Healing a Crooked Nation

Austria, located between Hungary and Italy, is one of the wealthiest countries not only in the European Union, but also in the world. Over the last decade, the tiny alpine nation has received extensive international media scrutiny and the world has marveled at it. People are growing increasingly curious about how many political scandals one country can produce.

In his latest book, Helmut Brandstätter, Austrian Member of Parliament and former journalist, writes about “healing a distraught nation”. He explains how the group around former chancellor Sebastian Kurz caused lasting damage to Austria’s democracy and institutions, including the judiciary, parliament, and the media and divided society in times of crisis. The book is more than just a historical account of how a young leader was able to deceive people – it also offers suggestions for how trust in the political system and leaders can be restored. According to Brandstätter, this requires strengthening of democratic institutions in Austria, but also a strong Europe with a common European security policy.

Join us for our moderated discussion and book launch in trying to provide a little more understanding to the contexts that prompt foreign spectators’ questions.

Event programme

19:00 ELF welcome 
Speaker: Antonios Nestoras, Interim Executive Director, European Liberal Forum.  

19:10 Moderated Discussion 

Moderator: Moritz Körner, MEP, FDP 

Speaker: Helmut Brandstätter, Author & MP, NEOS 

Speaker: Claudia Gamon, MEP, NEOS 

20:00 Networking drinks