On 25 July 2026, Reinhold Lopatka, Austrian Member of the European Parliament, visited our Foundation. In 2024, he won his mandate as lead candidate of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), and since June of this year he has also served as President of the Robert Schuman Institute. He was accompanied by his wife, Franziska Lopatka. Astrid Harz, Austria’s Ambassador to Hungary, was also present; she had previously visited us at the beginning of her posting in Budapest.
The Director of our Foundation, Gergely Prőhle, gave a detailed presentation of our work. Eszter Barcs, Zita Lőrincz, and Ádám Suslik then introduced a selection of documents, photographs, and objects with Austrian historical and political connections, chosen especially for the occasion. The discussion also touched on the future plans of the Schuman Institute, especially how Otto von Habsburg’s legacy might be incorporated into the training of a younger generation of politicians.
Reinhold Lopatka, who hails from Styria and holds degrees in theology and law, has been a defining figure in Austrian Christian Democratic politics for decades. In the early 2000s, he was among Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel’s close political associates; from 2003, he served as Secretary General of the ÖVP; and until 2024, he was a member of the Austrian Parliament. He also knew Otto von Habsburg personally, which made his reflections on our namesake’s relationship with the modern Austrian state, and on his role in Austria’s accession to the European Union, particularly illuminating.
From the outset, our Foundation has attached great weight to close cooperation with Austrian academic and public life. The generous attention and initiative shown by Ambassador Astrid Harz strongly affirm this commitment; the present meeting was also made possible through her assistance.
