Around 50 people at the meeting of the traditional “Think Tank at the ÖVP” led by MEP Lukas Mandl Around 50 people at the meeting of the traditional “Think Tank at the ÖVP” led by MEP Lukas Mandl
Maria Plain/Brussels (OTS) – The day before yesterday and yesterday the Maria Plainer Circle, an ÖVP think tank that has existed since 1994, met again in Salzburg. The cross-generational network includes personalities from inside and outside the party structures, from all levels of politics as well as from science and research, business and work, security and civil society. The Maria Plainer Circle was founded by the later ÖVP federal party chairman and vice chancellor Michael Spindle layer back.
Leading since 2015 Lukas Mandl the network, which last year also visited the Republic of Kosovo, the EU institutions in Brussels and the European Parliament in Strasbourg. In his welcoming words, which he mainly devoted to security issues, Mandl emphasized: “The most important challenges for Europe in this election year are combating the economic crisis, strengthening and defending our model of life in the face of diverse attacks and quickly solving the migration issue together.”
The discussions of more than 50 participants also included this year’s elections to the European Parliament, the Austrian National Council and the state parliaments in Styria and Vorarlberg. Experts particularly examined the role and responsibility of the media in connection with fake news and hostility to science. Furthermore, conclusions were drawn from the current experiences from the successful state election campaign of the ÖVP Carinthia, the club chairman Markus Malle introduced.
A joint Holy Mass in the pilgrimage basilica with a visit from the star singers from the Epiphany Campaign rounded off the program of the first day. Further internal discussions followed on Saturday. Among the guests of honor was the former Salzburg governor Franz Schausberger.
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Wolfgang Tucek, EVP press service,
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