Podcasts / Vienna Coffee House Conversations with Ivan Vejvoda

In this Vienna Coffee House Conversation, Ivan Vejvoda welcomes Péter Krekó to discuss the emerging “post-Enlightenment” era, characterized by emotional, myth-driven politics that challenge the materialist, evidence-based order established since World War II. Krekó outlines how this shift gives rise to “new romanticism,” where policy debates are increasingly shaped by emotional narratives and skepticism toward scientific expertise. They then examine the mechanics of tribal politics, defined by moralized conflict between “good” and “evil,” unconditional loyalty to leaders, and the instrumental use of disinformation. Krekó shows how this dynamic reframes democratic transgressions as heroism, erodes accountability for corruption, and fuels the spread of conspiracies—even among those who privately doubt them. Turning to Hungary, Krekó analyzes the high-stakes contest ahead of the April 2026 parliamentary elections. He reviews Fidesz’s media dominance, fear-mongering campaigns on Ukraine’s EU accession and migration, and civil-society resilience exemplified by Budapest’s record-breaking Pride march.

Péter Krekó is a Hungarian social psychologist and political scientist. He is an associate professor at the Department of Social Psychology and the Disinformation and Artificial Intelligence research lab at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest. Krekó is the director of the Political Capital Institute. His research addresses disinformation, conspiracy theories, political populism, extremism, Russian influence, and political tribalism. He was a visiting fellow with the Engaging Central Europe program of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, a nonresident associate fellow at the Johns Hopkins University SAIS Bologna Institute of Policy Research, and a PopBack Fellow at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of The Hungarian Far Right (co-authored with Attila Juhász, 2017) and Crowd Paranoia: The Social Psychology of Conspiracy Theories and Fake News (in Hungarian, 2018). Krekó was also a 2019/20 Europe’s Futures Fellow of the IWM and ERSTE Foundation.

In this Vienna Coffee House Conversation, Ivan Vejvoda interviews Gerald Knaus about the origins, achievements, and current challenges of Europe’s border-free Schengen zone. Knaus recounts how the European Coal and Steel Community, the Treaty of Rome, and the Schengen Agreement built a single market underpinned by mutual trust and shared law enforcement. He then assesses the strain placed on Schengen by the Syrian and Ukrainian refugee movements, and explains the collapse of the Dublin system under free movement. Turning to solutions, Knaus advocates centrist, humane control via safe-third-country agreements, expanded resettlement and labour migration in a Canadian/Australian model, and credible European deterrence independent of US guarantees. He closes by arguing for clear, merit-based EU enlargement and better storytelling to engage younger Europeans on peace, security, and the climate. 

Gerald Knaus is an Austrian social scientist and co-founder and chairman of the European Stability Initiative (ESI), which he helped establish in Sarajevo in June 1999. An alumni of the University of Oxford, the Institut d’Études Européennes in Brussels, and the Johns Hopkins University Bologna Center, Knaus taught macroeconomics at the State University of Chernivtsi in Ukraine, worked for NGOs and international organisations in Bulgaria and Bosnia-Herzegovina and directed the Lessons Learned and Analysis Unit of the EU pillar of UNMIK in Kosovo. He is a founding member of the European Council on Foreign Relations and served as an Associate Fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. Knaus was a Mercator-IPC Senior Fellow in Istanbul and a Europe’s Futures Fellow of the IWM and ERSTE Foundation.

In this Vienna Coffee House Conversation, Ivan Vejvoda speaks with journalist and former Europe's Futures Fellow Tim Judah about his new book Life and Fate, which examines demographic changes across Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. They discuss shrinking and aging populations, declining fertility, migration patterns, labor shortages, and the fiscal challenges these trends pose. Judah assesses policy efforts such as family incentives and immigration, and emphasizes the necessity of focusing on healthy life expectancy and technological adaptation. The conversation culminates in Judah’s reflections on Ukraine, based on his frontline reporting. He outlines the technological evolution of modern warfare—drones, automation, fiber-optic systems—and Ukrainian resilience and pragmatism. They conclude by considering what these trends mean for Europe’s future, including the role of the UK, EU accession, and the evolving concept of Europe itself. 

A British journalist and author  Tim Judah is a Special Correspondent for The Economist and a longtime commentator on Eastern Europe. Educated at the LSE, and Fletcher School at Tufts University, he has reported from global hotspots across the Balkans, Ukraine, Africa, and Asia. His major works include The Serbs: History, Myth and the Destruction of Yugoslavia, Kosovo: War & Revenge, and In Wartime: Stories from Ukraine. Judah co-founded the concept of the “Yugosphere” during a fellowship at LSE in 2009, serves on the boards of BIRN and the Kosovar Stability Initiative, and was a Europe’s Futures Fellow of the IWM and ERSTE Foundation in 2018/19.

In this Vienna Coffee House Conversation, Ivan Vejvoda interviews Alida Vračić, co-founder and executive director of the Sarajevo-based think tank Populari. They discuss global demographic megatrends—aging populations, fertility decline, and regional disparities—and examine how migration and depopulation are affecting the Western Balkans, Europe, and the wider world. Vračić outlines the challenges of census deficiencies, labor migration from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Western Europe, and the socioeconomic impact of a shrinking workforce. They explore policy options for attracting and integrating migrant labor, including language and cultural programs, and consider how populist politicians exploit fear around migration. The conversation then shifts to Europe’s geopolitical context, touching on US-China rivalry, the Russo-Ukrainian War, and Europe’s multilateral responses. Finally, marking the 30th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Agreement, Vračić assesses Bosnia and Herzegovina’s post-Dayton governance structure, the role of the Office of the High Representative, and prospects for EU integration as a means of consolidating stability and promoting domestic reform. 

Alida Vračić is a political scientist and lawyer. She co-founded and serves as executive director of Populari, a Sarajevo-based think tank specializing in post-conflict state-building, democratization, good governance, and migration in the Western Balkans. Before founding Populari in 2007, she worked for the State Court Prosecutor’s team in Bosnia, at the Human Rights Commission of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and led Balkan-wide projects at the Human Rights Centre, University of Sarajevo, and the Spanish Institutional Programme. Vračić has been affiliated with several academic and policy institutions, including as a former Europe's Futures Fellow of the IWM and ERSTE Foundation, the European Council on Foreign Relations as a Visiting Fellow, and the German Marshall Fund as a Marshall Memorial Fellow.

In this episode of the Vienna Coffee House Conversations, Ivan Vejvoda is joined by Teresa Reiter, co-founder of Idemo!. Reiter, a journalist and policy professional, shares insights into Idemo!'s mission to foster democratic engagement and transnational cooperation. Their discussion addresses the challenges facing the Western Balkans region, including democratic backsliding, ethnic divisions, and the complexities of EU integration. Reiter emphasizes the importance of grassroots activism and the role of diaspora communities in promoting democratic values and social cohesion. She highlights Idemo!'s initiatives, such as the "Speak Up!" program, which brings together young political leaders from Bosnia and Herzegovina to collaborate across ethnic lines.

Teresa Reiter is a journalist and policy professional based in Vienna. She is a co-founder of Idemo!, an organization promoting civic engagement and cross-ethnic cooperation among Austria's Western Balkans diaspora. Most recently, Reiter worked as a political specialist at the US Embassy in Vienna. Reiter previously led communications at the European Forum Alpbach, co-hosted The Defence Café podcast, and served as a foreign policy advisor for NEOS in the Austrian Parliament. She was a candidate in the 2019 European Parliament elections. Reiter was a 2020/21 Europe’s Futures Fellow of the IWM and ERSTE Foundation.

In this episode of the Vienna Coffee House Conversations, Ivan Vejvoda welcomes Niccolò Milanese, a political thinker, activist, and co-founder of European Alternatives. Their conversation explores the fragility of democracy in Europe amid global turbulence, touching on the European Union’s role in upholding democratic values, the impact of the Russo-Ukrainian War, and the resurgence of great power politics. Milanese reflects on the continuity of struggles for freedom, linking Ukraine’s fight for sovereignty to past democratic revolutions. He critiques the failures of Western elites in conveying the existential stakes of these conflicts and examines how corporate and technological forces have eroded democratic engagement.

Niccolò Milanese is a political theorist, activist, and co-founder of European Alternatives, a transnational movement advocating for democracy and equality beyond nation-states. He has co-authored Citizens of Nowhere: How to Save Europe from Itself and edited Illiberal Democracies in Europe: An Authoritarian Response to the Crisis of Liberalism. Milanese regularly advises cultural, political, and activist organizations on issues of European democracy, citizenship, and generational change.