Vienna Forum on Countering Segregation and Extremism in the Context of Integration

Since 2021, a structured cooperation initiative launched by the Austrian Federal Chancellery has brought together several European countries to address extremism in the context of integration and social cohesion. This collaboration goes beyond traditional security-based approaches, adopting a systemic perspective on both violent radicalisation and long-term hybrid threats. These include identity-based parallel structures, foreign-funded ideological campaigns, or the strategic instrumentalisation of diaspora communities by external actors.

The overarching goal is to develop coordinated European responses to such phenomena: including the instrumentalisation of migration, support for extremist ecosystems, the spread of ideological narratives via social networks, and the erosion of democratic values through disinformation and polarisation. In this regard, political Islam constitutes a particularly complex challenge. Given that Islamist networks operate transnationally, effective countermeasures require cross-border alignment and trust-based cooperation.

Today, the Vienna Forum has become one of the most internationally recognised specialised platforms in this field. With high-level political participation and leading experts from across Europe and beyond, it convenes Europe's largest interdisciplinary body of expertise on extremism prevention, integration, diaspora policy, and societal resilience. The Vienna Forum is not merely a technical expert meeting – it is a strategic high-level dialogue platform that drives forward concrete actions, policy alliances, and cross-sectoral knowledge exchange.

The annual summit in Vienna serves as the visible expression of this shared commitment. Under the patronage of the Austrian Federal Chancellery, the Forum brings together representatives from politics, academia, administration and civil society – with the clear objective of strengthening Europe's resilience against extremist, divisive, and externally orchestrated influences.

Since its inception, the Vienna Forum on Countering Segregation and Extremism in the Context of Integration has become a cornerstone of Europe's collective response to ideological radicalisation, social fragmentation, and adverse foreign interference.