Brussels, 14/09/2000 (Agence Europe) - "After the lifting of bilateral sanctions against Austria, our work here will be made easier, even if, during this period, I have always been treated correctly and the Community machine has kept on working", the Austria's Permanent Representative with the European Union, Ambassador Gregor Woschnagg, told journalists on Thursday. This crisis has been a sort of "éducation européenne", he said (in French). He went on to add: "not only for us, but for the whole of the Union, as it has shown the 'limits' of this kind of action". In his view, "we have learnt that such procedures should take place within the EU and not outside", that one should be placed on "legal" ground, and that the "simple risk of violation" of EU values by a Member State would not entail the imposition of sanctions.
Ambassador Woschnagg recalled that the Preparatory Group of the IGC chaired by Pierre Vimont discussed last Monday the subject of possible changes to Article 7 of the Treaty on the line to be followed in the case of violation of common values (see EUROPE of 13 September, p.3, and of 14 September, p.4), without, at this stage, being able to predict the likelihood of such changes being approved in Nice. Gregor Woschnagg noted that the proposal on this subject made by Belgium to the IGC (see EUROPE of 6 May, p.3) appeared "too vague" to some, and that made by Austria (see EUROPE of 5/6 June, p.5) "too legal". Mr Woschnagg, who recalled that the Austrian proposal above all foresees a role for the European Parliament and the Court of Justice, pointed out that the European Commission itself plans to make a proposal on this subject, perhaps in October (we recall that the Commissioner for industrial matters, Michel Barnier, had been the first to publicly speak of the opportunity of raising the problem of Articles 6 and 7 of the Treaty at the IGC).
Furthermore, Mr Woschnagg stressed that the Czech Republic, the only applicant country to join the Fourteen's bilateral sanctions, has lifted its sanctions. This could have a positive effect on the controversy reigning over the Temelin nuclear power plant, on which Austria had sought to meet Czech authorities, which have so far refused.
At the European Parliament, the Chairman of the EPP-ED Group Hans-Gert Pöttering welcomed the lifting of the sanctions. He said they had had "negative effects especially in the smaller Member States, such as Denmark, and in the applicant countries". Bilateral sanctions against an EU Member State ""lacked any legal base", he felt, adding that the report on the ÖVP drafted on behalf of the European People's Party by three members of the EPP Group - Gerardo Galeote, Hartmut Nassauer and Wim Van Velzen - "pointed the way to a solution". He noted that the Austrian government was "fully and completely committed to (…) a set of measures in favour of minorities and immigrants". At the same
British Labour member Richard Corbett, on the other hand, appealed for vigilance to be stepped up towards the FPÖ. If one looks at the programme of this party, it is obvious it does not share our fundamental European values", states Mr Corbett, quoting as an example to support his view several passages of the FPÖ programme which are all, he believes, examples of "Haider's extremism". In particular he notes: - total opposition to immigration; - rejection of different cultures; - encouragement to the South Tyrol to break away from Italy and join Austria again; - a limited interpretation of the right of asylum; - affirmation of the fact that the large majority of Austrians belong to the "German nation" ("Volksgruppe") and the need to protect this ethnic group against any slide towards the inclusion of other ethnic elements.