Austrijski Euroskepticizam. Pomicanje s ljevice na desnicu
Austrian Euroscepticism. Moving from Left to Right

Author(s): Anton Pelinka
Subject(s): International relations/trade, EU-Approach / EU-Accession / EU-Development
Published by: Centar za politološka istraživanja
Summary/Abstract: Austria is, compared to the advanced European liberal democracies, a relatively latecomer to the European Union. The reason for the delay was Austria's long-standing neutrality. During the Cold War, Austria preferred to refrain from membership in the European Union due to its geopolitical position. When the coalition of the centre-left SPÖ and the centre-right ÖVP parties decided to apply for EU membership in 1989, the left was the most opposed, considering that neutrality and EU membership were not entirely compatible. During the 1990s, this situation changed - the left (especially the Green Party) abruptly abandoned its previous Euroscepticism, while the positions of the right (especially the FPÖ) increasingly identified with Eurosceptic views. This came to the fore in Austria's response to the "sanctions" that the other 14 EU members imposed on the Austrian government in 2000, which followed the inclusion of the FPÖ in the government. Moderate center-right and center-left voters, as well as supporters of the Greens, maintained "euro-optimistic" views, in contrast to right-wing FPÖ voters.

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