07/03/2000 (Agence Europe) - In accordance with what they announced on 31 January in their declaration on the freeze of bilateral relations with Austria in case of a coalition government with the FPO, the representatives of fourteen member countries of the European Union in New York on Monday, boycotted, by abstaining, the Austrian bid for the chair of a group of experts on the environment of the UN Commission for Sustainable Development, says AFP (on 31 January, the fourteen agreed "not to back Austrian candidates seeking jobs within international organisations"). Irene Freudenschuss-Reichl, whose candidacy was presented in the summer of 1999 by the Western group in the UN (EU countries, the United State, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) was however elected, with 11 in favour, one against and 24 abstentions.