“Kopfstand 09” Links up Linz and Vilnius
Michael Schwarzinger and his wife together with Austrian bikers in Vilnius, 2006
The featured guest of the next "Kopfstand 09" on January 18. will be the former Austrian Ambassador to Lithuania Michael Schwarzinger.
After five years of service in the Austrian Embassy in Lithuania, Michael Schwarzinger returned to Austria last October to take over his new assignment in the Foreign Office. During this Kopfstand 09 chat with Ulrich Fuchs, he’ll recount some of his impressions of Lithuania, analyze changes there since that country joined the EU, and report on developments connected with Vilnius being named European Capital of Culture.Thursday, January 18, 2007, 7 PM
Galerie Maerz
Eisenbahngasse 20, 4020 Linz
Michael Schwarzinger (born in 1955) has a Ph.D in German and English language and literature. He has been a member of Austria's diplomatic corps since 1986. His first foreign assignment was in 1987 as attaché to the Austrian Embassy in Abidjan; this was followed by terms as counselor in Bern and Bucharest. In 1995, Schwarzinger became head of the Foreign Office’s Section for Central Europe and EU Expansion. From 1997 to 2001, he was EU envoy in Brussels and expert advisor on EU expansion. He was then appointed as Austria’s ambassador to Lithuania. Upon returning to Vienna, Schwarzinger was named envoy in the Department for the European Council and the Council for General Affairs.
