30 Years of EU Membership: Looking Back to Looking Forward - Invitation to Panel Discussion by Master Program “European Studies”

2025 marks the 30th anniversary of Austria's accession to the European Union, 30 years that have profoundly changed Austria, the EU and the world as a whole. The two speakers have followed the negotiations on Austria's accession to the EU most closely. They will tell about how the process of the negotiations went, how Austria was perceived within the EU, and how the relationship between Austria and the EU has developed since then. And what we can learn from that story for today and the future.

Margaretha Kopeinig has been a KURIER journalist for many years, responsible for the EU, twice correspondent in Brussels; she lives as an author and freelance journalist in Vienna.

Michael Reinprecht was an Austrian diplomat in the Austrian EU mission from 1992-1995 (‘Press and Information Council’, i.e. responsible for press relations during the Austrian EU accession negotiations); he is currently retired and lives as a freelance author in Vienna.

We would like to invite you to this exciting discussion, followed by an opportunity to network in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.

The events will take place at the Campus of the University of Vienna, Spitalgasse 2, Court 1, 1090 Vienna. For those who cannot attend in person, the discussion will also be available via livestream.

Please register by May 15, 2025, and let us know whether you will join on-site or online by emailing europeanstudies@univie.ac.at .