The two former defense ministers Werner Fasslabend (ÖVP) and Herbert Scheibner (formerly FPÖ and BZÖ) want Austria to join NATO. Because that brings the country “more protection” and “more influence”, according to the tenor.
Fasslabend served from 1990 to 2000, Scheibner from 2000 to 2003. In APA interviews on the first anniversary of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the two longtime NATO supporters admitted that a departure from neutrality was currently unrealistic. The possibility of joining NATO is currently “undoubtedly unavailable” and “requires a rethinking process across Austria’s entire political landscape,” Fasslabend said.
Scheibner made a similar statement. He hopes for a “broad consensus” on security policy issues. “You just achieved that by doing nothing. That’s a pity,” he said, referring to the Austrian parliamentary parties’ declaration of neutrality immediately after the outbreak of war.
No referendum necessary
Both former politicians do not think a referendum on the end of neutrality is necessary. Fasslabend pointed out that the neutrality law had also been introduced without a referendum. All you need is a two-thirds majority in the National Council.
According to Scheibner, neutrality had in fact been abolished a quarter of a century ago. In 1998, a constitutional amendment allowed Austria’s participation in peace-building measures under the EU’s defense policy.
“Neutral under international law no longer exists”
“I no longer need a vote because this neutrality no longer exists under international law,” Scheibner stressed. It was “really annoying that people are told untruths because they don’t want to deal with reality,” the former FPÖ club president criticized.
The Austrian definition of neutrality corresponds to that of a teetotaller’s association, “which says: For us, a teetotaller is someone who drinks no more than a quarter of wine a day. You can say that for yourself, but to the outside world you are more likely to say that it not be teetotalers’, says the chairman of the Vienna think tank European Institute for Counter-Terrorism and Conflict Prevention (EICTP).
Like Sweden, Austria is no longer perpetually neutral, only non-aligned. It can no longer fulfill the obligation to stay out of all conflicts, which means that the protective aspect of neutrality has also been lost.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
