Austria Reluctant to Invite Ukraine into EU
Chancellor Nehammer said he believes that “emotion” should not be used to guide the decision—in his view, Ukraine’s rapid accession to EU member state status “is not realistic.”
Chancellor Nehammer said he believes that “emotion” should not be used to guide the decision—in his view, Ukraine’s rapid accession to EU member state status “is not realistic.”
After a car accident involving two drunken bodyguards of the Austrian chancellor, suspicions of structural abuse of bodyguards by high-ranking politicians harden. An anonymous letter reveals abusive structures, the opposition inquires.
In order to cripple the Russian war machine, Austria has been in support of EU sanctions. Yet, these hurt Europe’s economy while significantly lowering living standards in the process. Now that their effectiveness is increasingly in doubt, Austria stands out among member states for pursuing a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine debacle.
Austria’s government is once more changing personnel: after its third chancellor in two years, it will now also see its third minister of health, following the departure of Wolfgang Mückstein.
While many European nations are loosening their COVID-restrictions, Germany and Austria have been holding on to their mandates. But calls for loosening the grip on freedom might finally be heard.
Following a recommendation from the Danish Epidemic Commission, the government had decided that COVID-19 “should no longer be categorized as a socially critical disease” after January 31st, 2022.
The new law, the brainchild of the center-right ÖVP and the Greens and opposed by the FPÖ, allows citizens’ vaccination status to be checked by police. Fines for infractions will range from €600 to €3600.
The swearing-in ceremony, which saw Nehammer and five ministers assume their respective positions, took place on Monday afternoon and comes just days after former Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg—who spent less than two months at the helm of the country—announced his resignation.