Not another “Orbán” in Austria, new government to support Ukraine – expert

This opinion was expressed by Austrian political scientist Martin Malek in an interview with Ukrinform.

“The program of the new Austrian federal government includes important provisions regarding Ukraine. It states that Austria will ‘continue its commitment to stabilizing the European neighborhood, including by supporting the European path of Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia.’ The focus will be on humanitarian aid to Ukraine and reconstruction efforts, with a special coordinator for Ukrainian affairs to be appointed,” Malek said, commenting on the new government coalition’s position on supporting Ukraine.

According to him, the program also states that the new federal government condemns Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine and supports Austria’s efforts, together with its EU partners, “to achieve a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace based on international law.” Furthermore, the government affirms that “no negotiations should take place without Ukraine’s participation.”

“Given this, there is reason to believe that Austria’s current support for Ukraine will be maintained both bilaterally and within the framework of the EU policy. The emergence of another ‘Orbán’ in Austria is ruled out,” the political scientist emphasized.

He noted that a clear demonstration of this stance was the fact that the new Austrian Foreign Minister, Beate Meinl-Reisinger from the liberal NEOS party, made her first bilateral visit to Kyiv, where she met with Ukraine’s leadership.

“On the one hand, I have no doubt that Meinl-Reisinger will seek to support Ukraine, and it is no coincidence that she appointed Austria’s ambassador to Ukraine, Arad Benkö, as the head of her office. On the other hand, she will have to operate within strict framework conditions, the most important of which are Austria’s 1955 neutrality law and the constraints of the austerity measures, which are already becoming evident,” the expert explained.

According to Malek, it is unlikely that the new Austrian government will start supplying weapons to Ukraine or significantly increase its financial and humanitarian assistance. However, other measures, including those aimed at limiting Russian influence, are not ruled out.

“One very important form of support for Ukraine would be the reduction or even cessation of Austrian companies’ presence in Russia, as they pay taxes to its war budget. However, I consider this very unlikely,” Malek said.

He added that it is also crucial to hinder the activities of Russian intelligence services in Austria. “But this would require steps that the new government is unlikely to take due to its ‘fear’ of Moscow (even if no one in Vienna officially admits it, of course),” the political scientist concluded.

As reported by Ukrinform, on March 3, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen swore in the new chancellor, Christian Stocker, the leader of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP). The new government coalition consists of the conservative Austrian People’s Party, the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ), and the liberal NEOS party.

The main challenge for Austria’s new government is addressing the country’s economic recession and tackling the budget deficit, which stands at nearly 4% of GDP, with record debts approaching €400 billion.

To avoid the EU’s excessive deficit procedure, Austria will need to reduce its budget deficit by €18-24 billion over the coming years. This includes cutting expenses by approximately €6 billion in the first year alone.