House Chair Richard Raši (Hlas-SD) met the President of the National Council of Austria Walter Rosenkranz and Speaker of the Czech Chamber of Deputies Tomio Okamura in the Austrian region of Wachau during a meeting held under the Austerlitz Format (S3: Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia).
The event follows up on a meeting in Bratislava in December and will also be the first meeting at the highest political level during Austria's presidency of the S3.
"When we met in Bratislava on 3 December of last year during Slovakia's presidency of the Austerlitz Format, we agreed that cooperation between our parliaments must deliver concrete results. This dialogue will continue at the meeting in Austria. The Austerlitz Format has a firm place in Central Europe, bringing together three neighbouring countries that share common interests, exchange experience and coordinate their stances on European issues," said Raši.
The main purpose of the trip is to strengthen practical inter-parliamentary cooperation between Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Austria. The speakers of the three parliaments will discuss current challenges related to the enlargement of the European Union (EU), migration and the involvement of young people in public life. The second thematic block will focus on the digital transformation of parliaments and the responsible use of artificial intelligence.
In addition to discussing the protection of borders, Raši said that he'll also present Slovakia's experience with youth parliaments and student internships. According to him, support for well-prepared candidate countries in the Western Balkans will be important as well.
The talks will also revolve around exchanges of experience in modernising parliamentary work and the responsible use of artificial intelligence, focusing on how digital tools can streamline the work of parliaments and improve public access to their activities.
With his partners, Raši also wants to discuss data security, the protection of sensitive information, the development of digital skills and opportunities for cooperation among parliamentary administrations.
The event hosted by the Austrians kicked off on Thursday with a working dinner of the parliamentary speakers in Durnstein. On Friday (18 September), a brief working meeting will be held, followed by the main session at Gottweig Abbey. Austria took over the presidency of the Austerlitz Format from Slovakia on 1 July 2026, and, based on a rotating principle, the Czech Republic will become the presiding country as of July 2027.
Source: TASR
