Austrians are proud of their identity as a neutral state. Neutrality is a core part of the country’s political identity and has served as one of the few topics with near-universal consensus following the country’s re-establishment after World War II. Such is the devotion to it, that it has been enshrined in Austria’s constitution as a commitment to “everlasting neutrality”
Far from being a sentiment only on paper, over 85% of the country’s population supports the position. This is reflected in the political class as well, as every major party represented in parliament affirms the policy and reiterates it on the international stage. Historically, any political force that attempted to alter this course found no success. Neutrality is so entrenched in Austrian identity, that there even is an entire national holiday devoted to it, Austria’s “National Day” on October 26th. It is emblematic of this that Austria celebrates its national day not on May 15th, when it was re-established following World War II – effectively its independence day, but on October 26th, when its parliament declared the country’s neutrality.
This dedication to neutrality is not merely a matter of identity or symbolism for Austria, but the main source of its soft power and primary instrument for positioning itself on the international stage. After regaining its independence following the Second World War, the country sought to present itself as a global capital of diplomacy, multilateralism and expand its own influence through capitalizing on this. To this end, Austria’s own capital, Vienna itself was transformed, with an entire district of the city devoted to hosting an international zone, with the UN headquarters and a score of other international organizations based there.
This strategy evidently bore dividends, as Austria today hosts one of the only 4 major UN headquarters in the world, with a plethora of significant bodies such as the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and others alongside it. OPEC, the international organization the members of which control over 80% of the world’s oil reserves, has also chosen Vienna as its headquarters for the same reason, despite Austria being neither a member nor an oil producing state. OSCE, the largest regional security organization in the world, has similarly chosen Austria as its base, as the country successfully positioned itself as a neutral power during the height of the Cold War.
It is a testament to how deeply this identity and policy of neutrality has embedded itself into Austrian politics, that its near-sacrosanct status has been used by Kremlin-friendly elements inside the country to advance their Eurosceptic and anti-Ukrainian objectives. On March 30, 2023, during Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s speech at the Austrian parliament, MPs of the then third largest party in the country, the pro-Russian FPÖ, demonstratively walked out of the session, leaving placards with “space for neutrality” and “space for peace” written in their places. The omnipresence of Austria’s neutrality in political discourse has allowed the FPÖ to weaponize it for their Eurosceptic and pro-Russian platform.
The Myth of Neutrality
Given everything described, one is left with the impression of a genuinely neutral state, the actions of which align with its carefully cultivated image. Yet, upon closer inspection of Vienna’s foreign policy conduct, it becomes overwhelmingly evident that, at least since its accession to the EU in 1995, Austrian neutrality is more fictional than based in reality.
There is no one universal definition of neutrality that is equally recognized by international law, the United Nations or the states that identify as such, yet there is a set of categorizations that can broadly be classified into maximalist and minimalist definitions of neutrality. Maximalist definitions generally posit that a country is not neutral if it is part of a geopolitical bloc, aligned with a major power, or actively supports a belligerent in a war, even if it is through economic and political, not military means. Minimalist definitions posit that a country’s neutrality is violated only if it becomes a part of a military alliance or supports a belligerent in a war through military aid. An examination of Austria’s policies reveal that the country does not meet the conditions for neutrality under either the maximalist or the minimalist definition.
The European Union as a Military Alliance
While the European Union is primarily thought of as a political and economic union, there is a potent argument to be made that the modern EU has developed into a military alliance as well. While there is no universal definition of a military alliance, and neither does the Austrian constitution provide a precise wording of what that entails, the European Union, since the adoption of the Common Foreign and Security Policy, bears all the hallmarks of such.
There are many features that contribute to this, but the most striking of them is the Lisbon Treaty’s Mutual Defence Clause that entails common defence: “If a Member State is the victim of armed aggression on its territory, the other Member States shall have towards it an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power”. While Austria specifically has an opt out of this particular clause, it is fully engaged with all other aspects of the Common Security and Defence Policy.
The EU conducts military missions outside its borders, deploying troops and equipment to conflict areas, a plethora of which are active warzones. It possesses its own military units in the form EU Battlegroups. It engages in sending billions of Euros worth of lethal military aid to countries actively at war, such as Ukraine, through the European Peace Facility (EPF). Through the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) and the European Defence Fund (EDF), the EU facilitates joint military projects and development of military equipment and technology. Austria fully contributes troops, equipment and funding to each one of these military initiatives by the EU.
As a Union that possesses a mutual defense clause, its own military units, conducts military missions abroad, sends lethal aid to countries at war and engages in joint military technology development, a convincing argument can be made that the modern European Union is indeed also a military alliance.
The European Union as a Geopolitical Bloc
Another reality of the European Union that is inherently incompatible with traditional understandings of neutrality is the fact that it is a geopolitical bloc with a clearly defined foreign policy. Within the Common Foreign and Security Policy, the EU has very clearly outlined adversaries, such as Russia or Iran, and allies, such as the United States or Canada, with very strong stances in geopolitical conflicts, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
EU member states, such as Austria, are required to align with EU foreign policy stances and legally obligated to impose penalties on some states, such as sanctions, asset freezes and trade restrictions on Russia, while paying billions to aid others, such as economic aid for Ukraine.
Being part of a geopolitical bloc that legally requires Austria to take punitive actions against some states while deploying significant aid to others is inherently incompatible with any standard definition of neutrality.
Austrian Bilateral Policy
While the most significant challenges to Austrian claims of neutrality come from its membership in the European Union and its implications, there is also a body of actions taken by Austria directly that further compromises said claims.
When approaching the largest war on the European continent since World War II, Austria decidedly throws its weight behind one state, while unleashing a flurry of punitive measures against the other.
On one hand, since the start of the war, Vienna has expelled Russian diplomats, imposed severe sanctions, restricted trade and froze more than €2 billion of Russian assets. At the same, it has officially condemned Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, denounced war crimes by the Kremlin leadership, voted against them in the UN and called for an International Criminal Tribunal against Russia.
On the other hand, Austria has sent hundreds of millions of Euros in bilateral economic aid to Ukraine, officially declared solidarity, invited Ukraine’s president to give a speech at its parliament and even provided direct, bilateral non-lethal military aid in the form of protective and anti-mine warfare equipment.
This is further compounded by the fact that Austria has, through an intermediary, sent lethal military aid worth over €500 million to Ukraine. This was done through the European Peace Facility (EPF), through which the EU has delivered weapons to Kyiv and to which every EU state, including Austria, is required to contribute. While Vienna maintains that it earmarked its funds for non-lethal aid, the fungibility of the EPF budget renders this distinction meaningless – Austria’s non-lethal contribution frees up other states’ funds to be redirected to lethal aid instead, leaving the total amount the same as a result.
To conclude, despite carefully cultivating the image for decades, Austrian neutrality is a myth in practice. A state that is part of a geopolitical bloc, takes sides in conflicts and indirectly sends hundreds of millions of Euros worth of lethal military aid to a country at war cannot be considered neutral even under the most minimalist of definitions.