Vienna Calling and becoming more human again

EUREL recently brought together Representatives and its Young Engineers of its Member Associations in Vienna for a two-day workshop "Vienna Calling" at the premises of our Members OVE. The intention was not just to meet, but to take a closer look at where EUREL stands today, and where it needs to go.

With increasing digitalisation and a growing sense of distance, the question became more relevant: how can EUREL remain a connected and meaningful European network?

A paper as a starting point

OVE

At the centre of the workshop was the newly developed paper "Becoming more human again". It was created as a guideline for EUREL’s future and as a response to these developments.

The discussions made one thing clear: EUREL must go beyond being a technical network and actively shape a European community built on exchange and real connection.

Based on the paper, five key areas were identified that will guide EUREL’s future work:

strengthening personal exchange
deepening collaboration across countries
empowering young engineers
connecting generations
promoting a culture of openness and inclusion

These are not abstract ideas, but directions that now need to be translated into concrete activities.

The role of content developement and young engineers

Two topics stood out in particular.

First, the need to work on relevant engineering topics at a European level. This includes identifying shared focus areas such as energy transition, digital souvereignity, defense technology, or e-Mobility and developing formats around them — for example joint webinars, position papers, or cross-country exchanges of best practices.

Second, the importance of Young Egineers. There was a strong consensus that EUREL needs to offer clearer value, more visible activities, and better opportunities for involvement — making the network more attractive and accessible. This could include structured event formats, mentoring approaches, or stronger integration into national activities.

OVE

The two-day workshop made one thing clear: the paper is only the starting point.

The next step is to turn these ideas into concrete actions and to embed them in EUREL’s activities across the network. This will require not only commitment, but coordination and continued collaboration between member associations.

It was an inspiring few days, full of open discussions and new ideas. The next step is to bring these perspectives together and align them towards a common direction.