The Chancellery Minister Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP), who is responsible for EU agendas, wants the Austrians to be more interested in the European Union again before the upcoming EU Future Conference. In an APA interview, Edtstadler said: “I feel particularly responsible for creating a better mood or creating an EU mood at all.” The minister does not see a problem with the distribution of the corona vaccine among the EU member states.
They do not believe “that there is a problem with vaccination doses that you have too little,” says Edtstadler. She adds that she will be vaccinated as soon as possible. The following is the full text of the APA interview. In it Edtstadler gives an outlook on how Austria is positioning itself for EU reform and which alliances it sees.
APA: What would you like as a result of the conference on the future of Europe?
Edtstadler: It is now necessary to see what lessons we have to draw from the crisis. I expect that after the future conference, in the form of an intensive dialogue with the citizens, we will know what they expect, what we can do at EU level and what we can better solve in the Member States or at regional level. It is basically clear to us that we can only solve the big things together – such as migration policy, CO2 reduction or digitization. During the crisis, everyone wanted the European Union to step in to be strong and powerful in the global market. That has now been achieved, but not yet at the beginning of the crisis. One should look at what changes are needed, possibly also in the treaties, to see whether subsidiarity can be better anchored. Just recently someone told me that you couldn't win elections domestically with the EU issue. I want to change that. I want Austrians, like all other Europeans, to be so interested in the EU again that it makes a difference how it is dealt with nationally.
APA: Do you want more EU competencies in health protection?
Edtstadler: I don't want to anticipate the process of the future conference. My primary concern is not to create new competencies for the EU, but to make the best possible use of the EU's existing competencies. When the border bars went down during the pandemic and it was a matter of mutual trust between neighboring regions and commuters, I did not wait for a call from Brussels. This topic could be better solved regionally. On the other hand, I miss a huge success of the European Union – the joint research and procurement of vaccines. A vaccine was developed here because the funds were pooled and the resources pooled. You have to convey that.
APA: Will the initially scarce distribution of vaccine doses in the EU run smoothly?
Edtstadler: If everything goes as planned, I am very confident. We have agreed on a common approach. It is a fact that there are still many people in Austria who are critical of vaccination. That will keep us busy, but there is a specific plan: At the beginning, the high-risk groups will be vaccinated. So I don't think there is a problem with vaccination doses that you don't have enough. I will be vaccinated as soon as possible. Vaccination is the chance to quickly return to normal.
APA: Will the demand for an EU treaty change continue?
Edtstadler: In the Citizens' Dialogue, we should keep the legal classification out. In our government program it says: a new treaty for Europe. But I have also made the experience that there are few countries that are as ambitious as we are. Most worry that treaty changes would lead to referendums and that it could have negative effects like Brexit. That is why I advocate an open mandate that does not rule out changes to the treaty from the outset. We have to stay open, reach out to the citizens and get them interested in the European Union again.
APA: Doesn't that mean that governments have to stop bashing the EU? Aren't they responsible for the mood too?
Edtstadler: Yes, we are. In particular, I feel responsible for creating a better mood or even creating an EU mood in every community. The new alliances in the EU – the Frugal Four and Finland – have shown that people are heard more clearly in many areas and that they are more assertive in some areas. The decision on the EU budget and the “Next Generation EU” development fund was received and communicated very positively in Austria. We have to try a lot more to understand the other in order to find solutions. We stand between America and China, we have to assert ourselves. For this it is necessary to send the signal to the outside world that we are not only concerned with ourselves.
APA: Do you think that the next US President Joe Biden will push Europeans to take ownership?
Edtstadler: I wouldn't make that dependent on the US president. During the crisis, we saw that it is even more necessary to present ourselves more self-confidently, to be more self-sufficient and to really tackle the climate, digitization, migration and expansion policy. We have statements from the US president-elect that he wants to reorganize multilateralism. It will be up to Europe to meet him on an equal footing and to pull together with him in order to establish democracy, the rule of law and common values and broadcast them into the world. The European Union doesn't have to hide either, we have the largest single market. However, it is our joint responsibility to accelerate the efforts of the EU with regard to a comprehensive Africa strategy. And there is still no uniform European China policy, just as there are still too few quick decisions in EU foreign policy. We have to establish that if we want to play in this global game and not get caught up in the US and China.
APA: Have the “frugals” led them to stand up for the rule of law? The Austrian government has been reluctant to criticize Hungary.
Edtstadler: We were decisive in pushing for the rule of law. I've always put criticism of Hungary where it belongs, with my political counterpart. I also spoke directly to Poland about developments in the judiciary and the question of abortion. I am addressing things, but we did not promote the rule of law because of Hungary, but because it is a fundamental value. We have reached an agreement and the rule of law mechanism is anchored. This is in effect from 2021. Nevertheless, one will wait for the results before the ECJ in order to have legal certainty.
APA: Will the “frugals” continue to work together in 2021?
Edtstadler: I would like to make the “Future Five” out of it. We want to hold another meeting in Vienna in spring and have also talked about a meeting in the Netherlands. There are common interests in the fight against terrorism. But that is not cemented into this group. The terrorist attack in Vienna triggered something across Europe because it was not expected that this could happen in a neutral country. We discussed the rule of law and climate goals together. What is still open are migration policy and the conference on the future of Europe. As far as migration is concerned, Denmark is very much on our line, other countries are still looking for their lines. There is a proposal that the former Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt could chair the future conference, and I have given our support for this.
APA: Corona aid should flow in 2021, when will Austria register its action plan?
Edtstadler: You can register your performances until the end of April, we will do that in good time. About 3.2 billion euros in grants are allocated to Austria. Digitization, reforms and greening are the priorities associated with the “Recovery Fund”, and we will also focus on these.
APA: The issue of migration and asylum could not even be resolved by the German EU Council Presidency …
Edtstadler: The German Presidency had the entire burden of the European Union and the big issues on its shoulders. The fact that a breakthrough was not achieved in all areas is also due to Corona. The migration package of the EU Commission is already bringing a new drive.
APA: Will Austria stick to its stance that there should be no distribution of refugees?
Edtstadler: That really is a red line. We don't want forced distribution through the back door. We saw that it failed. We want the external dimension to be emphasized, i.e. local help, third-country cooperation, readmission agreements. In the case of the so-called “return sponsorship” (deportation sponsorship, note) there are still open questions about implementation. It must not result in a system that is open to blackmail if repatriations are not possible.
APA: How can the blockade on EU enlargement be overcome?
Edtstadler: I am definitely disappointed with that. It was one of the greatest successes that, despite the corona crisis, it was decided to start accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania in March. North Macedonia in particular has done a great deal to achieve this. The reform process is also being continued in North Macedonia and Albania. I see the differences between Bulgaria and North Macedonia as problems that need to be resolved bilaterally. There were no discussions about Albania, not even about the Netherlands. We Austrians will continue to try to increase understanding for the Western Balkans in the European Union, and we will not let up on that.
(The interview was conducted by Thomas Schmidt / APA)
