CERCLE DIPLOMATIQUE - issue 04/2018

L’AUTRICHE INTERVIEW
We cannot simply take these achievements for granted.
Democracy is something incomplete – continued
efforts with a focus on dialogue and citizen participation
have to take the centre stage. This needs to
be communicated to every young person through
political education as well as measures such as the
Demokratiewerkstatt.
1
3
2
4
In the EU, democracy and democratic institutions appear to
be under pressure. What can be done about this?
The things that we are trying to put into practice
on a smaller scale here in Austria need to be transferred
to the European Union. These are challenges that
must first be tackled by the member states themselves.
Additionally, we have to take a closer look at socio-cultural
aspects during future expansions. Out of
this, a new, shared understanding of the European
idea can develop.
Bild: Kästenbauer/Ettl
1 Sobotka mit Monika
Sommer, der Direktorin
des Haus der Geschichte
Österreich.
Sobotka with Monika
Sommer, the director of The
House of Austrian History.
2 Er beantwortet im Chat
die Fragen von Schülern.
He answers students’ questions
in the chat.
3 Sobotka empfängt eine
chinesische Delegation.
Sobotka welcomes a
Chinese delegation.
4 Und trifft die israelische
Botschafterin, I.E. Talya
Lador-Fresher.
And meets the Israeli
Ambassador, H.E. Talya
Lador-Fresher.
what I really value about this position, as the
continued democratic development of this country
is one of my primary concerns.
You assumed the office roughly one year ago. What are you
focusing on, what accents would you like to place?
To me, the parliament represents many aspects of
our society. I see it as a place of historical responsibility,
but also as a place for discussions and questions
pertaining to the future. Of course, we also have to
look at the parliament as an international business
card. We are trying to implement measures, such as
the “Demokratiewerkstatt” (“Democracy Workshop”)
– which we have now known in Austria for
many years – in countries in South-Eastern Europe.
I would like one of the parliament’s focus areas to be
the support and assistance for rapprochement with
the EU.
How can we communicate democratic values to the younger
generations?
With every new generation, democracy and parliamentarianism
must be worked out all over again.
The EU is currently being heavily criticised, often even by
governments. How big is the crisis in the EU? Is it going to
survive?
The European Union is the greatest peace project
of the 21st century. There can be no doubt about this.
I, for my part, do not wish to speak of a crisis. We are
standing before challenges for which we need joint
European solutions..
America first, Italy first, Hungary first – and so on:
Nationalism is blooming – even in the EU. How do you view
this trend?
Nationalism is poison for our society. No matter
where and in what form it appears. I am also convinced
that the European spirit is deeply anchored in
European societies – this gives me confidence.
You just returned from Macedonia and Serbia. How important
is the quick approximation of the countries of the Western
Balkans to the EU?
There is no alternative to the approximation of
the countries of the Western Balkans to the EU. The
future of the Western Balkans lies with Europe. The
EU already made this promise 15 years ago. However,
there can be no “light entry”, the fulfilment of all
criteria is the requirement for membership. On the
other hand, advancements among the candidate
countries must be honoured by the EU. The Commission
and the EU partners need to be engaged
more strongly with the Western Balkans.
FOTOS: PARLAMENTSDIREKTION / JOHANNES ZINNER; THOMAS JANTZEN; THOMAS TOPF
Winzige Teilchen zur Krebsbehandlung
Tiny Particles for Cancer Treatment
Die Partikeltherapie ist eine innovative, komplementäre Form der Strahlentherapie zur Krebsbehandlung. In Österreich kommt sie am
MedAustron Zentrum in Wiener Neustadt zur Anwendung. | Particle therapy is an innovative, complementary type of radiotherapy
for cancer treatment. In Austria, the therapy is available at the MedAustron center in Wiener Neustadt.
Die Ionen- oder Partikeltherapie ist eine evolutionäre
Form der Strahlentherapie, die vor allem
für Tumore verwendet wird, die gegen konventionelle
Strahlung resistent sind oder die in der
Nähe von strahlungsempfindlichen Organen
liegen. Die Bestrahlung erfolgt mittels geladener
Teilchen, die ihre Strahlendosis großteils im
Tumor deponieren und dadurch das umliegende
Gewebe besser schonen. Auf diese Weise können
Nebenwirkungen und Langzeitschäden reduziert
und die Strahlendosis für aggressive Tumore erhöht
werden.
MedAustron ist nur eines von wenigen Zentren weltweit,
deren Anlage verschiedene Arten von geladenen
Teilchen generieren kann: Protonen und Kohlenstoffionen.
Dazu ist komplexe Technik nötig,
die in enger Zusammenarbeit mit dem Europäischen
Kernforschungszentrum CERN entwickelt
wurde. Ein Teilchenbeschleuniger beschleunigt
die geladenen Teilchen auf bis zu zwei Drittel der
Lichtgeschwindigkeit, bevor diese in die Bestrahlungsräume
und dort millimetergenau auf den
Tumor gelenkt werden.
Seit Ende 2016 werden bei MedAustron Patientinnen
und Patienten behandelt, darunter auch Kinder. Die
Behandlung erstreckt sich über einen Zeitraum von
mehreren Wochen, in denen täglich eine ambulante
Bestrahlung erfolgt. Parallel zum Klinikbetrieb werden
die Behandlungsmodalitäten erweitert und die
Anlage für Forschung auf den Gebieten der Strahlenbiologie
und der (medizinischen) Strahlenphysik
genutzt.
◆
Ion beam therapy or particle therapy is an evolution
of radiation therapy and is mainly used for
tumors which are resistant to conventional radiation,
or are located in a delicate anatomical position.
The therapy uses charged particles, which deposit
their energy (for the most part) directly in the tumor.
Thus, side effects and long-term effects can be
significantly reduced, and the radiation dose for
aggressive tumors can be increased. MedAustron
is one of only a few centers worldwide that is able
to generate two different kinds of charged particles:
protons and carbon ions.
In order to achieve this, complex technology is
necessary, which was developed in cooperation
with the European Organization for Nuclear Research
CERN: a particle accelerator is used to accelerate
the particles up to two thirds of the speed of
light before they enter the treatment rooms, where
they emit their energy directly to the tumor volume
with millimeter-precision.
MedAustron started treating patients, including
children, in late 2016. In the outpatient clinic, patients
receive one irradiation session daily over the
course of several weeks. In parallel, not only the
treatment modalities are being expanded step by
step, but also non-clinical research is conducted in
the fiels of radiobiology and (medical) radiation
biology.
74 Cercle Diplomatique 4/2018
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