As the first anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine War, which began on February 24, 2022, has been entered, it is important how the war has affected Austria, which has come to the fore with its neutral status. In this context, it is useful to examine how the neutrality status, which is the main pillar of Austrian foreign policy, is formed.
As it is known, in 1955, in return for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), the United States (US), the UK and France ending their 10-year occupation of Austria, the Vienna administration promised to accept the neutrality status by adopting the Swiss model. In this context, on October 26, 1955, the Austrian Parliament adopted the status of permanent neutrality. The applicable law stipulates that Austria shall not join any military alliance.[1]
As can be understood, Austria’s permanent neutrality status is a product of the Cold War. Since then, Austria has attached importance to maintaining this status. However, Austria’s accession to the European Union (EU) on January 1, 1995, along with Finland and Sweden,[2] opened the door to changes in the country’s status as a permanent neutral. It is noteworthy that Austria joined the EU on the same date as Sweden and Finland. Because all three states are countries known for their neutral status in Europe. However, it should be underlined that the EU is not a security organization.
However, one of the biggest consequences of the war in Ukraine in Europe has been the change in the security architecture of the countries on the continent. For example, after the war, countries with neutral status such as Finland and Sweden applied for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), while Austria refuses to join the alliance.
In this regard, the reflection of the war on countries known for their neutral status in Europe has been in different ways. While these three states once acted in coordination on the EU issue, they did not take the same position on NATO. In this sense, it can be argued that Austria is one of the states that try to maintain its neutrality status the most among the states in Europe.
On the other hand, after the start of the war, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg stated on May 18, 2022, that his country would maintain its neutrality status despite Finland and Sweden applying to become a member of NATO. Moreover, Schallenberg stated that the Vienna administration would provide humanitarian support to Kyiv instead of supplying it with weapons. Furthermore, Austria supplied 80% of its natural gas supply from Russia in 2021.[3]
Therefore, it can be argued that Austria’s red line at the point of neutrality is NATO. However, Austria, unlike many states in Europe, does not provide arms assistance to Ukraine either. Vienna, along with Budapest, is one of only two countries in the EU that does not supply weapons to Kyiv.
Nevertheless, it would not be right to reduce Vienna’s view of the war to the status of neutrality only. Because Austria is one of the most dependent states on Russia for energy among European countries. The fact that the two countries have developed long-standing cooperation in the field of energy plays a significant role in shaping Austria’s foreign policy. The fact that Austria became the first Western state to procure natural gas from the Soviet Union in 1968[4] is one of the clearest examples of the special relationship between the parties in the field of energy.
On the other hand, Austria’s adoption of the neutrality status since the Cold War has been instrumental in the country becoming a bridge of diplomacy between East and West. Therefore, Vienna’s neutrality status has led to a reputation that adds prestige in the international arena in the settlement of disputes.
Another noteworthy aspect is that 80% of the Austrian public opinion is against the country’s accession to NATO.[5] For this reason, it is seen that there is no strong demand from the public for the neutrality status to be changed. Therefore, this indicates that it is difficult to achieve a change in Austria’s neutrality status in the future.
Austria, a member of the EU, advocates the easing of Western sanctions against Russia. For this reason, reactions against Austria within the EU are also increasing. Because of this approach, the Austrian Government has attracted the reaction of countries such as Poland within the bloc. As a matter of fact, Polish President Andrzej Duda accused Austria of damaging the unity of Europe on January 19, 2023, due to this attitude.[6]
On the other hand, Austria’s decision to allow Russian delegates on the sanctions list by the EU to attend the meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) held in Vienna between 23-24 February 2023 caused a great reaction. 20 countries, including France, UK and Poland, have called on the Vienna administration that Austria should not issue visas to Russian delegates. Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg defended the decision to allow sanctioned Russians to enter the country and stressed the importance of keeping channels of communication with Moscow open.[7]
As it can be understood, the Vienna administration wants to play an active role in the mediation point because it has a status of neutrality. While the states in the West consider this step of Austria as the legitimization of Moscow, Vienna advocates taking steps towards ending the war as soon as possible.
In conclusion, it can be argued that Austria will continue to maintain its status of permanent neutrality. Accordingly, it can be said that the Vienna administration will continue to draw a line between itself and international security organizations such as NATO. Because both the Austrian people and the Vienna administration advocate avoiding steps that may jeopardize the neutrality status of the country.
[1] “Austria’s Permanent Neutrality”, New Austrian, https://www.austrianinformation.org/winter-2015-16/wc55d7qi5qrmyzmxh1qkofcmsluxvj, (Date of Accession: 24.02.2023).
[2] “The European Union And Countries in The EU”, Schengen Visa, https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/countries-in-europe/eu-countries/, (Date of Accession: 24.02.2023).
[3] “Austria’s Neutral Status Here to Stay, Foreign Minister Says”, U.S. News, https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-05-18/austrias-neutral-status-here-to-stay-foreign-minister-says, (Date of Accession: 24.02.2023).
[4] “Neutral Austria Under Pressure to Get Tougher on Russia”, AP, https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-politics-government-austria-moscow-cd43bd689dfbd8c674c1b6d9d214d86f, (Date of Accession: 24.02.2023).
[5] “Austria Commits to Neutrality, Even as Russia Destroys Ukraine”, Al Jazeera, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/8/15/austrian-neutrality-in-light-of-the-ukraine-war, (Date of Accession: 24.02.2023).
[6] “Austria’s Call to Ease Sanctions on Russia Breaks European Unity: Duda in Davos”, TVP World, https://tvpworld.com/65747169/austrias-call-to-ease-sanctions-on-russia-breaks-european-unity-duda-in-davos, (Date of Accession: 24.02.2023).
[7] “Neutral Austria Under Pressure to Get Tougher on Russia”, AP, https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-politics-government-austria-moscow-cd43bd689dfbd8c674c1b6d9d214d86f, (Date of Accession: 24.02.2023).
