Max Wratschgo

Max Wratschgo (born July 2, 1937 in Parschlug ) is an Austrian educator and European activist. His decades of work as a European activist and for a united, peaceful Europe, which continues to this day, is clearly shown in the following quote on the occasion of an interview with Daniela Gether (the week) during his stay in Pécs / Hungary in June 2012:

“The EU is only an intermediate goal. The goal is the European federal state. "

- Max Wratschgo, 2012

Live and act

Training and work

Max Wratschgo attended elementary school in Trautmannsdorf in the Feldbach district from 1943 to 1947 and then until 1951 the secondary school in Feldbach . From 1951 to 1956 he trained as a teacher at the Federal Teachers' Training College in Graz , graduated from high school in 1956 , and worked as a teacher at various folk and college courses . Special schools from 1956 to 1977 in Styria as well as taking over the management of the general special school Feldbach from 1977 to 1979, and elementary school I Feldbach from 1980 to 1997.

European political activity

On January 31, 1955 in Graz , Palais Attems, the European Federalist Movement (EFB) and the Federation of European Youth Styria (BEJ / JEF) were founded. Max Wratschgo was one of the main initiators.

At the 3rd Congress of the European People in Darmstadt, alongside Michel Mouskhely from Strasbourg as President, Max Wartschgo was elected to the standing committee, along with Altiero Spinelli , von Hartmann (Darmstadt) and Alexandre Mare (Paris).

In 1956, the Karl-Brunner-Europahaus was founded in Neumarkt and opened on July 7, 1957, with Max Wratschgo also being one of the leading co-founders here. From 1959 to 2006 he was a member of the federal committee of the Union of European Federalists (umbrella organization of the European Federalist Movement Austria based in Brussels) and from 1963 to 2012 the executive chairman of the EFB. Since then he has been their honorary chairman. Parallel to his work as a member of the Federal Committee of the Union of European Federalists, he was federal chairman of the Union of European Youth from 1959 to 1976 and from 1968 to 1996 district youth officer of the Styrian state government for the Feldbach district, from 1968 to 1998 managing director of the Austrian organizations of the European Movement - European Movement Austria (since then honorary chairman).

As managing chairman of the Karl-Brunner-Europahaus in Neumarkt from 1972 to 2014, he played a key role in the development and comprehensive orientation of the Europahaus and was involved in the establishment of further Europahaus in Austria. In particular, the organization of the minority seminars in the Karl-Brunner-Europahaus by Max Wratschgo since 1967 attracted wide attention beyond the borders of Austria. He has been honorary chairman of the Karl Brunner Europahaus since 2014 and was previously Secretary General of the Austrian Federation of Europahaus from 1985 to 1996.

As Federal Chairman of the European Federalist Movement from 1974 to 2007, he prepared the introduction of Austria for accession to the European Union with campaigns, events, lectures, radio and television programs, etc. Since 2007 he has also been honorary chairman of the European Federalist Movement and has been a member of the Presidium of the European Educators' Association in Austria since 1974 (since 1985 treasurer at the Styrian regional association).

From 1975 to 1987 he represented the interests of a united Europe and the creation of a European federal state as a member of the board of the Union of European Federalists (UEF), including 3 years as treasurer and 6 years as vice-president .

Since 1988 Max Wratschgo has been a member of the regional board of the League for the United Nations and since 1998 Vice President of the Austrian Organizations of the European Movement - European Movement Austria.

As Vice-President of the Friendship Association Baranya / Styria (BASTEI) and its President in Styria, he has been instrumental in the cooperation and understanding between Austria and Romania since 1990 and became an honorary citizen of Caransebes in Romania in 2005 .

Memberships

• European Federalist Movement (EFB).
• Association of European Youth Styria (BEJ / JEF).
• Member of the Congress of the European People.
• Member of the Karl-Brunner-Europahaus in Neumarkt.
• Member of the Federal Committee of the Union of European Federalists (umbrella organization of the European Federalist Movement) Austria.
• Member of the organizations of the European Movement - European Movement Austria.
• Member of the Presidium of the European Association of Educators in Austria and the Styrian Regional Association.
• Member of the Union of European Federalists.
• Member of the National Executive Committee of the League for the United Nations.
• Member and Vice President of the Austrian Organizations of the European Movement - European Movement Austria.
• Member and vice-president of the friendship association Baranya / Styria (BASTEI) and its president in Styria.

honors and awards

• Mérite Européen in silver, awarded at the Luxembourg City Hall (1976)
• Europa Union Germany Medal
• Thank you plaque and the ring of honor of the city of Feldbach
• Honorary citizenship of the market town of Neumarkt (1987)
• Gold Medal of Honor of the State of Styria (1987)
• Decoration of Honor in Gold for Services to the Republic of Austria (1997)
• Gold Medal of Merit of the Province of Upper Austria (2000)
• Golden Badge of Honor of the European Federalist Movement Austria (2000)
• Gold Medal of Honor of the European Educators' Association Austria (2002)
• Great Decoration of Honor of the State of Styria (2003)
• Styrian Award for Humanity , presented by Helmut Kohl and Michail Gorbatschow (2003)
• Gold Medal of Honor with Star of the Europa-Union Deutschland (2004)
• Baranya county award
• Alexander Dietz Prize in the Banater Bergland
• Honorary Citizenship of the City of Caransebes, Romania (2005)
• Mérite Européen in gold (2006)
• Grand Decoration of Honor for Services to the Republic of Austria (2007)
• Great Gold Medal of the State of Styria (2007)
• Award of the Ring of Honor of the City of Feldbach (2009)
• Medal for special services to Bavaria in a United Europe to Max Wratschgo as Honorary President of the European Federalist Movement Austria (2012)
• Designation of a place in the Sperlpark in Feldbach (Styria) in Max-Wratschgo-Europaplatz on October 13, 2017.

Publications by Max Wratschgo

• European Federal Movement Austria, Max Wratschgo (Ed.), Political Program (the European Federal Movement Austria), decided by the General Assembly in the Europahaus Neumarkt on July 14, 1996 , Feldbach 1997, Scharmer.
• Max Wratschgo, And you just forget what the EU has contributed, that we have had peace time for over 60 years , in: GrenzenLos (Wolfram Dornik, ed.), Graz 2007, Fehring, p. 205 ff.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Christine Hofmeister in Karl-Brunner-Europahaus, since July 7th , 1957 , p. 7: EFB, BEJ | JEF and the Europahaus Neumarkt are non-partisan and work within the framework of the European movement with associations that are a federal and democratic union of European states and strive for peoples (publisher: Karl Brunner Europahaus, European Federalist Movement, Franz Majcen).
2. ↑ Styrian Reports 1–2 / 05, p. 40.
3. ↑ See also: Anita Franziska Kniely, The contribution of the federal state of Styria to Austria's accession to the European Union , Master's thesis, Graz 2015, University of Graz.
4. ↑ Regina Trummer in I am European but also Patriot , Kleine Zeitung from October 15, 2017.