Austria will remain a “reliable partner” in the European Union even if the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) leads its next government, interim chancellor Alexander Schallenberg has said.
Government formation talks have been continuing for several months after Herbert Kickl’s far-right FPÖ scored a historic election win last September, topping the poll with more than 28 per cent of the vote. After efforts between centrist parties to form a coalition that excluded the far right collapsed recently, Austrian president Alexander Van der Bellen invited Mr Kickl to try to put together a government.
The prospect of a coalition between the FPÖ and the centre-right People’s Party (ÖVP), which led the outgoing government, has sparked concern among EU officials and lawmakers that another EU member state would be led by a right-wing populist and markedly more pro-Russia leader.
In an effort to head off concerns, Mr Schallenberg held a series of meetings in Brussels with senior EU politicians. The former foreign affairs minister took over as interim chancellor after Karl Nehammer resigned, after failing to put together a centrist coalition.
Mr Schallenberg met European Council president António Costa and EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas on Monday, having spoken with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on the phone over the weekend.
Speaking after the meetings, Mr Schallenberg said Austria faced “trying times” but would continue to be a “reliable partner” in Europe. Respect for the rule of law, the separation of powers, protection of minorities and the independence of the media were “non-negotiable” for any future government, he said. Austria was a country with a “vibrant and strong democracy”, with strong institutions, which would not change, he said.
Austria previously faced backlash from other EU member states in 2000 over the coalition government of the day including the FPÖ as a junior partner. The move broke an unwritten rule against centrist parties working with far-right politicians, causing other EU states to temporarily level sanctions on Vienna in protest.
[ Austrian far-right leader demands coalition talks with ‘no tricks’Opens in new window ]
Mr Schallenberg took over as interim leader of the caretaker government on Friday, following the resignation of Mr Nehammer, his party colleague in the ÖVP. “I would plead [with you] to have trust in the democratic processes in the member states, to have trust in the strength of Austrian institutions and trust in the strength of European institutions,” he said on Monday.
Mr Costa, who chairs the EU summits bringing together the 27 national leaders, said he was pleased to hear Austria would continue to have a “clear European commitment”.
In a post on X, Mr Schallenberg said Europe had to stay and act united during the current period of turmoil in the world.
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