The Federal Chancellery in Vienna has taken note of the new U.S. national security strategy but strongly rejects any attempts to interfere in Austria’s domestic political affairs, a spokesperson for Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) said on Thursday. “As a sovereign state, Austria decides its own policies—based solely on the will of its citizens,” Stocker emphasized in a statement.
Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger (NEOS) responded calmly to reports that Austria appears in a previously unpublished long version of the new U.S. security strategy as one of four countries the United States aims to pull away from the EU. There has so far been no confirmation from the U.S. that the claim is true. “The Austrian government is quite relaxed about it, because we stand firmly by the EU,” Meinl-Reisinger said on Thursday. Economy Minister Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer (ÖVP) “firmly rejects” the idea of separating Austria from the EU.
Talks with the ambassador
The foreign minister said she would soon seek an exchange with the U.S. ambassador. She was not surprised that Austria was mentioned in the strategy, explaining that the controversial conservative “Project 2025” had already stated that the U.S. should not work with the EU as a whole but rather detach individual countries. “I understand that from the U.S. perspective,” she said, arguing that economically it would be easier to bring Austria to its knees than the entire European Union. “But this bilateralization does not help us.”
As to why Austria was named, she could only speculate, Meinl-Reisinger said, pointing to the FPÖ, which she believes spreads Kremlin propaganda and participates in efforts to undermine the EU from the outside. The advantages of a united Europe for a small country like Austria were obvious. The lesson Europe had drawn from the first Trump presidency—that the U.S. no longer wishes to be responsible for Europe’s security—had already prompted the EU to pursue stronger defense capabilities. “We are on that path.” At the same time, the hand toward the United States in the transatlantic partnership remained extended, she stressed.
Hattmannsdorfer: Austria’s place is clear
“Austria will not allow itself to be instrumentalized in foreign policy, neither by Washington nor by other actors,” Hattmannsdorfer said, responding to the reported U.S. strategy to detach Austria from the EU. “Austria’s place is clearly in the European Union,” he said during a press conference.
Especially in geopolitically challenging times, European unity is essential, Hattmannsdorfer argued, speaking alongside EU Trade Commissioner Maros Šefčovič in Vienna. Austria benefits economically and in terms of security “like almost no other state” from EU membership.
According to Defense One, Austria, Hungary, Italy, and Poland are listed in a previously unpublished version of the new U.S. national security strategy as countries with which the U.S. “should work more closely… with the aim of pulling them away from the European Union.” Based on the premise that Europe faces “civilizational extinction” due to immigration policy and “censorship of free expression,” the document suggests that the U.S. focus its relationships in Europe on a few nations with like-minded—presumably right-wing—governments and movements.
United States as partner
“The U.S. is not only our strategic partner but also Austria’s second most important trading partner. A functioning transatlantic relationship is therefore of utmost importance for both the U.S. and us,” the chancellor said in a statement. Particularly in this year’s anniversary marking 30 years since Austria joined the EU, “we are reminded of the EU success story, which has shaped and strengthened Austria in many ways. We are and will remain a strong, reliable, and constructive partner in the European Union,” Stocker said.
He described recent developments as another wake-up call. “In Europe, we must take our security more than ever into our own hands, invest in our defense capabilities, strengthen our competitiveness, and reduce dependencies.”
