Austria must heed the warnings

Date: 11/05/2000

The dilemma which EU governments have faced since deciding to freeze ties with Austria nearly four months ago was highlighted this week as diplomats warned that Vienna's aggressive campaign to get the sanctions lifted could backfire.

In the last few weeks, Austria has turned up the heat on the EU in its battle to restore normal relations, with threats from Freedom Party ministers to withold payments to Union coffers if the issue is not resolved quickly. Former party leader Jörg Haider has even suggested that Austria should consider pulling out of the EU if the impasse continues. While Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel has adopted a far more moderate tone, his threat to hold a referendum on the Union's treatment of his country has also served to inflame passions.

Given the open-ended nature of the decision taken by the EU's 14 other member states at the end of January to freeze diplomatic ties with Vienna if the Freedom Party entered government, it will be far from easy for them to find a formula which will pave the way for an end to the sanctions without implying that they are no longer concerned about the presence of far-right ministers in a member state government. There are now signs that many countries believe this issue cannot be ducked for much longer and that some solution must be found. But they are also acutely aware that they have boxed themselves into a corner: after taking such a firm stand at the start, they must now avoid giving the public the impression that it was all a fuss about nothing.

The Belgian proposal to change the Union treaty to allow member states to issue formal warnings to governments which threaten to violate human rights and draw up a possible list of sanctions provides a possible basis for ending the current impasse. This is an issue which must be addressed as part of the ongoing Intergovernmental Conference negotiations, given that the EU-14's current dilemma stems from the fact that there is no provision in the existing treaty for action against a fellow member state except in the case of "serious and persistent" breaches of the Union's fundamental values. While they got round this problem by suspending ties on a bilateral basis, they have since been vulnerable to accusations that they went against the spirit, if not the letter, of the treaty.

Austria should, however, heed the warnings that relations with its Union partners could worsen if governments feel they are being pressurised into changing their stance. Playing to the public gallery at this stage will only make it harder to find a solution acceptable to all sides.