EFA26 concludes with “Alpbach Manifesto”

The 82nd European Forum Alpbach (EFA) concluded this morning with a “Call to Action” session at the Schrödinger Hall of the Congress Centrum Alpbach. Over the past two weeks, around 4,800 participants – including almost 700 scholarship holders from more than 60 countries – have explored the theme “How Europe Wins”.

Building on the Forum’s beginnings in the 1940s, an “Alpbach Manifesto” was presented for the first time in decades. The Manifesto summarises the EFA’s key insights in the areas of security, democracy, climate and finance in four concise paragraphs and sets out a vision for a successful Europe by 2035 – the year, the European Forum Alpbach celebrates its 90th anniversary.

Sovereignty and an end to national go-it-alone approaches at the heart of the 2026 Alpbach Manifesto

The EFA’s conclusions call for an end to national fragmentation in the field of security and for a fully integrated European security architecture. In climate policy, too, the Manifesto emphasises shared responsibility and puts a fair circular economy at the centre of Europe’s action. With a focus on a European Capital Markets Union and an end to national vetoes, the areas of finance and democracy address issues that have also dominated discussions in Alpbach this year and remain firmly on the EFA’s working agenda.

The full “Alpbach Manifesto 2026” is available at https://www.alpbach.org/blog/call-to-action 

Alpbach generates 4,800 individual commitments to action

In his address, EFA President Othmar Karas stressed that the Forum’s outcomes cannot be reduced to a single document. “Each of the 4,800 participants leaves Alpbach with an individual commitment to action and a contribution to the question of How Europe Wins. The real work starts today.”

For Karas, one of the EFA’s central answers to the question “How Europe Wins” remains that Europe can only succeed “if we work together and find reliable partners around the world who share our values and concerns”. His personal “Manifesto”, he said, puts the completion of the European Single Market at the top of the agenda – bringing his message full circle to the opening of this year’s EFA, which featured former Italian Prime Minister and “Mr Single Market” Enrico Letta.

EFA27 from 23 August to 3 September

Alongside the “Alpbach Manifesto 2026”, the dates for EFA27 were also announced during today’s “Call to Action” session. The 83rd European Forum Alpbach will take place from 23 August to 3 September 2027 in the Tyrolean village of thinkers and doers. “Super Early Bird” tickets will already be available from mid-September. As is tradition, the theme of EFA27 will be announced towards the end of the year.