The President of the Industrial Association, Georg Knill, opened the fifth Salzburg Summit and emphasized Europe’s potential, which urgently needs to be exploited: “Europe has the potential to find the best solutions to the complex challenges of our time through open and honest discussions. To do this, however, we must be prepared to listen to different opinions, exercise constructive criticism and practice tolerance.” Further opening words came from Governor Wilfried Haslauer and Kristina Hammer, President of the Salzburg Festival.
Motto „Unlocking Europe’s Potential“
In his keynote speech, EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn asked the question about the existing potential for Europe: “Europe is not performing so badly, but the others are quickly catching up. It’s about the question: How can we remain a global player and not just be a global payer?” Enrico Letta, President of the Jacques Delors Institute, explained one possibility for exploiting Europe’s potential and warned in his keynote that Europe is expanding rests on its glorious past. Austria, on the other hand, as a small country, recognizes the importance of the European internal market, while larger countries often overlook this.
Under the motto “Unlocking Europe’s Potential”, experts from international business, science and politics discussed how Europe can exploit its potential in times of upheaval. On two days of the conference, Karoline Edtstadler, Federal Minister for the EU and the Constitution, Martin Kocher, Federal Minister for Labor and Economics, and Finance Minister Magnus Brunner, among others, were seen on stage. Aija Kalnaja, Deputy Executive Director for Capabilities at FRONTEX, BusinessEurope Director General Markus Beyrer, Croatian State Secretary Zdenko Lucić, Robert Brieger, permanent chairman of the European Union Military Committee (EUMC) and the Director General of the European Space Agency Josef Aschbacher also gave exciting insights into improvements European competitiveness.
The Rt Hon Boris Johnson stressed the need to strengthen liberal democracies
The appearance of former UK Prime Minister The Rt Hon Boris Johnson sparked discussion in the run-up to the conference. The Industrial Association, as a deeply pro-European organization, is of the opinion that it is necessary to give all sides and perspectives space and to discuss them openly. In the conversation, Mr. Johnson also addressed, among other things, Great Britain’s decision to leave the EU: “Britain is and remains an active part of Europe through NATO and other joint foreign policy activities, but not as part of the EU.” He also emphasized the need for an open society, as a symbol of the strength of liberal democracies. These values must be defended, especially against the background of the war in Ukraine: “The freedom of Ukraine and the fight for an open society are symbols of the strength of liberal democracies. We must be convinced that open societies will win. Democracy and freedom are not just ideals, but indispensable pillars that must be defended.”
About the Salzburg Summit
For three days – from July 24th to 26th, 2024 – Salzburg became the center for economic and political discussions with top-class participants. Initiated and organized by the Industrial Association, the Salzburg Summit serves as an exclusive platform for exchange about the future of Europe as a business location. The discussions focus on technological, economic and socio-political aspects as well as the geopolitical dimension.
Supporters and partners
An event of this magnitude can only succeed with the help of supporters and sponsors, including the Austrian Pharmaceutical Industry Association (Pharmig), ATOS, SKY Austria, Palfinger, Arthur D. Little, Microsoft, KSW and the banking association. Other sponsors include Amazon, Google, Verbund and IBM. As in recent years, ÖBB acts as a mobility partner. In addition, the summit is supported with products from café+co. This year we are pleased to be working with BusinessEurope, the Peter Drucker Forum and the Salzburg Europe Summit as strategic partners.
You can find the photos from this year’s Salzburg Summit HERE.
Further information about the Salzburg Summit can be found at www.salzburgsummit.com.