Why the local population is far less behind the solidarity measures for Ukraine than most other EU citizens.
Is it the myth of the neutral island, is it the particularly large national impact of the energy crisis, is it a pro-Russian attitude among the population or is it just a lack of communication from the government? According to a recent Eurobarometer survey, the majority of Austrians are behind the joint solidarity measures for Ukraine, but relatively hesitant compared to other EU countries. Only one in four (24%) fully agrees with the EU measures, including military and humanitarian aid for the embattled country, as well as the sanctions against Russia. Another third (33%) supports them at least partially. In an EU comparison, Austria ranks behind in the firing range of the evaluation with countries such as Hungary, Cyprus and Greece.
Finland and Sweden are at the very top of the list, followed by the Netherlands and Denmark. The Germans and French also support solidarity with Ukraine far more than the Austrians. For example, while 91 percent of the population of Ireland, which is also neutral, more or less supports the measures, in Austria it is only 57 percent overall. The EU average is 73 percent. Finland and Sweden have the greatest support, each with 96 percent.
In fact, Austria was hit harder than many other EU countries by the effects of the Russian sanctions due to its relatively high energy dependency – for gas it was still 80 percent before the war. This may have been one reason for the relatively weak support for the joint measures. With the exception of the FPÖ, the country’s political parties supported the EU’s sanctions policy from the start. However, Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) was also critical on several occasions. For example, in March of last year, shortly after Russian troops invaded Ukraine, he called for a boycott of
Russian oil and gas in an interview with the “Kleine Zeitung” as “unrealistic and wrong”. Just talking about it is driving up energy prices. The government did not widely communicate the reasons and objectives of the sanctions it ultimately supported (a boycott was decided for oil, but not for gas).
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Perhaps that is why the Austrians surveyed were generally less satisfied than most other EU citizens with the cooperation between the member states in cushioning the effects of the Ukraine war. Only 12 percent were very satisfied, and another 40 percent were reasonably satisfied. In this case, the Germans were more critical, while the Hungarians were more satisfied. The Irish were the most satisfied. A total of 84 percent of the Irish stated that they very or largely agreed with the cooperation of the EU states in this case.
Overall, a clear majority of 74 percent of EU citizens support the aid for Ukraine after the Russian invasion. Only seven percent reject it completely and another 16 percent partially. With 60 percent, Austria also performed significantly worse than most other member states on this question. Greece and Bulgaria are even worse with 48 percent. Of the Eastern European countries, it is Poland whose population is most behind Ukraine. 85 percent spoke out in favor of EU aid.
Bottom of EU mood
The critical attitude towards the common Ukraine policy is also reflected in the skeptical mood of the Austrian population towards EU membership. Austria now ranks last among all EU countries. Only 55 percent believe their country benefits from membership. In comparison, countries such as Malta, Ireland, Luxembourg and Lithuania fare significantly better with more than 90 percent. 87 percent of Poles, 78 percent of Hungarians and 71 percent of Germans also see added value in their country’s EU membership.
(“Die Presse”, print edition, 01/13/2023)