Foreign and European Policy Report 2019 Report by the Federal Minister for European and International Affairs Foreign and European Policy Report 2019 Report by the Federal Minister for European and International Affairs Proprietor and Publisher: Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs Minoritenplatz 8, 1010 Vienna, Austria Printed Edition: ISBN 978–3-902965–24-0 Epub: ISBN 978–3-902965–25-7 Edited and coordinated by: Dr. Johannes Strasser Natalie Raidl, MA English translation coordinated by: Sabine Hübler Production: Druckerei Berger, 3580 Horn Based on Außen- und Europapolitischer Bericht 2019. Bericht des Bundesministers für europäische und internationale Angelegenheiten. Wien, 2020. Table of Contents 1. Europe and European Union .................................................................... 1 1.1 European Union .............................................................................................. 1 1.1.1 Austria in the European Institutions and the Permanent Representation of Austria to the European Union ..................... 1 1.1.2 Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union .................. 6 1.1.2.1 CFSP ............................................................................................ 6 1.1.2.2 CSDP ........................................................................................... 6 1.1.2.3 Enlargement of the European Union ................................... 8 1.1.2.4 Countermeasures against Extremism and Terrorism ...... 12 1.1.2.5 Cyber Security and Hybrid Threats ..................................... 14 1.1.3 Brexit ..................................................................................................... 16 1.2 Austria’s Neighbourhood and Regional Priorities .................................. 18 1.2.1 Austria’s Neighbours ......................................................................... 18 1.2.2 South Tyrol ........................................................................................... 33 1.3 South East Europe, Western Balkan States and Turkey ....................... 35 1.4 The European Union’s Eastern Neighbourhood ...................................... 40 1.4.1 Russia .................................................................................................... 40 1.4.2 Eastern Partnership States .............................................................. 43 1.4.3 Central Asia ........................................................................................ 49 1.5 The European Union’s Southern Neighbourhood ................................... 52 1.5.1 North Africa and Maghreb States .................................................. 53 1.5.2 The Middle East .................................................................................. 56 1.6 The Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula ........................................... 58 1.7. Sub-Saharan Africa and African Union ..................................................... 61 1.8 America ............................................................................................................. 69 1.8.1 United States of America (USA) ..................................................... 69 1.8.2 Canada .................................................................................................. 72 1.8.3 Latin America ..................................................................................... 73 1.9 Asia .................................................................................................................... 75 1.9.1 People’s Republic of China ............................................................... 76 1.9.2 North East Asia ................................................................................... 77 1.9.3 South and Southeast Asia ................................................................ 79 1.10 Australia and Oceania .................................................................................. 85 2. Austria’s Multilateral Engagement ........................................................ 86 2.1 The United Nations and its Specialized Agencies ................................. 86 2.1.1 General Assembly .............................................................................. 86 2.1.2 UN Security Council ........................................................................... 93 III Table of Contents Table of Contents 2.1.3 International Court of Justice ......................................................... 97 2.1.4 United Nations Specialised Agencies .......................................... 98 2.2 Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) ......... 103 2.2.1 Regional Issues and Field Activities .............................................. 103 2.2.2 Election Observation ......................................................................... 105 2.2.3 The OSCE’s Human Dimension – Human Rights ......................... 105 2.2.4 The OSCE’s Security Policy Dimension ........................................ 106 2.2.5 The OSCE’s Economic and Environmental Dimension .............. 107 2.2.6 The OSCE’s Regional Policy Dimension ....................................... 108 2.3 Council of Europe ........................................................................................... 108 2.3.1 Political Issues ..................................................................................... 108 2.3.2 Monitoring Respect of Commitments by Member States ....... 111 2.3.3 The Council of Europe and Austria ................................................ 113 2.4 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 114 2.5 Austria as Host Country to International Organisations .................... 120 2.5.1 International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) ................................ 122 2.5.2 Preparatory Commission of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) ......................... 123 2.5.3 United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) ................................................................................................ 123 2.5.4 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) .............. 124 2.5.5 Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) ......... 125 2.6 Human Rights .................................................................................................. 126 2.6.1 Priorities .............................................................................................. 126 2.6.2 Human Rights in the United Nations ............................................ 134 2.6.2.1 Membership in the Human Rights Council ........................ 134 2.6.3 Human Rights in the European Union ........................................... 139 2.6.4 Human Rights in the Council of Europe ........................................ 142 2.6.5 International Criminal Court ............................................................ 143 2.7 Climate Protection, Environment and Energy Issues ............................ 145 2.7.1 Climate Change and Climate Policy .............................................. 145 2.7.2 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) ...................... 146 2.7.3 Global Environmental Protection Agreements and Initiatives 146 2.7.4 Sustainable Energy ........................................................................... 150 2.7.5 Nuclear Safety..................................................................................... 151 2.8 International Disarmament and Arms Control ........................................ 152 2.8.1 Risks posed by Weapons of Mass Destruction .......................... 153 2.8.2 Addressing the Issue of Conventional Weapons ....................... 157 2.8.3 Multilateral Export Controls ............................................................ 160 2.9 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ............................................ 162 IV Table of Contents Table of Contents 3. Austrian Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs .......... 164 3.1 Thematic Priorities ......................................................................................... 165 3.2 Bilateral Development Cooperation .......................................................... 167 3.3 Multilateral Development Cooperation .................................................... 173 3.4 Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief ....................................................... 174 3.4.1 Bilateral Humanitarian Aid ............................................................... 174 3.4.2 Multilateral Humanitarian Aid and Assistance provided by the European Union ........................................................................... 177 3.5 International Humanitarian Law ................................................................. 178 4. Foreign Trade .............................................................................................. 180 4.1 Foreign Trade Strategy ................................................................................. 180 4.2 Bilateral Foreign Trade Policy ...................................................................... 181 4.3 Multilateral Foreign Trade Policy ................................................................ 182 4.4 Department for Business Services ............................................................. 183 5. Consular Affairs ........................................................................................ 185 5.1 The Consular Department’s Areas of Activity ........................................