Vienna, 21/03/2000 (Agence Europe) - Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel hoped the Lisbon Summit will initiate normalisation in relations between Austria and its fourteen EU partners. The current situation is detrimental to EU cohesion, he considers, and the whole atmosphere is poisoned. Mr Schüssel will tell his fourteen colleagues of his reasons in Lisbon. EUROPE recalls, however, that no debate is in principle scheduled within the European Council after the Austrian Chancellor's presentation (see page 7 for what Romano Prodi had to say on this subject).
To strengthen his position, the chancellor had proposed that all political parties of his country should approve a common position defining the "unjustified, exaggerated sanctions that run counter to the EU treaty". Opposition leaders, however, (Mr Alfred Gusenbauer, Social Democrat, and Van der Bellen, Greens) said they are "united with the people, not the government". Austrian President Thomas Klestil summoned the leaders of four parties (two in government and two in opposition) to try, in extremis, to reach an agreement before the declaration by the chancellor at the Summit.