ABS News March 2025

Editorial
Presidential Message
ABS Event Registration
ABS Event Reviews - February 2025
Our Plans For March
ABS On Travel
The Last Page

Dear Members and Friends of the ABS,

We all know the famous British posters: ‘Keep Calm And Carry On!’ In my short introductory statement to this issue of ABS News, I would like to recall this extremely helpful motto:

No, your personal life will not be turned upside down tomorrow by an election result in Germany or Austria, nor by any political parties of left, right, left-left or extreme right-wing provenance, nor by one or other president - whether western or eastern - nor by any other external factors. Change happens continuously and we have to think calmly, level-headedly and with the necessary emotional distance about how we deal with it personally.

Don't let the general clamour of the media and people drive you crazy. None of us can influence how the powerful and the want-to-be powerful of the world act (or don't act). If you listen to everything and take everything seriously, the probability of ending up in madness is quite high – and it's not worth it. Keeping a distance and staying calm is the only thing we can influence ourselves: our mental and physical health. Losing your health can dramatically change your life from one day to the next. With this in mind, I wish you inner peace so that you can enjoy this issue of ABS News all the more!

Warm regards,

Yours Jochen Ressel,

ABS Secretary General & ABS News Editor-in-Chief

PRESIDENTIAL MESSAGE

The Perfect World of Today!

Our Vice President, Ambassador (ret.) Dr Alexander Christiani, has brilliantly summarised his observations from recent international conferences in Davos and Munich:

Russia: Imperialistic
China: Autocratic
USA: Plutocratic
Asia, Africa, Latin America: Opportunistic
Europe: Bureaucratic

That says it all...

I do not intend to step onto the international stage and risk a misstep, but the keyword “bureaucracy in Europe” moves me both intellectually and emotionally. I am quite familiar with the situation in France and Germany, where complaints about excessive bureaucracy are certainly justified. But Austria… is simply unbeatable! We are world champions when it comes to being a bureaucratic monster – and sadly, that is no compliment but a harsh reality.

For many years, I have been in contact with numerous businesspeople from all imaginable industries – and guess what? I have not met a single entrepreneur in decades who did not complain about local bureaucracy. That says it all...
Would you like a small example?

As an entrepreneur and restaurateur, I have been running a café for 45 years. This includes an outdoor seating area (Schanigarten) of approximately 70 m² with 60 seats, which, despite remaining unchanged for decades, must be partially re-approved every year. For this, one pays a substantial usage fee, also known as an air tax, because the ground – and apparently even the air above it – is considered the property of the City of Vienna. Bureaucracy at its finest.

Last autumn, two young ladies from the municipal authorities arrived with a long measuring tape to check the dimensions of the seating area. And lo and behold... a few flower troughs and chairs were a few centimetres (!) beyond the approved area. Our guests sometimes move the furniture to sit together. We always correct this once they leave, but at the time of the inspection, this had not yet been done. To cut a long story short – I, as the legally responsible managing director, had to pay an administrative fine.

For 45 years, I have been paying 50% of my income and payroll taxes to sustain this bureaucracy!? Less bureaucracy and more common sense from the authorities and lawmakers would be highly desirable – one can still dream, after all.

Best wishes,

Prof KR Dr Kurt Tiroch
ABS President

ABS EVENT REGISTRATION

Speed Is Key For Participation!

The ABS Events are of the highest quality month after month – word gets around! That's why the waiting lists often have to be activated very soon after the invitation is sent out.

However, we are happy to help with the following tip: registering quickly increases your chances of attending! This is not meant cynically, it is simply the truth. We also receive messages complaining about why there are no more places available again. That's the fate of offering high-quality events for a very modest annual membership fee. Therefore, we sincerely ask you to register as soon as possible – ideally within a few hours – after receiving the invitation!

February 2025 In The Rear-view Mirror

Our warmest thanks go to the excellent speakers we were able to welcome to the Austro-British Society in February, but also to all our members who attended and enriched these extraordinary events – none of it would have happened without you! So: thank you! Here are the latest reviews:

All You Need Is Love

Prof. Dr. Gerti Senger was our speaker on Monday, February 10, 2025 at Café Ministerium. Click here for the event report and many photos:

Forever Young?

Assoc.Prof. Johannes Grillari, Director Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Traumatology, discussed with us what ageing is and what the current state of science is on this topic on February 25, 2025.

And The Event Season Continues...

And the event season continues with more attractive events, which are offered in this density only by the ABS and by no other bilateral company! We look forward to your visit!

MARCH 10, 2025 - 7pm - Diplomatic Academy:

Univ. Prof. Dr. Holger BONIN speaks about the economic situation in Austria. Your invitation is already in your email inbox!

MARCH 27, 2025:

Prof. Lothar HÖBELT speaks about "Peacemaking in recent history - Tops & Flops". The invitation follows very soon!

What The Stars Tell Us About Two Presidents: Putin and Trump

The ABS is committed to examining world politics from every conceivable angle. Today we thought: a view from space on the current situation could create new perspectives.

Our president therefore asked the well-known ORF astrologer and ABS Board member Eva Vaskovich-Fidelsberger if she could create a horoscope of the two people who are currently causing the whole world - but especially Europe - a lot of excitement. No sooner said than done: we are very grateful to Eva for this exciting view of the stars!

Download the birth charts of Putin and Trump

It´s All About Network!

Most of you may have already noticed: since our re-vitalisation, the ABS has been travelling at least once a year. And they are not really trips – they are extraordinary experiences that are only made possible by the extensive network of our honourable society – a member benefit that is actually priceless. Here is an overview of the current plans:

Cornwall: BOOKED OUT

As the plane that takes us from the castles of Cornwall to the Aston Martin factory can only take 18 people, this was the limit of participants for this special trip. have been booked up for over a month – so for the next trip, please decide and book faster, for instance for this one:

Aramco visit in Saudi Arabia: BOOK QUICKLY

No, it is not a matter of course that the CEO of the world's largest oil company will receive us and that we will be able to visit this giant company with its production sites, but ABS makes it possible! So if you receive an invitation to this trip by email shortly: think about it briefly – decide – book!

And the 2026 travel is in planning: BENTLEY

However, our travel-loving President is not deterred by highlights such as those mentioned above, and always aims to top them: He is already in the middle of planning for 2026, after members of the ABS were invited by the noble and highly renowned Bentley brand to spend a day at the headquarters and the extraordinary production site. It will be an exciting trip, and we hope you enjoy anticipating it while reading these lines!