{"id":224324,"date":"2022-09-23T06:50:59","date_gmt":"2022-09-23T06:50:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/la-neutralita-austriaca-dopo-linvasione-dellucraina\/"},"modified":"2022-09-23T08:36:32","modified_gmt":"2022-09-23T08:36:32","slug":"austrian-neutrality-after-invasion-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/en\/austrian-neutrality-after-invasion-ukraine\/","title":{"rendered":"Austrian neutrality after the invasion of Ukraine"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1 class=\"entry-title\"><span class=\"font-377884\">Austrian neutrality after the invasion of Ukraine<\/span><\/h1>\n<h3><span class=\"font-377884\"><em>While the invasion of Ukraine led to a wave of support for NATO membership in several countries, Austrians still believe their country should remain neutral.<\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3 class=\"toc-only\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"font-377884\" style=\"color: #ff0000;\">In a nutshell<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"font-377884\">The majority of Austrians do not want their country to join NATO<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"font-377884\">They expect Austria to cooperate with other European countries on defense<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"font-377884\">Political voices calling for an end to neutrality are still a minority<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_223582\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-223582\" style=\"width: 840px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/la-neutralita-austriaca-dopo-linvasione-dellucraina\/austria-photo-by-gordon-johnson-on-pixabay\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-223582\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-223583\" src=\"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/austria-Photo-by-Gordon-Johnson-on-Pixabay-1024x528.png\" alt=\"Austria Photo by Gordon Johnson on Pixabay\" width=\"840\" height=\"433\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/austria-Photo-by-Gordon-Johnson-on-Pixabay-1024x528.png 1024w, https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/austria-Photo-by-Gordon-Johnson-on-Pixabay-300x155.png 300w, https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/austria-Photo-by-Gordon-Johnson-on-Pixabay-768x396.png 768w, https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/austria-Photo-by-Gordon-Johnson-on-Pixabay.png 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-223582\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"font-377884\">Austrian flag Photo by Gordon Johnson on Pixabay<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\"><span class=\"font-377884\">The Russian invasion of Ukraine resulted in a dramatic change of opinion in Nordic countries on the question of neutrality. For years, polls in Finland had shown that between 22 and 25 percent of respondents supported joining NATO, even after the annexation of Crimea and the secessionist uprisings staged by the Kremlin in eastern Ukraine. At the end of February 2022, however, 50 percent of the population was in favor. By June, it was 75 percent.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"font-377884\">In Sweden, the shift was not as drastic, but nevertheless clear. In June, 60 percent were in favor of NATO accession. There, too, the Russian aggression against Ukraine in 2014 had had little impact on public opinion. In 2017, only 32 percent of respondents wanted to abandon neutrality.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"font-377884\">Even in Switzerland, which has been officially neutral since 1815, 52 percent of respondents in a survey conducted in May and June were in favor of closer collaboration with NATO. There is a growing recognition that small countries can only defend themselves by partnering with other states \u2013 which requires, among other things, coordinating weapons systems. For the first time in two decades, the proportion of Swiss citizens supporting neutrality declined, falling to 89 percent from 96 percent in January.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"font-377884\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/en\/mikhail-gorbachev-and-a-part-of-history-goes-away\/\">Mikhail Gorbachev and a part of history goes away<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_223586\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-223586\" style=\"width: 840px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/la-neutralita-austriaca-dopo-linvasione-dellucraina\/nato-map-2022-jaycoop-derivative-cc-by-sa-4-0-via-wikimedia-commons\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-223586\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-223587\" src=\"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/NATO-map-2022-JayCoop-derivative-CC-BY-SA-4.0-via-Wikimedia-Commons-1024x520.png\" alt=\"NATO map 2022 JayCoop (derivative), CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons\" width=\"840\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/NATO-map-2022-JayCoop-derivative-CC-BY-SA-4.0-via-Wikimedia-Commons-1024x520.png 1024w, https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/NATO-map-2022-JayCoop-derivative-CC-BY-SA-4.0-via-Wikimedia-Commons-300x152.png 300w, https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/NATO-map-2022-JayCoop-derivative-CC-BY-SA-4.0-via-Wikimedia-Commons-768x390.png 768w, https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/NATO-map-2022-JayCoop-derivative-CC-BY-SA-4.0-via-Wikimedia-Commons-1536x780.png 1536w, https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/NATO-map-2022-JayCoop-derivative-CC-BY-SA-4.0-via-Wikimedia-Commons.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-223586\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"font-377884\">NATO map 2022 (in orange the countries already members of NATO and in green the countries that have requested annexation) Photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Finland_and_Sweden%E2%80%93NATO_map_(2022).svg\">JayCoop (derivative)<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\">CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>, via Wikimedia Commons<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Growing support<\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"font-377884\">Meanwhile, support for neutrality in Austria remains high and continues to rise. Ninety-one percent of those surveyed said neutrality is important to them, with 70 percent calling it \u201cvery important\u201d and 21 percent \u201crather important.\u201d In 2019, only 81 percent had said neutrality mattered to them. Asked in the most recent polls about the prospect of joining NATO, almost two-thirds of Austrians (64 percent) opposed it. Only 16 percent were in favor. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"font-377884\"><em>Compared to the Swiss Army, the Austrian Armed Forces are in a pitiful state.<\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"font-377884\">This attitude toward neutrality reflects the lack of military readiness in the population. A 2014 survey conducted in 64 countries in 2014 found that 25 percent of Western Europeans would be willing to fight for their country. The regional differences were considerable, especially those between neutral countries. In Finland, 74 percent declared themselves willing to take up arms to defend their country, in Sweden 55 percent and in Switzerland 39 percent. In Austria, the figure was only 21 percent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"font-377884\">Surrounded by five NATO members, Austrians feel largely protected despite the war in Ukraine. The shock caused by the invasion of neighboring Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact troops in August 1968 has been mostly forgotten. At that time, the Iron Curtain separated Austria from neighboring countries to the north, east and south. But since the country was integrated into the European Union in 1995, and since Austrian soldiers have joined military operations in crisis areas, it has been taken for granted that Austria can rely on external help in the event of an attack. Accession to the EU alone was a clear sign of the transition to a broader interpretation of neutrality.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"font-377884\">Austrian-style neutrality<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"font-377884\">In a guest commentary for the newspaper <em>Die Presse<\/em>, top Austrian diplomat <strong>Thomas Mayr-Harting<\/strong> recalled that the Austrians \u201cwere always for neutrality, but not necessarily for defense on their own. Even in the years of the Cold War \u2013 and in the best days of Austrian \u2018space defense\u2019 \u2013 the (unspoken) basic assumption was always that we must be able to defend ourselves in the event of an attack from the outside until \u2018others\u2019 come to our aid.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"font-377884\">But if Austria relies on defense within the framework of Western states, Mr. Mayr-Harting argues, the Federal Armed Forces must be interoperable and trained according to NATO standards. The NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP), in which Austria has been participating since 1995, provides a good basis for such cooperation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"font-377884\">Embedded in the structures of the EU and relying on the EU assistance clause, which calls for solidarity between the member states, 55 percent of Austrians surveyed recently assessed their country\u2019s situation as \u201csafe\u201d or \u201crather safe,\u201d while only 20 percent consider Europe, on the whole, to be safe. Nevertheless, Austrians consider the Federal Armed Forces to be \u201cvery\u201d or \u201crather important,\u201d not least because they have proven themselves in disaster operations. In the survey, conducted shortly after the beginning of the war, 50 percent of respondents supported increasing the defense budget (which amounted to 0.8 percent of gross domestic product in 2021) and equipping the Federal Armed Forces with heavy weapons to enable it to repel attacks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_223590\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-223590\" style=\"width: 840px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/la-neutralita-austriaca-dopo-linvasione-dellucraina\/hallstatt-austria-photo-by-julius-silver-on-pixabay\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-223590\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-223591\" src=\"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Hallstatt-Austria-Photo-by-Julius-Silver-on-Pixabay-1024x586.jpg\" alt=\"Hallstatt - Austria Photo by Julius Silver on Pixabay\" width=\"840\" height=\"481\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Hallstatt-Austria-Photo-by-Julius-Silver-on-Pixabay-1024x586.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Hallstatt-Austria-Photo-by-Julius-Silver-on-Pixabay-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Hallstatt-Austria-Photo-by-Julius-Silver-on-Pixabay-768x439.jpg 768w, https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Hallstatt-Austria-Photo-by-Julius-Silver-on-Pixabay-1536x878.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Hallstatt-Austria-Photo-by-Julius-Silver-on-Pixabay.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-223590\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"font-377884\">The typical Austrian village of Hallstatt &#8211; Austria Photo by Julius Silver on Pixabay<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"font-377884\">Roots of neutrality<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"font-377884\">Compared to the Swiss Army, the Austrian Armed Forces are in a pitiful state. Defense expert Franz-Stefan Gady estimates that it would take 10 to 20 years to build an operational army in Austria that could compete with that of Switzerland. Critics of neutrality accuse Austria of free riding on NATO in the field of security policy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"font-377884\">Austrian neutrality began with the Moscow Memorandum of April 1955. To achieve the \u201cclosest conclusion of the Austrian State Treaty,\u201d the Austrian delegation in Moscow conceded that Austria would not join any military alliances and would not allow military bases on its territory. The Austrian government issued a statement that establishes \u201cpermanent neutrality based on the Swiss model.\u201d The Soviet Union then agreed to sign the Austrian State Treaty and consented to the withdrawal of all occupying forces.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"font-377884\">On 26 October 1955, the Austrian National Council (Parliament) passed the Neutrality Act. But neutrality is not included in the State Treaty, and its interpretation is therefore not subject to the former occupying powers. It is not guaranteed by any international treaty.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"font-377884\">On the other hand, the obligation to \u201cmaintain and defend perpetual neutrality\u201d is enshrined in the constitution. It could only be repealed with a two-thirds majority in the National Council. None of the parties represented in parliament is currently calling for the abandonment of neutrality.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"font-377884\"><em>Brussels is said to be reluctant to include Austria in the defense community.<\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"font-377884\">At the turn of the millennium, things were different. At that time, the black-blue coalition government led by Wolfgang Schussel of the Christian-democratic Austrian People\u2019s Party (OVP) initiated a debate on joining NATO. The initiative failed because the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPO) rejected the motion, and an amendment or deletion of the neutrality law required their consent. When Social Democrat Alfred Gusenbauer succeeded Mr. Schussel in 2006, the topic was off the table. Only the Freedom Party of Austria (FPO) insisted on joining NATO until the matter gradually faded away after significant intraparty changes. Under chairman Herbert Kickl, the FPO today has adopted a neutral, but essentially Russia-friendly, position toward the war in Ukraine.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"font-377884\">After the Russian invasion, there were isolated voices in the OVP calling for accession to NATO. However, Chancellor Karl Nehammer (OVP) stated that \u201cAustria was neutral, Austria is neutral, Austria will also remain neutral.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"font-377884\">Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (OVP) also declared that in a world \u201cin which economic, military and intellectual conflicts have become more open, neutrality could once again be a value.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"font-377884\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_223594\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-223594\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/la-neutralita-austriaca-dopo-linvasione-dellucraina\/bataillon_de_la_garde_autrichienne-photo-by-davric-photos-personnelle-pubblico-dominio-httpscommons-wikimedia-orgwindex-phpcurid2439469\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-223594\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-223595\" src=\"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Bataillon_de_la_garde_autrichienne-Photo-by-davric-photos-personnelle-Pubblico-dominio-httpscommons.wikimedia.orgwindex.phpcurid2439469.jpg\" alt=\"Bataillon de la garde autrichienne Photo by davric - photos personnelle, Pubblico dominio, httpscommons.wikimedia.orgwindex.phpcurid=2439469\" width=\"800\" height=\"874\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Bataillon_de_la_garde_autrichienne-Photo-by-davric-photos-personnelle-Pubblico-dominio-httpscommons.wikimedia.orgwindex.phpcurid2439469.jpg 800w, https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Bataillon_de_la_garde_autrichienne-Photo-by-davric-photos-personnelle-Pubblico-dominio-httpscommons.wikimedia.orgwindex.phpcurid2439469-275x300.jpg 275w, https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Bataillon_de_la_garde_autrichienne-Photo-by-davric-photos-personnelle-Pubblico-dominio-httpscommons.wikimedia.orgwindex.phpcurid2439469-768x839.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-223594\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"font-377884\">Austrian Guard Battalion Photo by davric, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"h-calls-for-change\"><span class=\"font-377884\">Calls for change<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"font-377884\">The SPO believes that a neutral Austria in a mediating role contributes more to peace than if it were a member of a military pact. Only the leftist liberal NEOS raises doubts whether neutrality is still the best solution for Austria.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"font-377884\">In an \u201copen letter to the Federal President, the Federal Government, the National Council and the people of Austria,\u201d more than 50 Austrian security experts, diplomats, entrepreneurs, politicians and columnists called for the adoption of a new security doctrine in May. Neutrality has never been checked for its current expediency but has been \u201celevated to a supposedly inviolable myth,\u201d the signatories argue. Among them are Brigadier General of the Austrian Armed Forces Walter Feichtinger and former FPO Defense Minister Friedhelm Frischenschlager, as well as far-left columnists Robert Misik and Julya Rabinowich.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"font-377884\">Austria, the letter says, has neglected increasing threats for too long. Today, the country is \u201cunprepared, and in the most serious security policy crisis in Europe since 1945.\u201d The signatories have different opinions on neutrality or NATO accession, but are all \u201cconvinced that the status quo of our security policy is not only untenable, but dangerous for our country.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"font-377884\">NATO has not commented on the debate in Austria, which has not yet really begun. Brussels is said to be reluctant to include Austria in the defense community. The contribution that NATO expects from the small country can be fulfilled even without accession.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"font-377884\">It is extremely unlikely that one or more parties represented in the Austrian parliament will table a motion to repeal the Neutrality Act in this or the next legislative period. This would not be the case even if the Russian war against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gisreportsonline.com\/r\/ukraine-irregular\/\">Ukraine<\/a> were to escalate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span class=\"font-377884\">Author: Karl-Peter Schwarz<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"font-377884\">Source:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"2MDeTGdN9l\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gisreportsonline.com\/r\/austria-neutrality\/\">Austrian neutrality after the invasion of Ukraine<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Austrian neutrality after the invasion of Ukraine&#8221; &#8212; GIS Reports\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gisreportsonline.com\/r\/austria-neutrality\/embed\/#?secret=nhKLlcruDR#?secret=2MDeTGdN9l\" data-secret=\"2MDeTGdN9l\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While the invasion of Ukraine led to a wave of support for NATO membership in several countries, Austrians still believe their country should remain neutral.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":223587,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[279,271,988,260,210,305],"tags":[1043,2239,2240],"class_list":["post-224324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-austria-en","category-europe","category-geopolitics","category-highlights","category-magazine","category-politics","tag-austria-en","tag-nato-en","tag-neutrality"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=224324"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":224326,"href":"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224324\/revisions\/224326"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/223587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=224324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=224324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swissfederalism.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=224324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}