DOCSLIB.ORG

Views from the Capitals

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Views from the Capitals Section 4VIEWS FROM THE CAPITALS Why Austria is at intellectual, and business rats, the co-governing right- establishment share the wing Bündnis Zukunft Öster- such odds with scepticism of Messrs reich, and the opposition Ankara Gusenbauer and Leitl. When right-wing Freedom Party for Austria’s chancellor being “soft on Turkey”. By Verena Ringler of the Wolfgang Schüssel and European Stability Foreign Minister Ursula Opinion polls show why Initiative (ESI) in Vienna Plassnik created a stand-off that tag is so unwelcome with their EU colleagues last for any politician in Austria Alfred Gusenbauer, who October over whether the today. In April 2004, a chairs the Austrian Social Union should open mem- survey by the Democratic Party, said not bership negotiations with Sozialwissenschaftliche long ago that “Turkey in Turkey, they were applauded Studiengesellschaft, found the EU would mean the by all Austrian political par- that 73% of those polled end of the EU.” And ties except the Greens, and said Turkey was not suited Christoph Leitl, the presi- by most pundits. When they to join the Union. Reasons dent of Austria's influential finally gave in to the com- included “the conflict with chamber of commerce and promise that opened the the Kurds” (39%) and a prominent player in the way for negotiations with “because Turks are mostly ruling People’s Party, Turkey, they found them- Muslim” (43%). A warned that “the EU selves criticised by the Eurobarometer survey in should not enlarge further opposition social democ- January of this year found in the next two decades”, adding that given the 40m AUSTRIA Anatolian peasants, and GOVERNING COALITION Head of State 97 SEATS OUT OF 183 14m unemployed within Heinz Fischer (SPÖ) ÖVP FPÖ-BZÖ the EU, one should not Head of Government (EPP-ED) encourage hopes for Wolfgang Schüssel (ÖVP) Next Elections: Nov 2006 seats membership which the EU INCOME PER HEAD 1989-2005 cannot live up to.” Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) 79 Social Democratic Party of Austria $32,961 Austria (SPÖ) 69 These are not isolated opin- Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) 18 ions, for most Austrian The Greens (GRUNE) 17 politicians right across the EU25 average $26,142 party spectrum as well as almost the entire political, 168 | Europe’s World Spring 2006 80% of Austrians opposed foreigner, anti-Muslim and (ÖVP) point to the costs of to Turkish EU-membership, anti-Turkey platform in the EU enlargement, the possi- and a mere 11% in favour. Vienna elections in October bility of mass immigration 2005, the far-right rump and the cultural argument So why have Austrians party of the former list of that Turkey is a “different been uncompromisingly in Jörg Haider appealed to civilisation”. But in practice the vanguard of opposition some 15% of the elec- the ÖVP not only supports to Turkish entry? Austrians torate. In the run-up to enlargement to include the still adamantly refuse to Austria’s takeover in Balkans, but has also prag- see the opportunities that January of the rotating EU matically endorsed EU could be created by presidency, the party adver- decision-making on Turkey. Turkish accession, with tised a “pro-Austria, anti- Chancellor Schüssel co- 78% believing that Turkey Turkey” petition to be signed Turkey’s candidate is too different culturally launched in 2006. status in Helsinki back in for accession to work (in 1999, and has signed suc- the EU-25 the figure is Political opinion on the cessive EU resolutions in 55%), while 72% reject the centre-left, the social 2002, 2004 and 2005. idea of Turkish accession democrats and some as a way to enhance Greens, explains its oppo- This degree of cross-party regional stability (EU-25 sition to Turkey by citing consensus means that 48%), and 71% doubt that globalisation, relations with Austria has not had a gen- Turkish accession would the US, geopolitical risk uine debate on Turkey at foster greater understand- and, above all, fears of EU any point in the past two ing between European and overstretch. Their broad years. One polling expert Islamic values (EU-25 47%). argument would seem to has remarked that “it is be that Turkish accession mainstream to bash the EU, How to explain this remark- would be a victory of capi- and common sense to able consensus, how deep talist interests over social oppose Turkey in the EU.” does it run and is it likely at and democratic ones. Ever since the EU parlia- all to soften? To answer Another strong considera- mentary elections in mid- these questions, it is impor- tion is the much more tac- 2004, when all Austria’s tant to distinguish between tical one that in the political parties had leading the three main anti-Turkey upcoming legislative elec- candidates who were camps in Austria: The far- tions later this year the opposed to Turkish EU right Freedom Party and its centre-left hopes to win entry, the political dynamics co-governing spin-off are votes away from the on Turkey have been easiest to understand as declining far-right. extremely one-sided. Even they are against the EU, those who seem willing to against enlargement, Thirdly, there is the see the benefits of Turkish against migration and, “Mitteleuropa” camp. EU accession have been unsurprisingly, against Players in and around the reluctant to speak out. On Turkey. Running on an anti- centre-right People’s Party issues like the adoption of Spring 2006 Europe’s World | 169 the euro or the “big bang” Danes settle were expected to face up enlargement in 2004, the to our responsibilities after Austrian elite has led public down to “serious our 1992 No vote on the opinion to accept policies debate” on the Maastricht Treaty, the that were initially unpopular, EU’s crisis Danish government now but on Turkey the dynamic expects the French and the has been the opposite. By Anne Mette Dutch to present their Vestergaard, Chief advi- ideas on how the EU can Austrian institutions rang- sor on European Affairs move forward. So long as ing from political parties to at the Danish Institute for there is no clear signal on academia and research International Studies this from France and the institutes still have remark- Netherlands, the winning ably few contacts with their The failure of the constitu- argument during a cam- counterparts in Turkey, and tional treaty turned paign in Denmark would be industrialists have also Denmark’s EU agenda “You’d better say no until been conspicuously absent upside down. In May 2005, we know what text we are from the membership most Danes accepted the voting on”. debate despite their strong government’s line and the involvement in Turkey’s opinion polls promised a The Danish Parliament has hydro-electric power clear Danish Yes. It was responded quickly to the sector. also expected that a posi- idea of a reflection period tive outcome on the treaty by allocating some €1.8m And what about Turkey would be followed by one for a national debate on itself? Ankara only began or more referendums on the future of Europe. The to take special note of the abolition of Denmark’s idea is to support a wide Austria’s views when various opt-puts. But after range of events throughout political ranks looked to be the French and Dutch Nos, the country and end up closing against Turkey in opposition to the treaty with a report for the 2004. This was interpreted rose so sharply that Prime European Council in June by some Turkish analysts Minister Anders Fogh 2006. Thanks to our No to as an irrational detour Rasmussen had no choice Maastricht, we already back to the era of but to follow the UK and have solid experience of Hapsburg-Ottoman rivalry. postpone the referendum how to go about this. But Turkey seems to have until some unspecified it remains to be seen sensed that it had no hope point after the mid-2006 whether a public debate of influencing the Austrian EU summit. that is not linked to a debate, but nor did it in referendum will grab the any way try to exercise Danes are still strongly in attention of citizens and public diplomacy to turn favour of EU membership, the media. the tide. but if asked to ratify the constitution would say No. Under a “Citizens’ Agenda” [email protected] Yet, just as we in Denmark headline, five broad ques- Spring 2006 Europe’s World | 171.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Austria (2011)
    http://www.freedomhouse.org/inc/content/pubs/fiw/inc_country_detail.cfm?year=2011&country=7988&pf Print Freedom in the World - Austria (2011) Capital: Vienna Political Rights Score: 1 * Civil Liberties Score: 1 * Population: Status: Free 8,374,000 Overview Incumbent president Heinz Fischer of the Social Democratic Party of Austria won a second term in the April 2010 presidential election, but the far-right Austrian Freedom Party’s candidate received a sizeable percentage of the vote. The Freedom Party also picked up a substantial number of legislative seats in Vienna’s state elections in October. The balance between freedom of speech and Austrian hate-speech laws drew increased attention during the year as objectionable statements, mainly against Islam, came under scrutiny. Modern Austria, which emerged from the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in World War I, was annexed to Nazi Germany in 1938 before being restored to independence after World War II. The country remained neutral during the Cold War and joined the European Union in 1995. From 1986 until 2000, the two largest political parties—the center-left Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) and the center-right People’s Party of Austria (ÖVP)—governed together in a grand coalition. The 1999 elections produced the first government since 1970 that did not include the SPÖ. Instead, the ÖVP formed a coalition with the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), a far-right nationalist party that won 27 percent of the popular vote. Its support had risen steadily as voters became disaffected with the large parties’ power-sharing arrangement and its barriers to major political change.
    [Show full text]
  • State of Populism in Europe
    2018 State of Populism in Europe The past few years have seen a surge in the public support of populist, Eurosceptical and radical parties throughout almost the entire European Union. In several countries, their popularity matches or even exceeds the level of public support of the centre-left. Even though the centre-left parties, think tanks and researchers are aware of this challenge, there is still more OF POPULISM IN EUROPE – 2018 STATE that could be done in this fi eld. There is occasional research on individual populist parties in some countries, but there is no regular overview – updated every year – how the popularity of populist parties changes in the EU Member States, where new parties appear and old ones disappear. That is the reason why FEPS and Policy Solutions have launched this series of yearbooks, entitled “State of Populism in Europe”. *** FEPS is the fi rst progressive political foundation established at the European level. Created in 2007 and co-fi nanced by the European Parliament, it aims at establishing an intellectual crossroad between social democracy and the European project. Policy Solutions is a progressive political research institute based in Budapest. Among the pre-eminent areas of its research are the investigation of how the quality of democracy evolves, the analysis of factors driving populism, and election research. Contributors : Tamás BOROS, Maria FREITAS, Gergely LAKI, Ernst STETTER STATE OF POPULISM Tamás BOROS IN EUROPE Maria FREITAS • This book is edited by FEPS with the fi nancial support of the European
    [Show full text]
  • Information Guide Euroscepticism
    Information Guide Euroscepticism A guide to information sources on Euroscepticism, with hyperlinks to further sources of information within European Sources Online and on external websites Contents Introduction .................................................................................................. 2 Brief Historical Overview................................................................................. 2 Euro Crisis 2008 ............................................................................................ 3 European Elections 2014 ................................................................................ 5 Euroscepticism in Europe ................................................................................ 8 Eurosceptic organisations ......................................................................... 10 Eurosceptic thinktanks ............................................................................. 10 Transnational Eurosceptic parties and political groups .................................. 11 Eurocritical media ................................................................................... 12 EU Reaction ................................................................................................. 13 Information sources in the ESO database ........................................................ 14 Further information sources on the internet ..................................................... 14 Copyright © 2016 Cardiff EDC. All rights reserved. 1 Cardiff EDC is part of the University Library
    [Show full text]
  • Challenger Party List
    Appendix List of Challenger Parties Operationalization of Challenger Parties A party is considered a challenger party if in any given year it has not been a member of a central government after 1930. A party is considered a dominant party if in any given year it has been part of a central government after 1930. Only parties with ministers in cabinet are considered to be members of a central government. A party ceases to be a challenger party once it enters central government (in the election immediately preceding entry into office, it is classified as a challenger party). Participation in a national war/crisis cabinets and national unity governments (e.g., Communists in France’s provisional government) does not in itself qualify a party as a dominant party. A dominant party will continue to be considered a dominant party after merging with a challenger party, but a party will be considered a challenger party if it splits from a dominant party. Using this definition, the following parties were challenger parties in Western Europe in the period under investigation (1950–2017). The parties that became dominant parties during the period are indicated with an asterisk. Last election in dataset Country Party Party name (as abbreviation challenger party) Austria ALÖ Alternative List Austria 1983 DU The Independents—Lugner’s List 1999 FPÖ Freedom Party of Austria 1983 * Fritz The Citizens’ Forum Austria 2008 Grüne The Greens—The Green Alternative 2017 LiF Liberal Forum 2008 Martin Hans-Peter Martin’s List 2006 Nein No—Citizens’ Initiative against
    [Show full text]
  • Exposure to Refugees and Voting for the Far-Right: (Unexpected) Results from Austria
    IZA DP No. 9790 Exposure to Refugees and Voting for the Far-Right: (Unexpected) Results from Austria Andreas Steinmayr March 2016 DISCUSSION PAPER SERIES Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit Institute for the Study of Labor Exposure to Refugees and Voting for the Far-Right: (Unexpected) Results from Austria Andreas Steinmayr University of Munich (LMU), IZA and IfW Kiel Discussion Paper No. 9790 March 2016 IZA P.O. Box 7240 53072 Bonn Germany Phone: +49-228-3894-0 Fax: +49-228-3894-180 E-mail: [email protected] Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research published in this series may include views on policy, but the institute itself takes no institutional policy positions. The IZA research network is committed to the IZA Guiding Principles of Research Integrity. The Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in Bonn is a local and virtual international research center and a place of communication between science, politics and business. IZA is an independent nonprofit organization supported by Deutsche Post Foundation. The center is associated with the University of Bonn and offers a stimulating research environment through its international network, workshops and conferences, data service, project support, research visits and doctoral program. IZA engages in (i) original and internationally competitive research in all fields of labor economics, (ii) development of policy concepts, and (iii) dissemination of research results and concepts to the interested public. IZA Discussion Papers often represent preliminary work and are circulated to encourage discussion. Citation of such a paper should account for its provisional character.
    [Show full text]
  • GENERAL ELECTIONS in AUSTRIA 29Th September 2013
    GENERAL ELECTIONS IN AUSTRIA 29th September 2013 European Elections monitor The Social Democratic Party’s “grand coalition” re-elected in Austria Corinne Deloy Translated by Helen Levy Like their German neighbours (with whom they share the same satisfactory economic results) the Austrians chose to re-elect their leaders in the general elections on 29th September. Both countries are also due to be governed by grand coalitions rallying the two main political parties – one on the left and the other on the right – during the next legislature. Results As expected the outgoing government coalition formed With 5.8% of the vote (11 seats), the Team Stronach by the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) of outgoing for Austria, a populist, eurosceptic party founded in Chancellor Werner Faymann and the People’s Party September 2012 by Austro-Canadian businessman (ÖVP) of Vice-Chancellor Michael Spindelegger, came Frank Stronach, will be making its debut in the Natio- out ahead in the election. The SPÖ won 27.1% of the nal Council (Nationalrat), the lower chamber of parlia- vote and 53 seats (five less in comparison with the ment, likewise the Neos-New Austria, a liberal party previous election on 28th September 2008); the ÖVP created on 27th October 2012 by Matthias Strolz, a won 23.8% and 46 seats (- 4). The election illustrates former ÖVP member and supported by the industrialist the continued decline in the electorate of both parties: Hans Peter Haselsteiner, which won 4.8% of the vote together they achieved the lowest score in their his- and 9 seats. tory, mobilizing just half of the electorate (50.9%, i.e.
    [Show full text]
  • Parlamentarische Materialien
    Stenographisches Protokoll 54. Sitzung des Nationalrates der Republik Österreich XXII. Gesetzgebungsperiode Dienstag, 16. März 2004 1 Stenographisches Protokoll 54. Sitzung des Nationalrates der Republik Österreich XXII. Gesetzgebungsperiode Dienstag, 16. März 2004 Dauer der Sitzung Dienstag, 16. März 2004: 12.00 – 12.03 Uhr 14.49 – 18.08 Uhr ***** Inhalt Nationalrat Gedenken an die Opfer des Terroranschlags in Madrid ......................................... 10 Trauerkundgebung anlässlich des Ablebens von Kardinal Dr. Franz König ........... 10 Personalien Verhinderungen ...................................................................................................... 8 Geschäftsbehandlung Verlangen auf Durchführung einer kurzen Debatte über die Anfragebeantwor- tung 1253/AB gemäß § 92 Abs. 1 der Geschäftsordnung ...................................... 10 Durchführung einer kurzen Debatte gemäß § 57a Abs. 1 der Geschäftsordnung .... 58 Redner: Michaela Sburny ................................................................................................... 59 Bundesminister Dr. Martin Bartenstein .............................................................. 61 Dr. Reinhold Mitterlehner ..................................................................................... 63 Mag. Hans Moser .................................................................................................. 65 Mag. Dr. Magda Bleckmann ................................................................................. 66 Dr. Kurt Grünewald ..............................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • A Case Study from an Austrian School
    Journal of Social Science Education Volume 17, Number 1, Spring 2018 DOI 10.4119/UNIBI/jsse-v17-i1-1820 Isabella Schild, Judith Breitfuss Civic Education under Pressure? A Case Study from an Austrian School 1 When the politician Roman Haider of the party Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs (FPÖ – Freedom Party of Austria) caused the interruption of a lecture about political extremism in an Austrian school in spring 2017, a heated debate erupted over the place of politics in school education. While Haider accused the lecturer of political propaganda, teachers, students and political opponents were upset about this seeming act of censorship. The controversy raises 2 important questions over the aims and principles of civic education, which will continue to engage teachers and educationalists. Keywords: Finanzbildung, Finanzkompetenz, Finanzinklusion, staatsbürgerliche Bildung 1 A lecture causing a stir The 8th of March 2017 should become a day to remember for Wolfgang Oberndorfer, headmaster of the Bundesoberstufenrealgymnasium Honauerstraße (BORG Honauerstraße – an upper secondary school with a special emphasis on music, sports and science, among 3 others) in the Austrian city of Linz. At the invitation of one of the school's philosophy teachers, Thomas Rammerstorfer visited the school to give a lecture about "The extremist challenges" in front of an audience of around seventy pupils between the age of seventeen and One of the PowerPoint slides used by Thomas Rammerstorfer during nineteen years. As teenagers from the age of sixteen his lecture (© Thomas Rammerstorfer). have been eligible to vote in Austria since 2007, a topic such as this one is highly relevant for this age group.
    [Show full text]
  • Percent Threshold Necessary for Parliamentary Representation, Eas Preelection Polls Had Predicted That It Would Fall Short
    [NTHE OCTOBER national election, the Social Democratic Party oi austria (SPO) narrowly defeated the ruling People's Party (OVP) by 35.34 percent (68 seats) to 34.33 percent (66 seats), and stoodready to assume power after more than six years in the opposition. Although it wasclear that Social Democratic leader Alfred Gusenbauer would bethe next chancellor, his options for forming a coalition were severely limited. The SPO had ruled out any cooperation with thetwo far-right parties, the Freedom Party (FPO), which received 11.04percent of the vote (21 seats), and the Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZO), whichgarnered 4.11 percent (7 seats). A coalition with the Green Party, whichcame in third with 11.05 percent (21 seats), would not provide theSocial De- mocrats with the necessary majority, and so the new government would likely take the form of a grand coalition between the SocialDemocrats and the People's Party. Several aspects of the election surprised observers. Although the Peo- s Party had been expected to lose ground, few had thought that it ild be defeated. Also, far-right leader Jörg Haider maintained histoe- 1 in national politics: his far-right BZO just managedto finish over -percent threshold necessary for parliamentary representation, eas preelection polls had predicted that it would fall short. The Free- arty, which Haider had led for two decades before quitting it after wer struggle in 2005, did well enough to ensure that it would play a ig opposition role. Lllimigration was a major campaign issue, as many Austrians feared the proposed entry of Turkey into the European Union would flood ountry with cheap labor.
    [Show full text]
  • Contextualising Austria's Commemorative Year 2005 Matthew .P Berg John Carroll University, [email protected]
    John Carroll University Carroll Collected History 1-2008 Commemoration versus coping with the past: contextualising Austria's commemorative year 2005 Matthew .P Berg John Carroll University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://collected.jcu.edu/hist-facpub Part of the European History Commons Recommended Citation Berg, Matthew P., "Commemoration versus coping with the past: contextualising Austria's commemorative year 2005" (2008). History. 19. http://collected.jcu.edu/hist-facpub/19 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Carroll Collected. It has been accepted for inclusion in History by an authorized administrator of Carroll Collected. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Commemoration versus Vergangenheitsbewältigung: Contextualizing Austria’s Gedenkjahr 2005* Abstract This essay explores the politics of memory in post-1945 Austrian political culture, focusing on the shift between the fiftieth anniversary of the Anschluss and the sixtieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Postwar Austrian society experienced a particular tension associated with the Nazi past, manifested in communicative and cultural forms of memory. On the one hand, the support of many for the Third Reich—expressed through active or passive complicity—threatened to link Austria with the perpetrator status reserved for German society. On the other, the Allies’ Moscow Declaration (1943) created a myth of victimization by Germany that allowed Austrians to avoid confronting difficult questions concerning the Nazi era. Consequently, discussion of Austrian involvement in National Socialism became a taboo subject during the initial decades of the Second Republic. The 2005 commemoration is notable insofar as it marked a significant break with this taboo.
    [Show full text]
  • Parties Now Talk About the EU in National Election Campaigns, but They Still Tend to Talk Past Each Other
    Parties now talk about the EU in national election campaigns, but they still tend to talk past each other blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2015/08/27/parties-now-talk-about-the-eu-in-national-election-campaigns-but-they-still-tend-to-talk-past-each-other/ 8/27/2015 How important is the issue of European integration to national election campaigns? Roman Senninger and Markus Wagner write that while the EU previously played only a very small role in national elections, the onset of the Eurozone crisis has resulted in the issue becoming more prominent in campaigns in several countries. However, using an analysis of party press releases in Austria, they illustrate that parties still differ greatly in how they address the issue, with parties exhibiting a tendency to talk past each other rather than genuinely engaging with the subject. For a long time, most political parties in Europe have tended to avoid discussing the EU during national election campaigns. However, recently this has changed, with research showing that parties have increasingly made EU issues a central topic of debate and disagreement in elections. The Eurozone crisis and the subsequent bail-out packages and reforms have meant that the EU has finally entered the limelight of domestic politics. The key question in understanding the role of the EU in national politics is no longer whether parties talk about the EU (and why they often fail to do so). Instead, it is more useful to ask how parties mobilise on European Union issues in national elections. Are parties engaged in real debate and discussion about the EU, or are they simply talking past each other? This question in turn has two key dimensions: first, which parties and actors within parties talk about the European Union? Second, what kinds of EU-related issues are discussed and how are they framed? Everybody is talking: parties and within-party actors First, parties should differ in how much they are likely to talk about EU issues.
    [Show full text]
  • Volkswirtschaftliche Tagung 2007
    Die Vortragenden Speakers Die Vortragenden Speakers Joaquín Almunia leave). He also was Vice Rector for Joaquín Almunia was born in Spain Infrastructure at the above mentioned on June 17, 1948. He is married and university (1998–2002). In addition, has to two children. He graduated in Christoph Badelt is the President of Law and Economics at the University the Austrian Rectors’ Conference of Deusto (Bilbao), studied at L’École (since 2005). At an earlier time, he Pratique des Hautes Études de Paris, worked as Visiting Professor at the then followed the “Senior Managers University of Klagenfurt, Austria and in Government” program at the Ken- the University of Wisconsin, Madison, nedy School of Government, Harvard U.S.A. (1981–1982, 1984–1985). His University. He is an Associate Lec- numerous publications include Hand- turer at the University of Alcalá de book of Nonprofit Organizations, So- Henares (Madrid) on Employment cial Policy, The Economic Situation and Social Security Law. Mister of Families in Austria, Evaluation of Almunia started his professional life the System of Care Allowances, Eco- as economist at the Council Bureau of the Spanish Chambers of Commerce in Brussels (1972–1975). He was then chief economist of the UGT, a Span- ish trade union (1976–1979). His first political position was as a Mem- ber of the Spanish Parliament in 1979 (he remained a MP until 2004). From 1982 to 1986, Joaquín Almunia was Minister of Employment and Social Security and Minister of Public nomic Relations between Genera- Administration from 1986 to 1991. tions, Costs of Long Term Care, He was also Spokesperson of the So- Families between Equity and Dis- cialist Parliamentary Group between crimination, The Situation of Handi- 1994 and 1997.
    [Show full text]