"Recharge Europe"
The AIES at the European Forum Alpbach 2025
Nov 27, 2025 / Alpbach / Global Affairs / Austrian Foreign, Security, Defence Policy
From August 21 to 29, 2025, the Austria Institute for European and Security Policy (AIES) attended at the European Forum Alpbach 2025 (EFA25) under the general theme “Recharge Europe”, represented by Director Michael Zinkanell, Senior Research Fellow Christoph Schwarz, Research Fellows Ulf Steindl and Nick Nieschalke, and Research Associate Adam Urosevic.
Once again, the AIES was one of four reporting partners accompanying the forum and captured the core themes and findings of the stimulating debates in the Security Track in this role. In this conext, Ulf Steindl wrote this year's Security Track Report, which is available here. In addition, the AIES team also contributed to the forum with its own inputs, presentations, and moderations.
Defence Lab – Toward a European Defence Union
To kick things off, Ulf Steindl took part in Lab Days, where he joined the expert discussion on the priorities of European defence cooperation and industrial policy.
The Price of Security: Defence, Democracy, and Societal Trade-offs
In the workshop “The Price of Security: Defence, Democracy, and Societal Trade-offs” on the last day of the Forum, Research Fellow Ulf Steindl moderated an intense discussion on security as an expanded concept. The discussion centred on the conflicting goals of European policies, the trade-offs between European rearmament and social security, as well as the national will to fight and intergenerational perspectives.
Security Track: Networking Session
On 27 August, Director Michael Zinkanell and Senior Research Fellow Christoph Schwarz led a Networking Session on Austrian neutrality in the context of European security as part of the Security Track.
The event offered participants the opportunity to engage more deeply with Austria’s specific role within the European defence architecture and to exchange directly with the AIES. At the centre of the discussion was the study authored by Christoph Schwarz, Between Principle and Pressure: European Perspectives on Austrian Neutrality, which served as the basis for the debate.
Ukraine as a Cornerstone of European Security and Defence
On 28 August, AIES Director Michael Zinkanell took part in the panel discussion “Ukraine as a Cornerstone of European Security and Defence”. Together with other experts such as Carlo Masala from the Bundeswehr University in Munich or Elisabeth Hoffberger-Pippan from the Konrad Adenauer Foundation Vienna, he examined the security-political significance of Ukraine for Europe’s future.
In his contributions, Michael Zinkanell particularly highlighted the Austrian perspective. The discussion focused on Ukraine’s current security situation, the lessons of the war for Europe, especially regarding the use of modern weapons systems, as well as the necessity of a coordinated European defence and the ongoing debate about a mental “turning point.”
Rallying a Union’s Defence
On 28 August, AIES Director Michael Zinkanell moderated the panel discussion “Rallying a Union’s Defence: Collective Security and European Solidarity” as part of the Austria in Europe Days. Among the experts was Christoph Schwarz, AIES Senior Research Fellow, who highlighted the role of public opinion and the existing tension between Austrian neutrality and European solidarity. Together with other specialists from the military and academia, they discussed key security and defence challenges facing Europe.
The discussion focused on the reassessment of military threats, the legal interpretation of collective defence clauses in the EU and NATO, and the transformation of Austria’s defence policy since 2022. It also examined how Europe can strengthen its collective defence capabilities and whether deeper defence integration would limit or, on the contrary, enhance national sovereignty.
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