European Order of Merit: MCI Congratulates Lech Wałęsa, Viviane Reding, Wolfgang Schüssel and Other Honorees

European Values Shape Teaching, Research & Dialogue at the Entrepreneurial School®

MCI | The Entrepreneurial School® consistently places the shared values of the European Union at the center of its activities. In teaching, research & development, as well as in weekly high-level panel discussions, European values such as freedom, democracy, the rule of law, and human dignity are actively addressed and conveyed in a practical manner.

MCI is therefore particularly pleased about the recent awarding of the European Order of Merit to individuals who have contributed to MCI’s European program in recent years, e.g. through guest lectures and academic talks. These include Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lech Wałęsa, former Vice-President of the European Commission Viviane Reding, and former Austrian Federal Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel. Their recognition as members of the European Order of Merit honors their longstanding commitment to European integration as well as the promotion and defense of shared values.

In the spirit of the European idea, distinguished figures from politics and society regularly enrich academic discourse at MCI. These include former Presidents of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and Romano Prodi, as well as EU Commissioners Magnus Brunner, Günther Oettinger, Elżbieta Bieńkowska, Johannes Hahn, Mariya Gabriel, Violeta Bulc, and Franz Fischler. The President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy, Presidents Alexander Kwaśniewski and Heinz Fischer, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, as well as Federal Chancellors Alexander Schallenberg, Christian Kern, Sebastian Kurz, and Karl Nehammer have also visited MCI.

MCI Rector Andreas Altmann congratulates the award recipients and emphasizes the importance of European core values at MCI: “Warmest congratulations to Lech Wałęsa, Viviane Reding and Wolfgang Schüssel on this distinction. As The Entrepreneurial School®, we see it as our mission to equip students and graduates with future-oriented competencies that strengthen Europe. The close integration of innovation, internationality, and values-based education is a key success factor.”

MCI’s strong connection to European institutions and topics is also reflected in its Jean Monnet Chairs for EU Values, Ethics, and Digitalization, led by Markus Frischhut. “The values of the European Union are not only of deep historical significance but are gaining renewed relevance in times of profound technological transformation—particularly through artificial intelligence. At MCI, we consistently embed these principles in teaching, research, and dialogue with practice,” adds Markus Frischhut.