04/11/2020

The countries of the Danube region, where 115 million people live, have to deal with several consequences the COVID-19 pandemic caused, including an increased imbalance between EU and non-EU member states. At this year's Danube Conference on 11 November, experts from science, culture, civil society and public institutions will discuss possible negative consequences, but also opportunities the Danube region can draw from the crisis. The Institute for Danube Region and Central Europe (IDM) organizes the conference in cooperation with Danube University Krems. Cooperation partners are the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, the IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems and the Europa-Forum Wachau. Patron of the conference is ARGE Donauländer, and the Province of Lower Austria provides support.

The countries of the Danube region not only face shortcomings in their national social, economic and health care systems due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the crisis also reinforced deep imbalances between EU and non-EU member states. Thus, the conference's goal is to contrast utopian and dystopian visions of a common European future. While the first, favorably implied scenario envisages sustainable reforms in economic and social life, together with a new climate-oriented awareness, a dystopian scenario sees long-lasting consequential damage to human and civil rights, the socio-economy and ecology, and liberal democracy in the Danube region.

In two panels, international experts will discuss what lessons can be learned from the current situation. The first panel is looking at possible paradigmatic changes in the political, economic, educational, health and ecological realms. Panel 2 examines the challenges the youth, culture, media and civil society sectors have to meet.

Prof. Dragan Prole, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Novi Sad, Serbia, will give the keynote address. Prof Martin Selmayr represents the European Commission in Austria.

Welcoming speeches are held by: Friedrich Faulhammer, Rector of Danube University Krems, Martin Eichtinger, State Council for Housing, Employment and International Relations, representing State Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner, Province of Lower Austria, and Erhard Busek, Chairman of the Board of the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe (IDM).

 

Danube Conference 2020 "Post-Corona in the Danube Region"

Utopia or Dystopia - The Common European Future

Date:   Wednesday, 11 November 2020

Begin: 10.00 (closing: 13.15)

Language: English

The conference is held as online livestream

 

Registration

Institute for Danube Region and Central Europe - IDM

Hahngasse 6/1/24, 1090 Vienna

Phone +43 1 319 72 58-0

e-Mail: idm@idm.at

Contact

Dr. Silvia Nadjivan

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