CERHA HEMPEL in cooperation with the European Law Students' Association (ELSA) held an award ceremony for the European Future Challenge, an international essay competition on the topic of "Green Innovation in European Law".  Focusing on sustainability and putting an emphasis on the collaboration with CEE partners, CERHA HEMPEL invited students from Austria, Bulgaria, Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Hungary to submit their essays.

This year’s keynote speaker was FH-Prof. Dr. techn. Anna-Vera Deinhammer, Austrian Green Building Council ÖGNI, Endowed Chair for Sustainable Real Estate Development at FHWien der WKW. She took the stage to deliver a thought-provoking speech titled "From Myopia to Protopia". Dr. Deinhammer explored the critical difference between change and transformation, drawing fascinating parallels between engineers, architects, and lawyers —fields that, at first glance, might seem worlds apart, but can form a symbiotic relationship when it comes to civil engineering and the creation of sustainable environments.

Dr. Deinhammer focused on how the concept of Protopia [referring to a state in one makes realistic changes and incremental progress over a long period] is best applied to attain ESG targets. Her key insight being "Protopia isn’t flashy, but it’s profound. It’s the butterfly emerging after a period of purposeful transformation." In a world drawn to quick fixes and immediate results, Dr. Deinhammer's vision inspires us to focus on creating a positive, realistic, and sustainable future - one deliberate step at a time.

Both Dr. Bernhard Kofler-Senoner, partner in charge of CERHA HEMPEL's CEE practice and initiator of the European Future Challenge, and his co-host Christina Schimetta, president of ELSA Austria, stressed the importance of fostering young talent and the promotion of new ideas and concepts. "We launched the European Future Challenge together with ELSA to bring together students and young professionals who share our values and who have something to say about some of the most important issues of our time," said Dr. Bernhard Kofler-Senoner. “Connecting with outstanding talent both in Austria and in the CEE countries is essential to ensure the firm's goals are sustainable”, he concluded before awarding the coveted prizes to this year’s winners.

Our congratulations go to Alexandra Mihai, Romania’s national winner, Mátyás Kristóf Tamás, Hungary’s national winner, Denis Bashaykov, Bulgaria’s national winner, and Sarah Enzi, who won the national award for Austria as well as the overall international prize.