Brussels, 28/06/2000 (Agence Europe) - Long moments of silence from the Portuguese Presidency illustrated the difficulties encountered in trying to reach a compromise between Member States over how to solve the issue of bilateral sanctions imposed on Austria by the other fourteen Member States after the country's conservatives formed a coalition government with the far right. The Presidency has very little time left to resolve the issue and must both get the fourteen states to find a compromise and find a solution that is acceptable to Vienna, which is insisting that it should be involved in the process. Part way through the day the Portuguese Prime Minister, Antonio Gutterres stated at a press conference that, "The fourteen Member States have not yet a common position that I can transmit to you… Political statements only complicate the issue… I will only comment when I can speak on behalf of the fourteen Member States".
Portugal has suggestetd maintaining the bilateral sanctions, combined with a monitoring mechanism. A group of three political personalities, designated by the President of the European Court of Human Rights, would be given the responsibility of examining the Austrian government's attitude in terms of European values, particularly with respect to immigration, asylum and minority rights. On the basis of a report by this group, the fourteen Member States may later proceed to lift sanctions.
EUROPE has reason to believe that the President of the Court, Luzius Wildhaber, contacted the Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel and Antonio Gutterres this Wednesday in order to decide the mandate of this group of personalities. The definition of the mandate appears difficult in itself in so far as the Austrian authorities would like one to be content with reviewing government policy (ED.: such a solution has already worked to re-establish the ÖVP in its full rights within the European People's Party), while other governments continued, yesterday, to insist on examining the "nature of Mr Haider's party", according to the terms used by French European Affairs Minister Pierre Moscovici, on Tuesday evening in Brussels. The Austrian Chancellor also rejected the idea of "placing it under surveillance" and preferred the solution of "assessment period".
Mr Haider speaks of further provocation against Austria and accuses Belgium
Former FPÖ leader, Jörg Haider, who resigned as leader of his party but who, as Mr Moscovici pointed out, on Tuesday evening in Brussels, is "still sitting on a bench at the back", strongly criticised the proposal by the Portuguese Presidency. He speaks of "further provocation against Austria" and accuses Belgium of being responsible for this. "I have the feeling that, on the EU side, one is trying a tactical game to delay a referendum as much as possible so that it may be postponed until after the EU French Presidency in order to spare it the humiliation of not making anything move forward because it is in a conflictual situation with Austria", he said, referring to the referendum that could be held in Austria if there were no "concrete plans" for lifting the sanctions by the end of the Portuguese Presidency, on 30 June.