Future of democracy: building bridges for a strong Austria!

Future of democracy: building bridges for a strong Austria!

On December 19, 2024, the Upper Austrian chair ended in the Federal Council, and the outgoing President Franz Ebner looked back on his term. In his farewell speech, he called for a further development of democracy and presented a "five-point plan for the future of democracy". This plan focuses on education, strengthening coexistence, lively pluralism, subsidiarity and clear rules on social media. Ebner emphasizes that democracy is not a sure-fire success and that we have responsibility for their preservation, as well as parlament.gv.at . The aim is to strengthen trust in the democratic structures in times of increasing authoritarian tendencies.

encounters to strengthen democracy

As part of an encounter that took place under Ebner's presidency, experts from science, politics and the media discussed the future of democracy. The importance of responsibility and civic participation was highlighted. Future researchers Daniel Dettling warned of a global "authoritarian megatrend" and demanded the development of "populist democracy" that enables citizens to participate in political processes. A central concern is the promotion of the dialogue between different social groups in order to strengthen trust in democratic institutions and thus to counter the challenges of the future, as well as in the current discussions of the Federal Council.

Ebner also referred to the challenges of demographic change, which is considered a question of fate for society. The number of over 65-year-olds already exceeds that of the under 20 year olds, and he sees keys to a successful age in health prevention and social relationships. Finally, he called on building bridges together - between generations, cities and rural regions to develop democratic culture before the existing order is "even more in question".