EU STRATEGIC TALKS STABILITY, SECURITY, COOPERATION – CHALLENGES IN A TIME OF UPHEAVAL

Time: 4 June 2018, Venue: The House of the , 09:30 am until 05:30 pm 1010 , Wipplingerstraße 35

On 1 July 2018, will assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. This third Austrian Presi- dency takes place during a phase of political upheaval: in particular the migration crisis, the United Kingdom’s with- drawal from the EU and the resulting political volatility have called the EU’s unity into question and indicated the EU’s immediate need for fundamental reforms. The Austrian presidency faces a challenging agenda: including, among other issues, Brexit negotiations and the multiannual financial framework. According to the motto “A Europe that protects”, Austria, together with Estonia and Bulgaria in the framework of the Trio Presidency, has committed to stemming illegal migration, securing prosperity and competitiveness. A strong focus is also put on the dedication to stability of the EU candidates and neighbour countries bordering the EU in the Western Balkans and South-East Europe.

How can security and competitiveness be ensured for the future of Europe and how can social cohesion be strengthened? In which ways has a multi-speed Europe already become reality? In which areas will there be a deepening of cooperation, and where can we expect increased subsidiarity? And what do these developments mean for the already complex legal system of the European Union?

09:30-09:40 WELCOME ADDRESS Jörg Wojahn – Representative of the European Commission in Austria

Georg Pfeifer – Head of Information Office of the in Austria

09:40-10:00 OPENING STATEMENT Gabriel Lansky – Founder and Managing Partner at Lansky, Ganzger + Partner

10:00-10:40 KEYNOTE SPEECH Karin Kneissl – Federal Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs, Republic of Austria

Jean Asselborn – Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

10:40-11:00 COFFEE BREAK

11:00-12:30 PANEL DISCUSSION I Wolfgang Ischinger – Chairman of the Munich Security EU REFORM PLANS: EVER Conference CLOSER UNION OR STRONGER Othmar Karas – Member of the European Parliament, NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY? Chair of the Delegation to the EU-Russia Parliamentary

Cooperation Committee MODERATION: Matthew Karnitschnig – Chief Europe Ivan Krastev – Chairman, Centre for Liberal Studies, Correspondent, POLITICO Sofia; Permanent Fellow, Institute for Human Sciences, Vienna

Aleksander Kwasniewski – former President of the Republic of Poland

Sergei Stanishev – President of the Party of European Socialists (PES); former Prime Minister of Bulgaria (tbc)

12:30-13:30 LUNCH BREAK EU STRATEGIC TALKS STABILITY, SECURITY, COOPERATION – CHALLENGES IN A TIME OF UPHEAVAL

13:30-13:50 KEYNOTE SPEECH Ewald Nowotny – Governor, Oesterreichische Nationalbank

13:50-14:50 PANEL DISCUSSION II Tibor Draskovics – former Hungarian Minister of Finance BREXIT AND ITS IMPACTS: Martin Engelberg – Member of the ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL FALLOUT Michael Ikrath – Member of the European Economic and Social Committee Moderation: Ivo Gabara – Gabara Strategies, London Angelika Mlinar – Member of the European Parliament; Member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy

14:50-15:15 COFFEE BREAK

15:15-16:45 PANEL DISCUSSION III Robert Amsterdam – Managing Partner, EU ENLARGEMENT: CANDIDATE Amsterdam & Partners, London – Washington COUNTRIES FROM THE WESTERN Dimitrios Droutsas – former Minister of Foreign Affairs BALKANS TO TURKEY – FAST- of TRACKED AND STALLED EU PERSPECTIVES Knut Fleckenstein – Member of the European Parliament, Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs MODERATION: Michael Martens – Correspondent for Southeast Europe Eduard Kukan – Member of the European Parliament; and Turkey, Frankfurter Chairman of the Delegation to the EU-Serbia Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee Allgemeine Zeitung Wolfgang Petritsch – former High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina; former EU Special Envoy for Kosovo 16:45-17:10 WRAP UP & CONCLUDING Matthew Karnitschnig – Chief Europe Correspondent, REMARKS POLITICO

Gabriel Lansky – Founder and Managing Partner, Lansky, Ganzger + Partner

Conference language: German with simultaneous interpretation in English

RSVP by June 2 2018: [email protected]