Events

20^th Jubilee Vienna Economic Forum - Vienna Future Dialogue 2023

The 20^th Jubilee Vienna Economic Forum - Vienna Future Dialogue 2023 took place on 13^th November 2023 in the Festive Hall of the Vienna City Hall/Wiener Rathaus. Under the motto "Continuing to Build Economic Bridges During Difficult Times “, the Board of Vienna Economic Forum had the honour and the pleasure to welcome the invited participants, high-ranking decision-makers from economy and politics from 41 countries.

In her Opening Words Amb. Dr. Elena Kirtcheva, Founder and Member of the Board, Secretary General of Vienna Economic Forum underlined the vision of the founding fathers of Vienna Economic Forum (VEF) in 2004 to support active economic cooperation in the region “From the Adriatic to the Black Sea” and under the Motto “Economy meets Politics” to encourage the development of common activities. This inspiring vision enabled the successful work of Vienna Economic Forum throughout these two decades and contributed to the consolidation of the whole region and its recognition as a common economic area by many investors and representatives of different regional, European and worldwide branches of the economy. The Secretary General expressed a big Thank You to the City of Vienna and especially to the Mayor and Governor of Vienna, Dr. Michael Ludwig for the exclusive possibility to organise the 20^th Anniversary of Vienna Economic Forum at the remarkable Festive Hall of the City of Vienna.

Welcoming Words on behalf of Dr. Michael Ludwig, Mayor and Governor of Vienna, were held by Mr. Jürgen Czernohorszky, Executive City Councillor of the City of Vienna, focusing on the special importance and symbolic meaning of this 20^th Jubilee Vienna Economic Forum taking place in the centre of Vienna, as well as the special role of the City of Vienna in fostering relations and building bridges, especially in times when it is most needed.

H.E. Ms. Karoline Edtstadler, Federal Minister for the EU and Constitution at the Federal Chancellery of the Republic of Austria, stated in her welcoming words how particularly relevant it is to "Continue to build economic bridges during difficult times", against the backdrop of multiple conflicts and crises that we are currently facing. She mentioned the recovery plan for Ukraine, emphasized the importance of EU integration for the Western Balkans, and highlighted bridging with the private sector as crucial to driving forward the common aims of addressing these challenges.

The former Federal Chancellor of Austria Dr. Wolfgang Schüssel, Founding Father and Honorary Member of Vienna Economic Forum, spoke about the historical context of the 20 years of existence of Vienna Economic Forum. He mentioned the momentum of optimism during the establishing of Vienna Economic Forum in 2004 and when 10 new countries accessed the EU. Dr. Schüssel highlighted the need for free market development to go hand in hand with liberal democracy. He mentioned the special responsibility of Vienna as being once again at the centre of transformations, as well as the special role of Vienna Economic Forum as crucial to these processes. He closed his remark by saying: “We need to be not optimists, not pessimists, but possibilists.”

DI Dr. Günther Rabensteiner, Honorary President of Vienna Economic Forum highlighted the role played by Vienna Economic Forum in economic diplomacy for the past 20 years, and the role of this event as a new starting point for an intensive thought process, which require the strengthening of economic relations as a supporting and connecting role in conflict resolution. DI Dr. Rabensteiner stressed how this sort of event is and this event is a plead for the future and that the past initiatives of VEF on building infrastructure networks for transport, energy, telecommunications, banking and insurance, the areas of education and health becoming increasingly important in these circumstances.

This session was concluded by the statement of the President of Vienna Economic Forum Amb. Victor Jackovich, who emphasised the importance of this 20^th Jubilee of Vienna Economic Forum, stemming from the vision to create a region “From the Adriatic to the Black Sea”. He stressed that Vienna Economic Forum is a platform for discussing the region's most important issues, such as supporting those countries that seek to join the European Union and the Euro-Atlantic community of democratic states, as well as a meeting point for business leaders who meet with government representatives to identify future markets, find common projects and achieve common goals.

In a Festive Ceremony at the end of the Opening Session, the SPECIAL AWARD "20^th Jubilee Vienna Economic Forum" was presented to the Former Federal Chancellor of Austria, Dr. Wolfgang Schüssel, in appreciation of his outstanding support and significant contribution to the founding of Vienna Economic Forum in 2004.