Parliamentary Assembly

Mr Vranitzky, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Austria (translation)

It is, I believe, extremely important, as I tried to indicate just now, that we define our essential political aims and work at ensuring that the political will is there to a sufficient extent to implement the aims we have defined together. I believe that as a consequence of this there should be a revision of the legal provisions of the Statute.

Mr Vranitzky, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Austria (translation)

I am speaking to you in my capacity as a member of the executive and not as a member of parliament. I therefore do not have the right to anticipate the opinions of freely elected MPs. However, I should like to say to you that we Austrian politicians basically have a very positive stance on the question you have raised.

Mr Vranitzky, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Austria (translation)

I see a possibility of this step being taken, and I hope that it will be.

Mr Vranitzky, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Austria (translation)

Sir, the Grundig factory established a few years ago in Vienna produces television sets. It was built at the time without any financial or other assistance from the Austrian Federal Government or institutions close to it. At that time the city of Vienna gave a grant.

A co-operation project is now being discussed between Grundig and Philips, which does not however involve the production of television sets but the development and production of video recorders. No decision has yet been taken to assist this project with funds from the Austrian Federal Government. We have not been asked to take any decision on this.

In principle, of course, if assistance is granted this will be done in conformity with the rules of the European Community. However, as I said, this has not been under discussion up to now. I should like to assure you, Sir, that if it comes to this we shall certainly not infringe European Community rules, because we very much appreciate your concern, not least because of our own experience, since the freetrade agreement which the European Community has concluded with four Visegrad states has jeopardised 10 000 jobs in the Austrian textile industry. We must now make great efforts to keep this risk to jobs within acceptable limits and keep the damage to a minimum, or develop other solutions or other initiatives.

We have asked our Minister for Trade to negotiate with the European Community on whether certain arrangements can be made to alleviate the harmful effects on our textile industry of the free-trade agreement with our neighbours. We have so far not been successful in Brussels. These problems can really only been resolved when Austria is a member of the European Community.

So you see, the situation with the Grundig factory you mentioned is a very serious, and certainly very regrettable, matter. I say to you once again: we appreciate your concern very much, but this issue is certainly not unique.

Mr Vranitzky, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Austria (translation)

Sir, I share this view, only I fear that the horse has already bolted.

Mr Vranitzky, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Austria (translation)

The answer, Sir, is “yes”.

Mr Vranitzky, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Austria (translation)

First, in principle, I repeat and emphasise the fact that Austria has frequently expressed the view that our approach to the European Community is 100% based on the Maastricht Treaty, on the Treaty of Rome and on acquis communautaires and the like. That is very important to stress. We wish to approach the Community – and, finally, to get into it – as a member on the basis of the full duties and rights of a member of the Community.

Secondly, European integration should not necessarily be limited to the set-up of the institutional framework with which we are familiar today. It is the declared will of many of us who subscribe to the principal idea of European integration that we look at it as a dynamic development rather than as a status quo. Of course, that will lead us and those who succeed us in office to give a good deal of thought and work to expanding not only the spirit but the institutional framework of European integration. Of course, we shall not necessarily rely solely on the framework that we have today.

Mr Vranitzky, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Austria (translation)

Sir, in giving its support in principle to the contents of the Treaty of Maastricht, the Austrian Federal Government stated that it also wishes to collaborate on the establishment of a common system of security in Europe. The question of Austrian neutrality will, undoubtedly, arise here.

We have established our negotiating philosophy as follows: we think – and we have not made a secret of this, everyone knows that – we shall take as the starting-point of our negotiations the status quo, our current position, and we also hold the view that if a collective European security system is geared to taking action against peace-violaters and aggressors, participation in such a collective European security system does not involve the question of neutrality. In other words, a neutral state may participate in such a system without departing from its neutrality.

This is no academic argument, we practise this with sensible modifications as a member of the United Nations. 1955 was the year in which Austria both declared its neutrality and accepted its membership of the United Nations. We did this at the time subject to the proviso, and in the knowledge, that whenever we are called upon, for example because of a Security Council resolution, to participate in an operation of collective security, our neutrality is not affected – and we participate. A practical example of this could be seen in Austria's involvement in various measures taken by the Allies in the Gulf war.

Mr Vranitzky, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Austria (translation)

It is fair to say that political union is related to yielding, in some way, a member state's sovereignty. In other words, a country gives up part of its sovereignty to join a political union. That is not necessarily limited or restricted to security and defence. It applies also to courts of justice and law-making, for example. In having applied for membership, Austria has carefully checked these matters. We start with the philosophy that joining the European Community will mean yielding some of our sovereign rights and claiming some rights from the Community to enable us to tackle the problems with which we shall have to deal, such as international traffic.

Mr Vranitzky, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Austria (translation)

I can only assess the current state based on the recent past. The experience of the recent past shows quite clearly that most countries are facing a not inconsiderable refugee problem, some to a greater, some to a lesser extent.

Last year, and today too, we had to cope with a large number of war refugees who were suffering particularly serious distress. We have always turned to other European countries, and we shall continue to do so, in order to work with them, especially on the problem of improving the situation and the prospects of war refugees. I believe we still have some scope to improve and extend this co-operation.

Mr Vranitzky, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Austria (translation)

Sir, I fear that probably no one will be able to offer a neat solution to this very urgent question. I think that, in particular, international co-operation could, and should, be improved in those areas where there is an unequal distribution of burdens, that is where some countries bear a very great burden and other countries, which may not lie in the path of the large flows of refugees and whose people do not live there, could do more. I believe that this will have to be the subject of further international discussions, but the pressure of time is obvious.

On the second question, the flow of illegal immigrants, I would say from the experience of my country that the number of such people is relatively high. The number of people left to an uncertain fate after being brought in by racketeers and others engaged in shady activities is rising. We have amended the law in our country by making it more stringent. We have concluded agreements with most of our neighbours or other European countries to send people back who come to us by circumventing existing legislation. It is obviously inevitable that in this situation the amount of illicit work done will increase. We are therefore trying to combat this illicit work in our country by punishing people and excluding employers who take on illegal workers from being awarded public contracts, or by imposing other sanctions on them. This is an especially problematic matter in a recession, because many employers regard the taking on of much cheaper illegal labour as an advantage when it comes to costing their products.

I come to your third question, namely how we are coping politically with the actions of right-wing extremists and other comparable excesses. We have also adapted the legislation in our country. When people are found who can be proved guilty of, for example, re-engaging in national-socialist activities, the courts act swiftly and pass severe sentences. However, I see the involvement of the courts, the imposition of proper sentences and the passing of stricter laws as only part of the solution. The other part, probably the more important part – I referred to this in my speech – is, in reality, to have a secure job, a secure income, social security, and personal and cultural security. These really provide the guarantee that only small numbers of people will become susceptible to these extreme right-wing deviations and excesses.

I believe that one can solve part of the problem by means of the legal system, but certainly only part, and probably only a small part. The larger part must be solved by means of a far-sighted economic structure and social policy.

Mr Vranitzky, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Austria (translation)

You have certainly addressed the heart of the problem. We must doubtless steer a middle course. On the one hand, we need a properly functioning legal system, with the due application of the law, and, on the other hand, we have a task to fulfil with respect to political and social life, a task which consists in arranging for the ethnic groups which have now come together to co-exist and to improve that co-existence, and here the most important aspect is that no one should feel at a disadvantage. You see, if one group, for example the citizens of the country, is shown preference, one is accused of inhumanity. If the impression is created that those who have come into the country are given preference, the domestic population will withhold their political allegiance. It is precisely this political skill that is necessary – to dispense one's favours in such as way as to strike a happy medium, so that this is more or less accepted by both sides.

No measuring instrument is available to ensure that this act of political skill is successful from the outset. One can only examine afterwards whether the middle course chosen has led to the desired objective. So I would say that the limits of a restrictive policy lie along this narrow path. Whether this golden mean has been found or not will ultimately be left to the political judgment of the population of the country.

Mr Vranitzky, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Austria (translation)

This is an example of something that often occurs in politics, namely that people assume that a subjective opinion is objective fact. If the politician you mentioned has complained about intimidation or, as he said, psychological terror has been exercised, that is his subjective assessment. The authorities responsible have looked into each of these cases complained about and no such serious allegation has been proven. As you can imagine, in the course of the referendum, which lasted from one Monday to the next, there were one or two hitches, which were sorted out immediately.

This, and no other way, is how this matter is to be judged.

Mr Vranitzky, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Austria (translation)

It is not easy, Sir, to think of new initiatives or to take new initiatives since a number of very serious efforts have been made to bring about an end to this war.

I must say to you that I am not in a position to present a precise initiative to you here which I might assume would meet with the approval of all those dealing with this matter, both inside and outside the former Yugoslavia.

I should like to say that it is not my job to defend the efforts of the international community, but one thing can be said objectively: the political leaders of the various groups in the former Yugoslavia do not demonstrate a marked willingness to co-operate with respect to the proposals made to them at the international level.

Regarding at least those problems to be resolved in the short term, there is probably – at any rate for the foreseeable future – no other task, and no more important and urgent task, than to intensify humanitarian aid in every conceivable place, and to intensify it quickly. The winter will last for quite a bit longer and there is immense suffering, poverty and hunger among many of those affected. Access to the places to which help must be given is limited and – I am sure that representatives of other countries know this just as well as I do – the lorries despatched, or other aid deliveries, keep being shot at, UN blue helmets also come under fire, the various groups who block the roads demand a third of a lorry's load, as a road toll, as it were, if the lorry is to drive on. The people from the aid organisations are not prepared to pay this toll charged by highway robbers, which prevents them from driving through to help the needy. Very unorthodox bargains are therefore struck. Moreover, it is a fact that, in the various camps containing refugees from the war and other refugees, people are not prepared to help them to return to their towns and villages even though there is no more fighting going on there.

So, all in all, humanitarian aid in every conceivable form continues to be on the agenda and must be provided in increasing amounts.

Mr Vranitzky, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Austria (translation)

Because of its geographical position, to which you referred, Austria is one of those countries which enjoys the “privilege” of having vehicles travel though it along every conceivable north-south route as well as every conceivable east-west route.

As we become ever more successful in removing national frontiers and increasing the amount of goods transported, the volume of traffic increases, and with it the burden on the environment. We have decided to initiate a comprehensive investment programme – like our Swiss neighbours – by developing the main railways routes. Owing to the topography of our country you can imagine how considerable and far-reaching these investments are and how they affect us financially. In addition, they will not provide relief immediately but only in a number of years.

For this reason, we have signed an agreement with the European Community to the effect that the transit of goods by road is subject to certain closely defined limits, limits which are not only based on quantitative measures but also on a progressive reduction in air pollution in the areas concerned.

We do not, of course, only have every interest in this agreement being extended in the course of the negotiations on Austria's membership of the European Community but assume that this will be the case – we have also received sufficient promises from the EC that it will be maintained after we have joined. We are co-operating with our neighbours at various levels and on various bases, and part of this co-operation is the transfer to railway of a certain amount of the goods in transit. We have also received a number of signals from some EC countries to the effect that they find this way of limiting goods traffic to protect the environment interesting and are themselves considering introducing such measures in their own countries.

Mr Vranitzky, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Austria (translation)

The petition to which you referred was brought forward by the leader of the Liberal Party in Austria, who expressed the opinion that the result would be between 600 000 and one million votes. The politician to whom you are referring said that it would be a satisfying result for him if the result corresponded to the number of votes cast for the Liberal Party at the last general election. That did not happen. At the last general election that party received some 700 000 votes, while the final result on the petition, announced the day before yesterday, was 417 000. The Liberal Party's last statement was that 500 000 votes would be a successful outcome. Therefore, the figure of 417 000 fell short of the forecast made to the public. Apart from the Liberal Party, all the other political parties represented in the Austrian Parliament were against the petition, as were the churches, the trade unions, various associations of entrepreneurs and many others. It was a broad front of opinion against that sort of petition to deal with a sensitive problem in relation to human beings.

So they are more or less the underlying factors of the political set-up. Of course, within a short time the Austrian people have been faced with a radical increase in the number of people coming to Austria from abroad. We must at least have some understanding of the fact that Austrians are becoming apprehensive about those people as regards jobs, living in common neighbourhoods and their effect on elementary schools and so on. That is why the Federal Government introduced legislation in the Austrian Parliament long before the question of a petition arose. The protagonists of the petition apparently said that that was not enough, but we did not want to go further with any restrictions. Therefore, they decided to have the petition.

As I said earlier, having a good legal framework is one thing but one must increase the political measures with political work. We must persuade and convince Austrians as well as foreigners that there are more ways of living together, co-operating and co-existing, than just by dealing with matters through the courts and the police. That is the way we have to go and we were especially encouraged by the results of the petition.

Mr Vranitzky, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Austria (translation)

Sir, I absolutely reject and condemn any form of terrorism, just like, I am sure, everyone present here in this Assembly. If such activities are confirmed in Austria and Austrian laws are broken, it goes without saying that the authorities responsible will take action. This has been the case in the past with various activities and will remain so in the future.