For this major international event the Neuwaldegg Institute was pleased to welcome over 200 participants, including more than 50 politicians, diplomats and university professors from Central and Eastern Europe. Scholarships to attend were awarded to 150 selected students from over 35 countries and five continents.

Towering figures such as President Vaclav Havel (Czech Republic), Archduke Otto von Hapsburg, Dr. Wladyslav Bartoszewski (former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Poland), and Prime Minister Mart Laar (Estonia) delivered a message of hope and realism. Direct experience of the evil of communism was combined with scholarly analysis of the origins and legacy of communist totalitarianism. In particular, Professor Stéphane Courtois, the editor of the famous Black Book of Communism, was a featured speaker.

Highpoints of the three day event were the message from President Havel during the opening banquet and the presence and witness of Archduke Otto von Hapsburg. The latter underlined the fact that human dignity is not derived from any human authority, and therefore "nobody, whether a dictator or a parliamentary majority, can take [this dignity away]."

EU Commissioner Jan Figel and Ambassador Irena Lipowicz of Poland, also called upon the assembled youth to help make the future of Europe a place for human flourishing where the dignity of the individual is promoted for the good of the community. Especially during the closing panel discussion entitled "After Communism: What Next?", practical questions were raised by the participants regarding the best ways to build free, just and democratic societies in Central and Eastern Europe.