RBI summer cocktail: 900 guests celebrate unity and innovation in Vienna!

RBI summer cocktail: 900 guests celebrate unity and innovation in Vienna!

On June 19, 2025, a traditional customer reception of Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) took place in the Gartenpalais Liechtenstein. In summer temperatures and cloudless sky, almost 900 guests gathered from the areas of business, politics, media and society. RBI CEO Johann Strobl welcomed local and international decision-makers: Inside and opened the evening with his speech.

The keynote of the event held outer and European minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger. It emphasized the need for a unit in Europe to cope with the current challenges, in particular as a result of the Ukraine conflict and the integration of the Western Balkans into the EU. In this context, she made it clear that the EU was not complete without the Western Balkans and called for concrete progress in the Belgrade-pristina dialogue.

panel discussion about Europe's challenges

A central element of the event was the panel discussion, in which, in addition to Meinl-Reisinger, Wolfgang Litzlbauer from Umdasch Group AG, Michael Strugl from Verbund AG and Valerie Brunner from RBI also took part. The discussion was moderated by Gunter Deuber of Raiffeisen Research. The participants discussed the innovation potential of Europe as well as the need to work with the energy transition and the challenges that companies are standing in front of today.

Meinl-Reisinger found that Europe was good in basic research, but it was necessary to improve the transfer of innovations into sustainable business models. Michael Strugl emphasized that a successful transformation of the energy system requires the participation of all actors. Wolfgang Litzlbauer also emphasized the importance of North America as a central pillar of the growth strategy founded. Valerie Brunner concluded with the comment that the services of a relationship from a relationship in volatile business environments.

economic challenges in Europe

In a broader context, the European economy currently faced challenges that were also addressed at the event. The Brussels Economic Forum recently gathered industry leaders to discuss the current economic situation. Topics such as environmentally friendly and digital change, social inequalities and the securing of important raw materials were on the agenda. According to the latest forecast of the European Commission, GDP growth will be 0.8 % in 2023 and 1.6 % in 2024.

The inflation rates show a positive development, since the decline of 9.2 % in 2022 indicates 6.4 % in 2023 and 2.8 % in 2024. This is also due to the fact that gas consumption in Europe dropped and gas prices fell below the pre -war level. In addition, the unemployment rate in February 2023 achieved a historical low of 6.0 % in the EU.

The future -oriented goal of the EU remains the reduction in the dependence on imported critical raw materials. In order to achieve this goal, measures that include the identification of important technologies and the creation of safe supply chains.

Overall, the RBI customer reception not only offered a platform for networking and exchange about business issues, but also an opportunity to discuss relevant social and economic issues that shape the future of Europe.