Lecturers from the Civic Institute in Prague combined with Austrian colleagues for this three day seminar focusing on various aspects of the recent history of political thought in Europe, especially conservative movements. This seminar was restricted to about thirty participants mainly from the Czech Republic and Slovakia, allowing for high level discussion, sometimes in the Czech language.

Dr. Roman Joch, director of the Civic Institute, initiated the seminar with a provocative lecture entitled "What is there to conserve, anyway?" which distinguished the sense of conservatism intended from a narrow view easily labeled as 'rightist'. 'Conservatism' in this context refers to the understanding of society as a place in which the conditions are maintained whereby persons, who have an infinite, innate worth yet who tend to pursue false goods, are helped to use their freedom to seek genuine and even transcendent truth and goodness.

Other speakers included Dr. Lothar Höbelt, professor of contemporary history at the University of Vienna, and Dr. Vojtech Belling.

Particular emphasis was given to comparing the Central European concepts of conservatism with that exemplified by Russell Kirk in his seminal work The Conservative Mind. Hallmarks of this thought include a respect for personal autonomy bounded by unchanging ethical principles, the right to private property and the establishment of limited government.