Austrian Politics Between Neutrality and Security Policy

PeoplePoliticians ♦ Published: October 31, 2023; 12:55 ♦ (Vindobona)

A heated political climate is currently shaping the political debate in Austria, where the FPÖ and other political groups in parliament are debating the issues of neutrality, security policy, and the right approach to current crises.

At a special session of the National Council demanded by the FPÖ, there was broad support for Austria's neutrality. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons/ Peter Binter/ CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

Austria's State Secretary Claudia Plakolm of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) accused the FPÖ of trying to "stir up fear and uncertainty" among the population without any concrete basis. She stressed the "overwhelming consensus" regarding Austria's neutrality and assured that there were no plans to abolish it. Plakolm stressed that neutrality does not mean not having an opinion on…