attended the ceremony from VEF’s side, whereas Mag. Leila Kaplan, Office Director and Chief of Staff attended from AACC’s side.

The signing of this MoU was the result of deliberations that took place during a courtesy visit paid by Secretary-General Khouja to Secretary-General Kirtcheva earlier this month. H.E. Ambassador Dr. Kirtcheva has already met with a number of Arab ambassadors in Vienna, in an attempt to further consolidate coordination and cooperation with the Arab region, an area in which SG Khouja reiterated his readiness to support by all means.

  L-t-r: Ms. Pal, Mag. Kaplan, Dr. Huber, SG Eng. Khouja, Amb. Dr. Kirtcheva, Dr. Kearns, Mag. Petković


This bilateral agreement between AACC and VEF demonstrates the will of both parties as strategic partners to establish cooperation and good relations between both institutions, by means of mutual support of each other’s initiatives and activities, organising joint events and sharing useful information on the economic situation and developments aimed at supporting the goals of both institutions.
                    
In this context, Ambassador Kirtcheva announced the upcoming “Vienna Economic Talks- Prishtina Meeting 2023”, scheduled to take place on 7-8 May 2023 in Prishtina, Kosovo and invited SG Khouja and AACC members to attend. SG Khouja extended an invitation to Ambassador Dr. Kirtcheva and VEF members to take part in the 12th edition of the “Annual Investment Meeting (AIM)” and the “Entrepreneurs Investment Summit: Investing in Arab and African Entrepreneurs”, which will be held under the support of the Union of Arab Chambers (UAC) from 8 -10 May 2023 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Pursuant to the agreement on widely publishing information and news pertaining to each other’s activities, each of the institutions will reciprocally share information about the above-mentioned meetings and vigorously promote the other’s events within its extensive network.

Secretary General of Austro-Arab Chamber of Commerce (AACC), Dipl.-Ing. Mouddar Khouja to a working meeting at Vienna Economic Forum (VEF)

On 9^th January 2023, the Secretary General of the Vienna Economic Forum Ambassador Dr. Elena Kirtcheva had the pleasure to welcome Dipl.-Ing. Mouddar Khouja, Secretary General of the Austro-Arab Chamber of Commerce (AACC)  in the premises of Vienna Economic Forum (VEF).

The conversation took place in a very friendly atmosphere and focused on the options for future cooperation. New perspectives were identified, for the development of which the two parties discussed the possibility of signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

Cooperation Agreement for the organisation of „Vienna Economic Talks- Prishtina Meeting 2023”

On 12 January 2023, Ambassador Dr. Elena Kirtcheva, Secretary General of Vienna Economic Forum and H.E. Mr. Albin Kurti, Prime Minister of Kosovo and Patron of Vienna Economic Forum signed a Cooperation Agreement regarding the organization of „Vienna Economic Talks- Prishtina Meeting 2023” on 7-8 May in Prishtina.

The signing of the Cooperation Agreement took place in the premises of the Diplomatic Academy Vienna and was followed by intense talks with the delegation of the Prime Minister and H.E. Mr. Lulzim Pllana, Ambassador of Kosovo and Member of the Ambassadors Committee of Vienna Economic Forum, and in the presence of Ambassador Dr. Emil Brix, Director of the Diplomatic Academy Vienna and a longstanding supporter of Vienna Economic Forum.

19th Vienna Economic Forum – Vienna Future Dialogue 2022

During the 19th Vienna Economic Forum - Vienna Future Dialogue 2022 which under the motto "Economy meets Politics in Difficult and Uncertain Times" took place on 14. November 2022 at the Raiffeisen Bank International in Vienna, the Board and the Members of Vienna Economic Forum had the honour and the pleasure to welcome the invited guests, high-ranking decision-makers from economy and politics from 22 countries.