Focus on Health and National Defence

In cooperation with the Liberal Club, the Political Academy of the Freedom Party of Austria (FBI) hosted a specialist lecture and two panel discussions on 10 and 11 October as part of the “Forum Central Europe.” The topics centered on health and national defence.

In the health segment, Marco Triller, FPÖ parliamentary group leader in the Styrian regional parliament, and Angela Schütz, member of the Vienna State Parliament, examined the challenges of an increasingly dysfunctional healthcare system and discussed potential reform approaches. In addition, David Ungar-Klein, founder of Create Connections and author of the Vienna Health Infrastructure Report, presented up-to-date figures and data analyses on Austria’s healthcare provision.

The second part of the event focused on Austria’s security and defence policy situation. Volker Reifenberger, FPÖ defence spokesperson and chairman of the National Council’s Defence Committee, provided a parliamentary perspective on the current situation. Major General Peter Fender, Secretary-General of the Platform for a Defensible Austria, outlined his demands for an effective military national defence. Stefan Berger, Vienna city councillor and reserve officer, contributed the security-policy perspective of the federal capital.

Following both panels, participants worked together with the speakers in breakout groups to develop concrete statements and recommendations for action on these key future issues.