Open letters are back in fashion. Of course, this applies not only to Germany during the Russian war of aggression and the “turn of the era”, but also to Austria. Under the impact of the war in Ukraine, dozens of actors from science, politics and business are currently trying to revive a typically Austrian debate by letter: To what extent is the Austrian neutrality status still up to date?
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Firstly: Austria is bound by neutrality by a treaty which is binding under international law – but at the same time it has been a member of the EU since 1995. So the Alpine Republic is neutral. But not without alliances, like Switzerland. This means that the duty to provide assistance in the event of an attack on the EU also applies to Austria – although it should not be interpreted in a purely military way.
So it’s complicated with Austria’s neutrality. And now that status must be verified and reconsidered in accordance with the will of the signatories of the open letter.
But the federal government around Chancellor Karl Nehammer doesn’t even want to think about breaking with tradition and is deliberately relaxed. When the ÖVP leader received Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin in Vienna on 17 February, she described her country’s neutrality as “no longer appropriate” and therefore defended Finland’s application for NATO membership. Nehammer immediately emphasized that “in the European Union there is absolutely no pressure on neutral states” to change their status.
Austria fully supports the EU’s decisions to support Ukraine.
Caroline EdtstadlerFederal Minister of the European Union and Constitution of Austria
When questioned by Tagesspiegel, Austrian Constitutional and EU Minister Karoline Edtstadler also stressed that Austria’s neutrality “is not questioned or criticized by any EU member state”. Thus, neutrality is not an obstacle to participation in the EU’s common foreign and security policy. “Therefore, Austria fully supports the EU’s decisions to support Ukraine,” explains the ÖVP politician.
Scene on the Austrian national holiday. © Imago/Sputnik/Stringer
Despite resistance from the government in Vienna, there was now at least pressure for debate from within the country. Austria is acting “as if the world stopped on February 23, 2022”, it criticized an alliance in a second open letter. The allegations can be read as a general indictment of foreign policy sleepiness.
Finally, the 90 signatories – including the first vice-president of the EU Parliament, Othmar Karas – call for a realignment of security policy “that takes into account the new circumstances”.
The neutrality in the cover letter is not directly questioned. But in the middle it says: “Our security policy position is internationally derided by some, perceived by others as cowardly.” Austria’s attitude is “anachronistic”.
A turning point in Sweden, Finland and Austria Despite everything, neutral states are still needed
After the end of World War II, Austria agreed to “permanent neutrality” with the four victorious powers.
After the withdrawal of the last occupation troops, the National Council decided on October 26, 1955 that “perpetual neutrality” should be a constitutional law. His interpretation is now brought up for discussion in the second open letter.
Austria’s neutrality is sometimes so misunderstood in domestic politics that the country should stay out of all conflicts.
Othmar Karas (ÖVP), First Vice-President of the European Parliament
Co-signatory Othmar Karas, who, like Chancellor Nehammer and Constitutional Minister Edtstadler, is a member of the ÖVP, underlines the urgency of this matter in an interview with Tagesspiegel. “Austria’s neutrality is sometimes so misunderstood in domestic politics that the country should stay out of all conflicts,” he criticizes.
“But anyone who does not take a clear position in this war of aggression has learned nothing from history”, says the vice-president of the European Parliament, adding: “Wanting to stay out of everything is not neutral, but self-defeating”.
Othmar Karas
© othmar-karas.at
Othmar Karas it’s since 2022 First Vice-President of the European Parliament. The Austrian has been sitting since 1999 as Member of the EPP Group in the EU Parliament.
Previously, he was a member of the Austrian National Council and Secretary General of the ÖVP.
At least among neutral states, Austria has been a loner since Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership last May.
Before the outbreak of war in Ukraine in February 2022, 21 out of 27 EU countries belonged to NATO. Apart from Austria, only Ireland, Malta and Cyprus will soon be excluded from the defense alliance. In Europe, Switzerland, Moldova, Serbia and Cyprus are completely non-aligned.
EU deputy parliament demands debate on security policy
ÖVP politician Karas does not want his signature on the open letter to be understood as a rejection of neutrality, but rather as food for thought. “We don’t need a neutrality debate in Austria. But we need a debate about our security and defense policy,” Karas told Tagesspiegel.
Nothing prevents us from supporting all EU measures to support Ukraine in solidarity, not even historically developed neutrality.
Othmar Karas (ÖVP), First Vice-President of the European Parliament
Accordingly, all serious debate in Austrian discourse is reduced to neutrality and therefore stifled. “I think this is a mistake,” said Karas.
The vice-president of the EU Parliament sees no contradiction in neutrality with a common EU security and defense policy – not even when it comes to Ukraine: “Nothing prevents us from supporting all EU measures to support Ukraine in solidarity, not even historically developed neutrality,” Karas said.
Constitutional Minister causes irritation
Referring precisely to this tradition, Constitutional Minister Edtstadler recently tried to stifle the discussion about the understanding of neutrality – without success. Instead, it stoked the debate even further: in the ORF, the ÖVP politician recently glorified the status as “identifier”.
Caroline Edtstadler
© Imago/Skata
Caroline Edtstadler is austrian Federal Minister of the EU and the Constitution of the Federal Chancellery.
O former judge and Secretary of State for the Interior it belonged to the governments of Chancellors Sebastian Kurz (II), Alexander Schallenberg and now Karl Nehammer.
Previously it was the ÖVP politician in the second half of 2019 he is a member of the EPP Group in the EU Parliament.
Asked by Tagesspiegel, Edtstadler also explained: “Neutrality has served us well in the past.” This does not prevent Austria from “making our contribution to Europe’s security”. At the same time, like Karas, she emphasizes “that we have to rethink the security architecture of Europe and Austria”.
However, another statement in the aforementioned ORF interview caused wide criticism. In it, Edtstadler described neutrality as “fought”. Even if the Federal Minister is certainly not accused of being close to the victim’s notorious thesis about Austria’s role in National Socialism, this assertion causes irritation when one looks at the history books.
On the one hand, the Allies had liberated Austria from Nazi rule in 1945. Second, neutrality was dictated by the Soviets ten years later as a condition for independence. The historical interpretation of the constitutional minister seems, therefore, quite dubious.
ambiguous self-image
The jurist Ralph Janik describes the character of the discourse that has now resurfaced in the Alpine republic as ambivalent. “There’s a lot of nostalgia there even today,” he said in an interview with Tagesspiegel about the weather in Austria.
We want to play an international role and at the same time stay outside.
Ralph JanikAustrian specialist in international law
At the same time, an attitude spreads with the jabs of “you can see it one way and the other”, “both sides are to blame in wars”, “it’s none of our business” or “we stay out of it”, says Janik.
Ralph Janik
© Elisabeth Pfneisl/ralphjanik.com
Ralph Janik is a jurist of Private Sigmund Freud University in Vienna. There, he lectures on international law, international human rights law and world trade law.
He is also a speaker at University of Vienna as well as in University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich.
The Austrian drives the podcast “Political right” and “Janik & Moser – in top form”.
“So we want to play an international role and at the same time stay out or build diplomatic bridges, even if not much of that remains today”, explains Janik, also in view of the once successful “active neutrality”. policy” of ex-chancellor and later federal chancellor Bruno Kreisky.
Austria is not ideologically neutral.
Ralph JanikAustrian specialist in international law
At that time, Austria played a role that went beyond its actual global political importance – but had a lasting effect: As examples of the internationally recognized and valued policy of neutrality, Janik cited the fact that Austria still hosts numerous conferences and is the host of international organizations.
Vienna as the center of international organizations
The Austrian capital is home to several international organizations. It houses one of only four official residences in the world United Nations (UN, since 1979) and headquarters of other associations such as the international atomic energy agency (IAEA, since 1957), the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC, since 1965) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE, since 1995).
“A lot of conferences have taken place in Vienna, which is why many important international treaties have Vienna in their name – like the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” says Janik, who teaches international law in Vienna, among other places.
“But Austria is not ideologically neutral,” emphasizes Janik. From 1955 Austria was committed to democracy based on the “Western model” and reserved the right to criticize other states for their foreign policy or violations of human rights.
According to the Austrian understanding, neutrality has an essentially military character: “As soon as a war breaks out, no party receives military support”, emphasizes Janik. Furthermore, Austria remains aloof from NATO and does not allow foreign military bases on its territory.
Constitutional Minister Edtstadler also reaffirmed her country’s military neutrality – also with regard to the obligation to provide assistance: “Neutral EU states, and therefore also Austria, may invoke the ‘Irish Clause’ in matters of security of the EU (Art. 42 Para 2 EUV)”, she explains to Tagesspiegel.
Explanation: The same clause stipulates that “the specific character of the security and defense policy of certain member states” remains unaffected by EU policy. To what extent – and above all in what way – these neutral states provide assistance in the event of an armed attack on the EU is up to them.
“Austria was neutral, is neutral and will remain neutral”
Chancellor Nehammer made the Austrian view of neutrality particularly clear last spring. In mid-April 2022 – a month and a half after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine – he was the first European head of state and government to visit Russian President Vladimir Putin after the outbreak of war.
Austrian Chancellor Nehammer (ÖVP). © Portal/Lisa Leutner
The trip to Moscow attracted international attention, but it also caused irritation. A month later, Nehammer reiterated: “Austria was neutral, Austria is neutral and Austria remains neutral.”
Greatly increased military budget
The truth of the debate is also that approval ratings for neutrality have remained high for years. In the most recent poll in May 2022, well after the war broke out in Ukraine, 71% were in favor of keeping it.
So it remains different in the Alpine Republic. At the same time, it has recently reacted in terms of defense policy to the war in Ukraine, which has now lasted more than a year. After years of austerity measures, the government has announced a significant increase in military spending: the army will receive 16 billion euros over the next four years.
In any case, the country has been very busy militarily for a long time. “Over the past 25 years, Austria has provided around 25,000 troops in six NATO-led missions, both for training and for peacekeeping missions,” EU Constitutional and Minister Edtstadler stressed to Tagesspiegel. “We are also contributing to security and stability in regions of crisis and conflict.”
But comparisons with the turning point in Germany proclaimed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz are of limited use – because a turnaround in foreign and security policy or even NATO membership is not for the time being.
“The federal government’s aim is to strengthen Austria’s defense capability and coordinate closely with the EU. Joining NATO has never been a problem in this context,” explains cabinet member Edtstadler when asked by Tagesspiegel.
The Irish example shows that neutrality can be interpreted quite differently: like Austria, the northwest European republic is an officially neutral member of the EU militarily, although Ireland is involved in training Ukrainian mine clearance soldiers.
Special session in Parliament without effect
Even though Austria obviously interprets its neutrality strictly, Karas, the deputy speaker of the EU parliament, sees no disapproval in Brussels. The assertion of a special role, therefore, only plays a role in the Austrian domestic debate.
“At EU level and especially in the EU Parliament, I rarely see any doubts about our position”, emphasizes Karas: “After all, we agree with all decisions of the European Union.”
Karas appreciates the German approach. “We now have to learn the lessons of this ‘tipping point’. So I am very clearly in favor of a European defense union,” said the ÖVP and EPP politician.
After all, Austria also signed the “Strategic Compass”, a common European roadmap for better coordination of national armies. “Therefore, all of us must defend the fact that we, as Austria, support all measures against warmongering Putin and in favor of Ukraine, without any ifs or buts,” Karas said.
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For now, however, the geopolitical situation will not change Austria’s “perpetual” neutrality status. In purely formal terms, the obstacles to moving away are relatively low. A two-thirds parliamentary majority is required for a corresponding constitutional amendment, but not a referendum.
At the moment, however, such a vote is not foreseeable. On the occasion of the anniversary of the war in Ukraine, the Neos party obtained a special session of the National Council on the subjects of neutrality and security doctrine.
With a resolution motion, the party wanted to demand a new security strategy from the Nehammer government. The application has not received approval.
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