# European Forum Alpbach

The European Forum Alpbach (EFA) is an Austrian nonprofit organisation and foundation based in Vienna, Austria. It is best known for hosting the event of the same name in the village of Alpbach. It is an interdisciplinary platform for science, politics, business and culture with its mission cited as "connecting international decision-makers from all sectors of society with an interested audience and committed young people".

## History

The forum was founded in 1945 as "International College Weeks" by Otto Molden, who had been active in the Austrian resistance movement, and Simon Moser. Nowadays, more than 4,000 people from over 70 countries accept the invitation to participate in the European Forum Alpbach each year. Participation is open to all interested parties. The events are held in the small village of Alpbach.

## Event Programme

The event in August is divided into several main parts. As of 2024 the programme is centred around the following four thematic tracks:
* Climate
* Security
* Finance and Economy
* Democracy and the Rule of Law
The programme is structured in different modules. The Alpbach Seminars (formerly called Seminar Week) constitutes the core programme for scholarship holders. Alpbach in Motion is a three-days summit, being held also within the framework of the European Forum Alpbach. The event offers different formats – from seminars to workshop, hikes, discussion etc.
Accompanying the programme of the European Forum Alpbach throughout is a comprehensive schedule of arts and culture. In exhibitions, concerts and lectures, young artists in particular are offered the opportunity to present their work to the public. There are also the spontaneously organised fireside chats in which sensitive issues can be openly discussed with well-known personalities.
In past years, the programme also included other formats like symposia, a seminar week, Alpbach summer school courses or an Alpbach media academy.

## Presidents

* Otto Molden, 1945–1960, 1970–1992
* Heinrich Pfusterschmid-Hardtenstein, 1992–2000
* Erhard Busek, 2000–2012
* Franz Fischler, 2012–2020
* Andreas Treichl, 2020–2024
* Othmar Karas, 2024–

## Networks
### Forum Alpbach Network (FAN) - Initiative groups and clubs

Former scholarship holders of the European Forum Alpbach founded initiative groups and clubs in more than 30 countries around the world (mostly in Central and Eastern Europe) in order to work together for the constant advancement of the forum. These groups and clubs promote the spirit of Alpbach in their home countries and universities and organise interdisciplinary events and lectures. They are considered to be sister organisations of the forum and most of them are giving out annual scholarships for students to attend the European Forum Alpbach.
Among others, there are initiative groups in Armenia (Yerevan), Albania (Tirana), Austria (Graz, Linz and Vienna), Belgium (Brussels), Bosnia-Herzegovina (Sarajevo), Bulgaria (Sofia), France, Germany (Berlin and Cologne), Hungary (Budapest), Kosovo (Pristina), Macedonia (Skopje), Moldova (Chişinău), Montenegro (Podgorica), Poland (Warsaw), Serbia (Belgrade), Romania (Bucharest) and Ukraine (Kyiv, Lviv). Clubs exist in Austria (Burgenland, Lower Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol, Upper Austria, Vienna and Vorarlberg), Austria (Klagenfurt) / Italy / Slovenia (Senza Confini), Bulgaria, Croatia (Zagreb), Czech Republic, Greece, Italy (South Tyrol and Trentino), Liechtenstein, Middle East, Russia (Moscow), Serbia (Belgrade) and UK (London).

#### European elections 2024: Palumba

In 2024, alumni from Club Alpbach France, Spain, and Belgium led a campaign to encourage young people to take part in the 2024 European Parliament elections. The Palumba initiative quickly became one of the most downloaded voting advice applications in Europe, with the aim of reducing abstention of young first-time voters.
The non-partisan initiative helped over 170,000 young voters in 27 countries and 22 languages, with the support of several European Union institutions, foundations and non-governmental organizations (Erasmus Student Network, Oxfam, European Youth Forum). On February 6, 2025, Palumba is announced as one of the 5 global winners in theYoung Innovators category of the World Summit Awards.

### African Alpbach Network (AAN)

The African Alpbach Network was founded in 2019 and consists of more than 70 members from more than ten African countries.

### Alpbach in Motion Alumni Club

Alpbach in Motion (AIM) is a three-day summit taking place during the European Forum Alpbach. The AIM programme connects up to 40 emerging leaders from various business backgrounds. It aims to encourage its participants to strengthen Europe by bringing change and new ways of acting into their industries and networks. Former participants of the programme founded an alumni club that exchanges and organises events on a regular basis.