Graf slams Austrian bid to veto EU enlargement

Date: 10/01/02

By David Cronin

German tennis legend Steffi Graf has thrown her weight behind a campaign against a proposed Austrian referendum on whether to veto the Czech Republic's bid for EU membership.

The far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), junior partners in Vienna's ruling coalition, are calling for a referendum over their opposition to the controversial Temelin nuclear complex. They say the partly Soviet-designed complex, just 60 kilometres from the Austrian border, is unsafe and should be closed down.

However, an alliance of Austrian business, political and media figures insist the issue should not be used to derail enlargement and have launched a campaign under the slogan 'Veto - No Thanks!' - a twist on the old 'Nuclear Power - No Thanks' message of green activists.

Graf is backing the anti-FPÖ stance. 'The European Union's enlargement widens our zone of peace,' she declared. 'A veto would endanger stability in Europe.'

The Freedom Party hopes to collect 100,000 signatures on a petition to force a parliamentary vote on whether a referendum should take place.

MEP Peter Sichrovsky, also the FPÖ's secretary-general, claimed that his party is 'not playing a political game' over enlargement by exploiting worries over Temelin. The government programme it had signed with the Christian Democrats committed the party to supporting the Union's eastward expansion.

'There is no way we would ever oppose enlargement,' Sichrovsky told European Voice. 'However, if a large percentage of the Austrian population has concerns over Temelin, we have to respect their opinions.'

German tennis star Steffi Graf is supporting a campaign against a proposed Austrian referendum on whether to veto the Czech Republic's bid for EU membership.

NOTE: European Voice printed a correction to this article in the issue on 17 January 2002 stating that the Steffi Graf who is supporting the campaign is in fact an Austrian athlete of the same name.