The fourth annual meeting of parliamentary speakers of German-speaking countries took place in Bregenz on 23 and 24 July. At the invitation of Austrian National Council president Wolfgang Sobotka, the conference was attended by National Council president Marina Carobbio Guscetti (SP/TI), the president of the German Bundestag, Wolfgang Schäuble, the president of Liechtenstein’s Landtag, Albert Frick, the president of Luxembourg’s Chamber of Deputies, Fernand Etgen, and the president of the President of the German-speaking Community of Belgium, Karl-Heinz Lambertz.

The meetings serve to foster cooperation in areas of common interest and strengthen relations between the six German-speaking countries. This year’s conference was dedicated to the theme of ‘Current forms of antisemitism and measures to address it’. The increase in anti-Semitic tendencies and incidents is a challenge for society and across Europe. In this intimate setting, the six parliamentary speakers were also able to discuss current challenges and possible solutions.

They also heard lectures on the subject given by Thomas Stern, coordinator of an antisemitism study commissioned by the Austrian Parliament, Monika Schwarz-Friesel from the Institute for Language and Communication at Berlin Technical University, and Felix Klein, the German government’s delegate for Jewish life in Germany and the fight against Antisemitism.

The social programme included a joint evening meal hosted by the governor of Vorarlberg, Markus Wallner, and a visit to a performance of Rigoletto at the Bregenz Festival.