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Austriathe Common Way out of the Crisis

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Austriathe Common Way out of the Crisis The crisis has affected Austria, but in a smoother form The Common Way Out of the crisis: than most of the other countries. First, Austrian industry Views from Austria depends strongly on Germany which only entered into recession recently. Second, austerity measures similar to Southern Europe (cuts in social spending, limited taxation of wealth, and fewer redistributive elements) have been implemented, but on a much smaller scale which has not caused any public unrest. However, there is a growing awareness that problems will increase in the future. All parties, however, support the EU one way or the other. While the right -wing populist European project can be described as a lean Europe, as a free trade area made up of sovereign nation states, the Greens enter the discussion with the “United States of Europe”. As in many other countries, the political debate is currently strongly dominated by ad -hoc management of the crisis. While On November 23rd, 2012 GEF with support of the few Austrians support a nationalist anti -EU project, right - Austrian Grüne Bildungswerkstatt (GBW) and wing populism has broad support in the general public Heinrich Böll -Stiftung Germany organised a debate with respect to a more nationalist defence of “Austrian entitled “The Future of Europe: The Common Way self -interest” (with respect to the budget and Grexit, etc.). Out of the Crisis” in Salzburg. It was the Austrian There is a deep -rooted prejudice of a European divide contribution to GEF´s series on “The Future of along the “hard working” core and the “lazy” periphery Europe”. which makes a discussion on more systematic strategies of territorial cohesion and redistribution very difficult. Andreas Novy and Susanne Puchberger from the Grüne Bildungswerkstatt summarise the event and Against this political background, the event was meant to consider its implications for the Green debate. discuss (Green) proposals for Europe for overcoming the sovereign debt and bank crises, keeping in mind the social dimension of the crisis. As Austria is still an AAA rated country, the economic and social crisis has been perceived differently from The Austrian political debate on Europe is highly Southern and Central -Eastern Europe. Therefore, the polarised. The pro -EU field is composed of the Social conference was particularly focused on an exchange of Democratic -Conservative coalition government, the different perspectives in two dimensions: social partners (employers and unions), the banks and corporations, three parties (Social Democrats, Christian To relate a positive European vision as Democrats, Greens), the state -owned TV and radio elaborated by the Austrian Green Party to the station, the quality newspapers and the overwhelming reality of Europe as it currently exists. majority of civil society. The EU -critical field is today identical to the Grexit - proponents: The right -wing To promote a dialogue between voices from populist parties (FPÖ, BZÖ and the new party of different parts of Europe, their perceptions of millionaire Frank Stronach), and segments of current challenges and the role of Europe. commercial mass media. In demographic terms, we will find a separation between high - income, highly -educated and younger supporters of further European integration Ulrike Lunacek and Alexander van der Bellen and low -income, less educated and on average older Towards the United States of Europe. Euro -sceptics. To sum up, in many ways the position via Europe in Austria can be described as an elite/masses The opening words as well as the final synthesis were divide. made by two prominent Austrian Green politicians: Alexander van der Bellen (former party leader of the Austrian Greens) and Ulrike Lunacek (Member of the The Common Way Out of the Crisis : Views from Austria 2 European Parliament) who have been involved over the present their views on the political and socio -economic last two years in stimulating an internal party discussion situation: MarMarMar Garcia Sanz from Spain (newly elected on the future of Europe. member of the European Green Party Committee, Iniciativa Catalunya Verds/Barcelona) and Zdenek Kudrna In her opening speech Ulrike Lunacek very clearly from the Czech Republic (lives in Vienna and works at the pointed out that EU is in an alarming state: Austrian Academy of Sciences/Institute for European policy). The European Union is and has been a peace -project. The current crisis threatens this project and the EU is at risk Mar Garcia Sanz made a clear point in stating that the of unravelling. It is the first time in the history of the EU crisis of the real estate and banking sector was at the that a crisis makes this scenario possible. One has to be origin of the public deficit in Spain, not the other way aware of the fact that in ten years the EU and the Euro around. However, too generous wages and social benefits may no longer exist. The crisis is not only an economic have been identified by European policy makers and the crisis, it is a crisis of democracy. The EU lacks a number mass media as the causes of the crisis. The resulting of democratic elements – for example a parliament with austerity measures which have saved the financial sector wide legislative and initiative rights as well as control have led to the dismantling of the welfare state and functions. “Provincialism” – in the sense of a Europe democratic institutions. This happened because the governed by the strong nation states - endangers the conventional understanding has often been that “the European project. Ulrike Lunacek who is a key proponent South” is responsible for the crisis and, therefore, it is of the Austrian Green party´s vision of a “United States of internal policies (especially austerity measures) that Europe“ is convinced that a positive vision is needed have to solve the crisis. which could mobilise people to oppose nationalist, undemocratic and socially disintegrative dynamics. Zdenek Kudrna focussed on the Central and Eastern European perspective. In his opinion GDP -Growth is the Alexander van der Bellen took up Ulrike Lunacek´s first thing to look at. Unemployment has increased thoughts and once more stressed the fact that the everywhere over the last five years, although the “collapse of Europe is possible“. Europe is ruled by situation has been different in the respective Member outworn/antiquated ideas of national sovereignties. He States. While people in the Czech republic, Slovakia and underlined his words with a saying of the “Weimarar Poland (were the crisis was softer, and the national Republik” which he paraphrased to describe Europe economies recovered as suppliers to German industry) today: “We had democracy, but not enough Democrats” have only started to be more cautious and careful about turned into “““We“We had EEurope,urope, but not enough Europeans”Europeans”. spending money, there is real material deprivation and a descent of the middle class in Hungary and the Baltic The reality of Europe, however, is characterised by countries. dysfunctionalities. To illustrate this he concluded with a “thought experiment” which showed some of the major The presentation was followed by a debate together with impasses of the EU: Imagine Austria – a federal nation Robert MisikMisik, an Austrian journalist, and Bruno state - and its regions (“Bundesländer”) would be RossmannRossmann, a Green Member of the Austrian Parliament, structured the same way as the EU is: the national moderated by Juliane Alton from the Grüne parliament plus the European Parliament, the Bildungswerkstatt Vorarlberg. Both discussants stressed Commission and the Council. Decision -making would the fact that the economic and social problems challengechallenge hardly be possible if Austrian regional governors could the Green vision of EuropeEurope. For Rossmann, the EU cannot block federal policies. Mutual obstruction would be the survive if the “Greek question” is not solved. If Greece common procedure. leaves the Eurozone the costs are unpredictable. In line with Zdenek Kudrna, he stressed the importance of a banking union and the regulation of the financial markets. Robert Misik aimed at shifting the focus from “Voices of Europe”: In search of visions for a financial issues to the social problems, identifying youth good life for all Europeans. unemployment as a main threat to Europe´s progressive future. To widen the horizons and to contribute to a wider dialogue on the future of Europe, we invited experts and Zdenek Kudrna made a strong point in stressing that we speakers from Southern and Central -Eastern Europe to need to invent new stories about the EU and not reduce it to an economic project. The danger is that in a deepening The Common Way Out of the Crisis : Views from Austria 3 financial crisis, people will turn away from the EU: If the is associated with less teachers at school, lower wages, economy doesn´t work, the EU doesn´t work. People dismantling of democracy and repressive police action. have to feel as Europeans. Therefore, feelings of Therefore, wrong economic and authoritarian policies solidarity, identity and common culture have to be have to be abandoned by policies which put the ordinary strengthened. Mar Garcia Sanz proposed to put European people, their desires and needs, first. Europeans, the people of Europe, into first place for decision–making by implementing policies which The conference ended with more questions than generate wellbeing instead of depriving welfare. answers. The dialogue between different perspectives started, but was not yet taken up systematically and In the public debate, there was common ground with needs to be continued. Rather positive views of past and respect to the plea for overcoming the primacy of the current dynamics in Austria remained side -by -side to economic debate. The respective understanding, increasingly critical views from Spain and realistic however, exposed two different views on how to perceptions from Eastern Europe.
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