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Austria–NATO relations

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Austria and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have a close relationship. Austria with Ireland, Cyprus and Malta are the only members of the European Union that are not members of NATO. Austria has had formal relations with NATO since 1995, when it joined the Partnership for Peace programme.

Austria – NATO relations
Map indicating locations of NATO and Austria

NATO
Austria

History

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  NATO member
  In the process of accession
  Promised invitations
  Membership is not the goal
  Have not announced their membership intentions
 
Map showing European membership of the EU and NATO
  EU member only
  NATO member only
  member of both
 
Austria's neutrality is enshrined in law and treaty, but it participates in peacekeeping missions like Operation Althea in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Austria was occupied by the four victorious Allied powers following World War II under the Allied Control Council, similar to Germany. During negotiations to end the occupation, which were ongoing at the same time as Germany's, the Soviet Union insisted on the reunified country adopting the model of Swiss neutrality. The US feared that this would encourage West Germany to accept similar Soviet proposals for neutrality as a condition for German reunification.[1] Shortly after West Germany's accession to NATO, the parties agreed to the Austrian State Treaty in May 1955, which was largely based on the Moscow Memorandum signed the previous month between Austria and the Soviet Union. While the treaty itself did not commit Austria to neutrality, this was subsequently enshrined into Austria's constitution that October with the Declaration of Neutrality. The Declaration prohibits Austria from joining a military alliance, from hosting foreign military bases within its borders, and from participating in a war.[2]

Membership of Austria in the European Union (or its predecessor organizations) was controversial due to the Austrian commitment to neutrality. Austria only joined in 1995, together with two Nordic countries that had also declared their neutrality in the Cold War (Finland and Sweden). Austria joined NATO's Partnership for Peace in 1995, and participates in NATO's Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council. The Austrian military also participates in the United Nations peacekeeping operations and has deployments in several countries as of 2022, including Kosovo, Lebanon, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, where it has led the EUFOR mission there since 2009.[2] Conservative politician Andreas Khol, the 2016 presidential nominee from the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), has argued in favor of NATO membership for Austria in light of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine,[3] and Chancellor from 2000 to 2007, Wolfgang Schüssel, also of the ÖVP, supported NATO membership as part of European integration. Current Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, however, has rejected the idea of reopening Austria's neutrality and membership is not widely popular with the Austrian public.[4] According to a survey in April 2023 by the Austrian Society for European Politics, only 21% of Austrians surveyed supported joining NATO, while 60% were opposed.

Following the decision of Finland and Sweden to abandon decades of non-alignment and apply to join NATO in 2022, there has been renewed debates on Austria joining the bloc, similar to how Austria joined the EU alongside Finland and Sweden.[5][6][7] On May 8, 2022, a coalition of politicians, diplomats, artists and business-people wrote an open letter to the Austrian government asking them to review their commitment to neutrality, however, the only party to openly support the effort was NEOS with just 15 of the 183 seats in the National Council.[8][9] Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer stated that the country would continue its policy of neutrality.[10] On 10 July 2024, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said that Austria was not considering joining NATO, but planned to cooperate with the alliance.[11]

Opinion polls on Austrian membership of NATO

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Opinion polls on Austrian membership of NATO
Dates
conducted 		Pollster Sample
size 		Support Oppose Neutral
or DK 		Lead Ref.
7 March 2024 Sweden accedes to NATO
11–13 April 2023 Austrian Society for European Politics 1000 21%

60%

19% 39% [12]
4 April 2023 Finland accedes to NATO
18 May 2022 Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership
6–12 May 2022 APA 1000 14% 75% 11% 59% [13]
3-4 March 2022 Austrian Society for European Politics 500 17%

64%

19% 47% [12]
24 February 2022 Russia invades Ukraine
15-21 March 2021 Austrian Society for European Politics 1000 23%

62%

15% 39% [12]
16 March 2014 Russia annexes Crimea
7 August 2008 Russia invades Georgia
July 1996 IMAS research institute ? 16% 63% 21% 47% [14]
July 1995 IMAS research institute ? 18% 70% 12% 58% [15]

Relationship timeline

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Event Date
Partnership for Peace 1995-02-10

Austria's foreign relations with NATO member states

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See also

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NATO relations of other EU member states outside NATO

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References

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  1. ^ "Austrian State Treaty, 1955". United States Department of State. 18 July 2008. Archived from the original on 12 January 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  2. ^ a b "EXPLAINED: The history behind Austria's neutrality". TheLocal. 8 February 2022. Archived from the original on 13 May 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  3. ^ Hoare, Liam (22 March 2022). "As Finland and Sweden consider Nato membership, Austria clings to neutrality". The New Statesman. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  4. ^ Scally, Derek (11 May 2022). "Austria holds to neutrality tradition despite Nordic shift to Nato". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 13 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  5. ^ Walter, Jan D. "Will Austria abandon neutrality to join NATO?". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  6. ^ Barber, Tony. "Rethinking neutrality in Europe". Financial Times. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  7. ^ Gady, Franz-Stefan. "Why Neutrality Is Obsolete in the 21st Century". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  8. ^ "Austria — it's time to join NATO". politico. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  9. ^ "Zweiter offener Brief an den Bundespräsidenten, die Bundesregierung, den Nationalrat und die Bevölkerung Österreichs". .unseresicherheit.org. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  10. ^ "Austria's neutrality in the spotlight after Sweden-Finland NATO bid". EurActiv. 18 May 2022.
  11. ^ "Austria has no plans to join NATO, foreign minister says". TASS. 10 July 2024.
  12. ^ a b c "ÖGfE survey: EU membership, Security and Partners on the Global Stage". Österreichische Gesellschaft für Europapolitik. 2 May 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  13. ^ "Majority of Austrians reject joining NATO". thelocal.at. 6 May 2022.
  14. ^ "Austrians begin to question neutrality". 24 July 1996.
  15. ^ "Austrians begin to question neutrality". 24 July 1996.
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