ANALYSIS: Why do so many Austrians reject the European Union?
Austrians are the most sceptical in Europe about the benefits of the European Union, according to a recent Eurobarometer survey. Why do so many people in Austria reject the bloc?
A recent Eurobarometer survey showed that Austrians continue to hold a particularly negative attitude towards the European Union.
The survey, published on Wednesday, found that only 42 percent of Austrians view EU membership favourably, while 22 percent consider it a negative development. This marks the lowest approval rating among all 27 EU member states.
In comparison, the EU average is an approval rate of 61 percent. About 68 percent of Germans view their membership in the bloc favourably.
The survey also revealed that Austrians are among the most sceptical about the benefits of EU membership. A mere 55 percent of respondents believed that EU membership had been a net positive for Austria, the lowest figure in Europe. In contrast, over 90 percent of Lithuania, Ireland, Luxembourg, and Malta respondents expressed a positive outlook on EU membership's impact on their respective countries. The EU average was 72 percent.
READ ALSO: ‘We all win’: Which countries could join an expanded EU and when?
Despite these reservations, Austrians acknowledge the significant influence of EU decisions on their daily lives. Nearly three-quarters of participants in the survey indicated that EU policies affect their everyday experiences. This sentiment is reflected across the EU, with 70 percent of respondents recognising the EU's impact.
Values and priorities
Austrians also diverged from the average in the EU when it comes to the values and priorities that the European Parliament should defend and address.
Austrians put more value on "Freedom of speech and thought" than elsewhere in Europe.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Why isn’t Austria in NATO?
Austrians are also much more concerned about migration and asylum than the average EU member, with this topic mentioned by 28 percent of the respondents compared to 18 percent on average across the bloc.
This is the issue that political experts believe is at the core of Austria's scepticism towards the EU - at least in recent years. An analysis by Die Presse highlighted: "Politicians and businesses in Austria are making little effort to correct the negative public image of the EU with facts that clearly speak in favour of membership".
In some controversial issues, such as immigration, it is easier for politicians to shift the blame to the bloc, its policies, and its "failure" to care for its external borders. Especially with elections coming up in 2024, the chancellor's party, the ÖVP, has focused on EU-sceptical rhetoric, with a rejection of an expansion of the Schengen area, for example.
Whenever faced with criticism of his asylum policies, Chancellor Karl Nehammer repeatedly stated the EU needs stricter policies, "more fair" distribution of asylum applicants and stronger borders.
The coalition partners, Greens, have also downplayed their pro-European stance in recent years - Die Presse claims the party has done so "for the sake of the coalition". Even the centre-left SPÖ hasn't defended the bloc's membership so fervently. The EU, it seems, has become Austrian politicians' scapegoat.
READ ALSO: 11 maps that help you understand Austria today
The far-right
Though the far-right FPÖ isn't solely responsible for such scepticism, the Freedom Party has attacked the EU several times, from its position on the Russian war against Ukraine to climate change matters.
Standing as the opposition party, the FPÖ has gathered support from those who were persuaded that the EU was to blame (along with the current Austrian government) for asylum issues, "stringent" climate policies, vaccination recommendations and high inflation rates.
Now, with the election for the European Parliament standing next June, most parties are not sending candidates at all. Both European Affairs Minister Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP) and Infrastructure Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) have decided not to run.
READ ALSO: Why is support for Austria’s far-right FPÖ rising?
A mandate in Brussels seems to be the path to retirement rather than a coveted position, and the elections - the federal one in Austria and the legislative one in the EU - will put the role of the European Union at the centre of the debate once again in 2024.
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A recent Eurobarometer survey showed that Austrians continue to hold a particularly negative attitude towards the European Union.
The survey, published on Wednesday, found that only 42 percent of Austrians view EU membership favourably, while 22 percent consider it a negative development. This marks the lowest approval rating among all 27 EU member states.
In comparison, the EU average is an approval rate of 61 percent. About 68 percent of Germans view their membership in the bloc favourably.
The survey also revealed that Austrians are among the most sceptical about the benefits of EU membership. A mere 55 percent of respondents believed that EU membership had been a net positive for Austria, the lowest figure in Europe. In contrast, over 90 percent of Lithuania, Ireland, Luxembourg, and Malta respondents expressed a positive outlook on EU membership's impact on their respective countries. The EU average was 72 percent.
READ ALSO: ‘We all win’: Which countries could join an expanded EU and when?
Despite these reservations, Austrians acknowledge the significant influence of EU decisions on their daily lives. Nearly three-quarters of participants in the survey indicated that EU policies affect their everyday experiences. This sentiment is reflected across the EU, with 70 percent of respondents recognising the EU's impact.
Values and priorities
Austrians also diverged from the average in the EU when it comes to the values and priorities that the European Parliament should defend and address.
Austrians put more value on "Freedom of speech and thought" than elsewhere in Europe.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Why isn’t Austria in NATO?
Austrians are also much more concerned about migration and asylum than the average EU member, with this topic mentioned by 28 percent of the respondents compared to 18 percent on average across the bloc.
This is the issue that political experts believe is at the core of Austria's scepticism towards the EU - at least in recent years. An analysis by Die Presse highlighted: "Politicians and businesses in Austria are making little effort to correct the negative public image of the EU with facts that clearly speak in favour of membership".
In some controversial issues, such as immigration, it is easier for politicians to shift the blame to the bloc, its policies, and its "failure" to care for its external borders. Especially with elections coming up in 2024, the chancellor's party, the ÖVP, has focused on EU-sceptical rhetoric, with a rejection of an expansion of the Schengen area, for example.
Whenever faced with criticism of his asylum policies, Chancellor Karl Nehammer repeatedly stated the EU needs stricter policies, "more fair" distribution of asylum applicants and stronger borders.
The coalition partners, Greens, have also downplayed their pro-European stance in recent years - Die Presse claims the party has done so "for the sake of the coalition". Even the centre-left SPÖ hasn't defended the bloc's membership so fervently. The EU, it seems, has become Austrian politicians' scapegoat.
READ ALSO: 11 maps that help you understand Austria today
The far-right
Though the far-right FPÖ isn't solely responsible for such scepticism, the Freedom Party has attacked the EU several times, from its position on the Russian war against Ukraine to climate change matters.
Standing as the opposition party, the FPÖ has gathered support from those who were persuaded that the EU was to blame (along with the current Austrian government) for asylum issues, "stringent" climate policies, vaccination recommendations and high inflation rates.
Now, with the election for the European Parliament standing next June, most parties are not sending candidates at all. Both European Affairs Minister Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP) and Infrastructure Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) have decided not to run.
READ ALSO: Why is support for Austria’s far-right FPÖ rising?
A mandate in Brussels seems to be the path to retirement rather than a coveted position, and the elections - the federal one in Austria and the legislative one in the EU - will put the role of the European Union at the centre of the debate once again in 2024.
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