EFA25 Programme

Discover the programme of EFA25. The programme and list of speakers will be updated continuously. We look forward to seeing you in Alpbach!

Recharge Europe with us!

Eighty years after World War II, Europe faces a rapidly changing world marked by geopolitical tensions, technological transformations, and the urgency of an ecological crisis. At the European Forum Alpbach 2025, we will explore how to combine economic competitiveness with Europe’s core values: advancing climate action, innovation, democracy, and security to renew Europe’s potential. Explore the programme and be part of the conversation.

More about the annual theme

Speakers Selection

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Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer

Federal Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism.

Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft, Energie und Tourismus

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Christoph Wiederkehr

Federal Minister for Education

Austrian Ministry of Education (BMB)

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Robert Brieger

Chairman of the EU Military Committee

European Union External Action Service

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Maria Luís Albuquerque

Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union

European Commission

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Yascha Mounk

Professor

Johns Hopkins University

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Anna Buchegger

Musician & Artist

Anna Buchegger

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Andreas Babler

Vice-Chancellor and Federal Minister for Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sports

Republic of Austria

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Cédric Villani

University Professor

University Lyon I IHES

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Rumman Chowdhury

CEO

Humane Intelligence

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Ian Goldin

Professor of Globalisation and Development

Oxford University

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Meredith Whittaker

President

Signal

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Katarina Barley

Vice-President

European Parliament

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Oana Țoiu

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania and European Young Leader (EYL40)

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania

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Mario Nava

Director-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

European Commission

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Cesy Leonard

Founding Director

Radikale Töchter

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Peter Bosek

CEO

Erste Group

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Josef Aschbacher

Director General

European Space Agency (ESA)

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Gerda Holzinger-Burgstaller

CEO

Erste Bank Oesterreich

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Sabine Weyand

Director-General for Trade and Economic Security

European Commission

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Sigrid Stagl

Climate Economist

Vienna University of Economics and Business

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Axel van Trotsenburg

Senior Managing Director

World Bank

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Bart De Wever

Prime Minister

Belgium

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Kajsa Ollongren

EU Special Representative for Human Rights

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Jan Lipavsky

Minister of Foreign Affairs

Czech Republic

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Shashi Tharoor

Member and Chairman of the Committee on External Affairs

Indian Parliament

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Peter R. Neumann

Professor for Security Studies

King's College London

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Clara Raposo

Vice-Governor

Banco de Portugal

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Rana Adib

Executive Director

REN21

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Claudia Plakolm

Federal Minister for Europe, Integration and Family

Republic of Austria

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Norbert Totschnig

Federal Minister

Federal Ministry (BMLUK)

Discover all speakers

Programme

All times in CEST
Lab Days

Friday, 22. August

Starting times
Morning
Labs: Multi-Day Working Sessions
540
Labs are 1.5-day facilitated working session with a closed and well-selected group of 30 participants that has a joint purpose with the goal that this group, first, becomes a community of action, and second, finds answers to a larger, cross-cutting problem. Explore the EFA25 Labs.
09:00 - 18:00 Labs: Multi-Day Working Sessions
Content
Evening
Open Air Concert Alpbach Brass Band
30
On Fridays during the summer months, the Alpbach brass band hosts their open-air concert on the village square. All Alpbach residents as well as national and international guests are cordially invited!      
Ort Alpbach , Village Square
20:00 - 20:30 Open Air Concert Alpbach Brass Band
Rituals

Saturday, 23. August

Starting times
Afternoon
From Legacy to Impact: 80 Years of Driving Change for Europe
60
Marking 80 years of EFA, this session goes beyond retrospection. It offers space for dialogue and reflection on key EFA initiatives and invites participants to co-develop visions for a recharged Europe. This is more than commemoration, it’s a call to learn from the past, challenge the present, and shape the future. //INFO: This session is being translated and transcribed live using the Wordly app. 
Congress Centrum Alpbach , CCA – Schrödinger-Saal
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15:30 - 16:30 From Legacy to Impact: 80 Years of Driving Change for Europe
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Content
Evening
Filmscreening: Brennpunkt Alpbach
German 90
Hannes Kar has been covering the European Forum Alpbach as a journalist since 1948. To mark the 80th anniversary of the European Forum Alpbach, Hannes Kar's film "Brennpunkt Alpbach" will be shown – an impressive portrait of the forum and its beginnings, originally created for its 40th anniversary. In conversation with this long-time companion, it becomes clear why Alpbach in particular became the ‘village of thinkers’ – and what makes this place so inspiring to this day. INFO // The film and lecture are in German.  
Schulhäusl , Schulhäusl
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20:00 - 21:30 Filmscreening: Brennpunkt Alpbach
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Your EFA25 schedule

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