A new Board was elected at the Continental Assembly of Kolping Europe – with an impressive vote of confidence in all candidates. The delegates thus confirmed both continuity and fresh impetus for the future of European Kolping work.
Patrycja Kwapik (Kolping Poland), already a member of the Board, was elected as the new European President by a large majority. She will be joined by Lina Kalibataite (Kolping Lithuania) as Deputy European President. Both have many years of experience and a strong commitment to Europe.
Istvan Gödri (Kolping Romania) is still available for the office of European Praeses. His spiritual leadership will continue to provide important impetus for the international network.
Erich Reischmann (Kolping Switzerland) was confirmed in his position as European Secretary. Anton Salesny (Kolping Austria), also an experienced player at European level, remains responsible for representation at EU institutions and the Council of Europe.
The Continental Board was also partly renewed and partly confirmed: Martina Messner (Kolping South Tyrol) remains on board, while Martin Weber (Kolping Germany) and Mateja Oprčkal (Kolping Slovenia) join for the first time.
The outgoing board members were also bid farewell during the event. Kolping Europe expressed its sincere gratitude to Renate Draskovits, Vasyl Savka and Klaudia Rudersdorf for their many years of commitment, their daily work and their significant contribution to the further development of the European network. Vasyl Savka spoke moving words of thanks for the solidarity shown to Ukraine within the Kolping Association.
The broad support for all candidates demonstrates the great trust placed in them by the member associations and the unity of Kolping Europe. The newly elected Board now faces the task of further strengthening the network and shaping European cooperation in a forward-looking manner.
