Brussels, 06/06/2000 (Agence Europe) - The Political Bureau of the European People's Party decided on Tuesday evening to reintegrate the Austrian Conservative Party ÖVP with full rights as a member of the EPP, on the basis of the report by the Observation Committee composed of three MEPs: Spanish Gerardo Galeote, German Hartmut Nassauer and Dutch Wim van Velzen.
The report stresses that, during the first 120 days of the term of office of the new Austrian government, there was no sign of deterioration within the Austrian democratic system, although FPÖ ministers had issued declarations in "disagreement" with the government's policy. It also notes that the government's policy remains "fully conform" to its programme. In addition to the political commitment by Chancellor Schüssel and the ÖVP party, the report welcomes a whole series of actions: the upcoming ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on regional or minority languages, the measures taken in favour of the "integration of numerous immigrants" (he reminds that Austria has the highest percentage of immigrants in the EU after Luxembourg), the compensation measures for the forced workers from the Second World War and the new steps taken for the restitution of goods stolen from the Jews during this period. As a result, the Observation Committee recommends that the ÖVP take part, once more, from now on and fully, in all the EPP bodies. The report also denounces the attitude of the Austrian Social Democrat party that, he asserts, while calling, within the national Parliaments, for a much firmer attitude from the government towards the sanctions imposed by the other fourteen Member States, continues to put pressure on the other EU Social-Democrat parties to maintain their sanctions. "We hope that all the parties concerned within the EU adopt a procedure aiming to leave this situation and avoid a possible institutional impasse", wrote three MEPs that also recommend the creation, within the EPP, of a permanent committee responsible for respecting human rights and the fight against racism and xenophobia throughout the EU and the candidate countries.