Fears grow that Haider row could disrupt EU business

Date: 03/02/2000

By Simon Taylor

SENIOR Austrian diplomats have warned that the decision by EU member states to isolate the country in protest at the far-right Freedom Party's entry into government could have a knock-on effect on EU business as political tension spirals.

The European Commission and the Portuguese presidency have insisted that the move will not have an impact on the Union's day-to-day work because the action is being taken by individual member states acting in concert and not by the EU as a body.

But Vienna says the protest risks disrupting the smooth running of the Union. "The severing of bilateral contacts is very dangerous because it can lead to escalation," Austria's EU Ambassador Gregor Woschnagg told European Voice. "It is very easy to escalate but the question is how do you step back without a loss of face. We know that the EU is a very delicate thing. We have to be very careful with each other and treat each other in a fair way. We do not want this ganging up on one member state."

His warning came as Austrian President Thomas Klestil was holding talks with the People's Party/Freedom Party before deciding whether to approve the coalition in the face of the unprecedented threat from other EU member states to freeze political links with Austria if Jörg Haider's party joined Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel's administration.

Woschnagg's comments will heighten fears that the stand taken by Union governments could threaten work on important areas of EU business, including the forthcoming talks on treaty reform and the enlargement negotiations.

The decision by the 14 member states to sever their bilateral ties with Vienna instead of taking action at Union level means that ministers from the new administration will be able to take part in Council meetings as usual.

The Austrian ambassador will also continue to participate the weekly meeting of the Committee of permanent representatives (Coreper) which steers EU business.

But Union officials predict that ministers from some member states might stage individual protests against the new government by, for example, refusing to sit next to their Austrian counterparts at meetings, souring the atmosphere and making negotiations more difficult.

"You cannot exclude the possibility that the general feeling towards the Austrian government will infuse behaviour in the EU institutions," said one. "There may be problems like when Belgian politician Elio di Rupo refused to shake hands with members of the Italian Alleanza Nazionale when they were part of Berlusconi's government."

But Woschnagg said the diplomatic boycott should not be allowed to affect EU business. "If Coreper does not work, the Union is in danger," he warned. The ambassador also insisted that the new government would continue to take a positive attitude towards the EU. "We will follow a constructive pro-European policy," he stressed.

Portugal's European Affairs Minister Seixas da Costa this week tried to play down fears that the move to isolate Austria would block progress on important Union issues. "We do not expect the political tension between the 14 EU members and Austria to create paralysis," he said. But he admitted that it would "have a negative effect in terms of the mood inside the EU".

But it is still unclear where the line between bilateral and member state ties will be drawn. Da Costa decided this week to suspend a visit to Austria to hear Vienna's views on the agenda for the Intergovernment Conference.

The presidency's 'tour of capitals' is a crucial part of the EU decision-making process because it allows the country at the Union's helm to get details of member states' negotiating positions on key issues.

Meanwhile, MEPs were due to vote on a resolution condemning the inclusion of Haider's party in government today (3 February). European Parliament President Nicole Fontaine said the party "peddles an ideology which is diametrically opposed to the humanist values on which democratic society is based".