Also Austria in NATO?
Celebrity letter calls for rethinking - but it doesn't look like it
Created: 05/18/2022, 10:29 am
By: Andreas Schmid
Against Austria joining NATO: Chancellor Karl Nehammer (l) and Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (both ÖVP).
© Georg Hochmuth/picture alliance/APA
Finland and Sweden want to join NATO.
In neutral Austria, several celebrities are also calling for a new course.
Both the government and the opposition see things differently.
Vienna - "Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine is not only a crime and a tragedy, but also the last warning call to the free world, to which Austria also belongs." With these words, an open letter from 55 Austrian celebrities begins.
It is addressed to the Federal President, the Federal Government, the National Council and the people of Austria.
The message: Austria should reconsider its neutrality status and, if necessary, join NATO.
The signatories call for "a serious, nationwide discussion about Austria's security and defense policy future".
A “debate without blinders” is needed.
Since the “status quo of our security policy is dangerous”, changes are needed.
This is either a "deepened EU defense policy or Austria's accession to NATO".
But the government in Vienna has not explicitly thought about that so far.
As with Finland and Sweden, Austria's entry into NATO does not seem to be an option, at least not immediately.
Austria: Chancellor Nehammer rejects NATO membership
Austria's Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) wants to maintain the neutrality of the Alpine republic.
"This question does not arise for Austria," said the conservative politician on Tuesday (May 17) in Prague.
"Austria was neutral, is neutral and will remain neutral." Finland and Sweden, who announced a NATO membership bid because of the Ukraine war, have "a different story".
Nevertheless, Austria is “fully solidary” with Ukraine.
Nehammer's predecessor, Alexander Schallenberg, does not see Austria in NATO either.
With regard to Scandinavia, the current foreign minister spoke of “a completely different geographical situation”.
Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP) made a similar statement.
Finland shares a border with Russia that is more than 1,000 kilometers long.
NATO accession?
Keyword alliance case - "Austria is then relatively safe"
Even far away from the ÖVP there are similar tones.
Opposition leader and SPÖ boss Pamela Rendi-Wagner rates Austria's neutrality as "non-negotiable".
The right-wing populist FPÖ sees it the same way.
The Greens argue double-edged.
You have to rethink your security policy.
At some point, "the situation will arise where Austria has foreign policy interests and needs the support of neighboring countries," said the European policy spokesman for the Greens, which governs with the ÖVP, Michel Reimon.
"But then Austria is relatively safe."
It is also argued that the neighboring German country would be supported by NATO in the event of a military escalation on its territory.
Apart from Switzerland and the miniature state of Liechtenstein, Austria is surrounded by NATO countries.
This means that if Austria is attacked, NATO territory will also be attacked beforehand.
Then NATO article 5, the so-called alliance case, applies.
Its core message: If
a NATO member
is attacked, the
entire NATO
is de facto attacked.
The parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America will be considered an attack against them all.
First sentence in NATO Article 5
Nato: Clear majority of Austrians against joining
The Austrian population also rejects any plans to join NATO.
In a poll conducted in early May, only 14 percent of respondents said they would join.
The signers of the letter, including Othmar Karas (Vice President of the European Parliament) and Friedhelm Frischenschlager (former defense minister), see things differently.
They call for “a new security doctrine”.
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