Harald Vilimsky is an MEP for the Freedom Party of Austria, or FPÖ, and leads the party’s delegation in the European Parliament. Mr. Vilimsky in the following interview answers questions about the FPÖ and its recent success in the polls, what conservative, anti-globalist parties can learn from the success of Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party, and how he sees the future of Europe.
If Austria held its national elections today, May 5th, the FPÖ would, by a considerable margin, become the largest party in parliament, collecting well over a quarter of the country’s votes. As someone who has been among the party’s leadership for quite some time now, to what do you attribute the FPÖ’s recent success at the polls?
Well, because we stand for our political positions in a very straightforward way. We don’t change them, we don’t adapt them, we simply have our opinions and present them to the public in a straightforward manner. Perhaps this is the reason. Following the pandemic and the Ukraine crisis, the positions on key issues held by other parties changed while ours remained the same as they had always been. Voters, I think, have taken note of this.
Austria is set to have its national legislative elections next year. In light of recent victories your party has had at the regional level, as well as the polling data we discussed earlier, what are the chances that the FPÖ enters into a coalition government after the next election?
While it is true that we are polling in first place right now, as of May 5th—and have been for a while—we do not like to put much stock into the polls. However, our goal in the election, of course, is to come in first and then find a partner who is willing to accept our core program. And that is the case for all of us who are ready to take part in the future coalition.
Are you concerned about a cordon sanitaire?
I don’t think so, perhaps … it is, of course, very possible that the Green president is working to do that… but realistically he will not be able to establish something like a cordon sanitaire which would exclude us from the future government, no. From a realistic point of view, that will not happen.
Your party has faced a considerable amount of backlash for the position it has taken on the Russo-Ukrainian War. Some have labeled the FPÖ to be pro-Russian. How do you respond to such a claim?
Austrian neutrality, which is based on three pillars—no membership in a military alliance, no permanent deployment of foreign troops, and no participation in foreign wars—is an integral part of our constitution. This means we are obliged to refrain from taking a side in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Hungary, under the leadership of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party, has taken the same position as the FPÖ. They also have long called for a ceasefire and peace negotiations to be held between the warring parties. From our point of view, we are convinced that this is the right thing to do.
Europe is facing a multitude of challenges, many of which are unprecedented in character as well as scale and scope. If you were to look into a crystal ball, how do you see the future of Europe in ten to fifteen years, especially in terms of the economic issues facing the continent, the energy supply, and the mounting ethno-religious tensions?
In the year 2016, Great Britain decided to leave the European Union. The Commission introduced the so-called White Book with five scenarios for the future of the European Union. It starts from the single market up to the ever-closer Union. We decided on the so-called scenario number four, which means, or which meant, to shift competencies back on the super-national level to the level of the Member States or the Houses of Parliament to implement more direct democracy, and things like that. When I think about the future of the European Union, it is my hope that it is a future where all member states remain in friendship, working together to preserve all of our great nations.
Unlike some, we do not wish to create a United States of Europe, but to preserve the constellation of great nations that together make up the bloc. Europe is based on a variety of different habits, different mindsets, and different political systems. It is not the United States.
The United States is based, in my point of view, upon its constitution and the American spirit. And we don’t have something like the European spirit … Rather, we have the Italian spirit, the Austrian mindset, the German mindset, and the Polish mindset. We work to preserve the diversity of this beautiful continent, and it is my goal to contribute toward a future where the variety on this continent is conserved.
And lastly, are you more optimistic or pessimistic about the future of this continent?
If I were not optimistic, I would be obliged to give up my political mandate. I will stay optimistic.
