!!!Außenpolitik

Foreign Policy: the main foreign-policy makers in Austria are the  
Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs with its Austrian diplomatic 
missions abroad, the competent departments of other federal 
ministries, the  Federal Chancellery and the Austrian  President. 
Foreign policy in the Second Republic can be divided into 5 main 
stages: 1) From the end of World War II to the recovery of 
full governmental sovereignty through the  State Treaty and the 
Constitutional Law on  Neutrality (1945-1955): Austrian foreign policy 
was essentially influenced by the Allied occupation forces. 
2) Integration and emancipation stage (1955-1968/1970): Austria 
integrated itself into the international community, became a member of 
the  United Nations, the  Council of Europe and the European 
Convention on Human Rights as well as the scene of important 
international meetings (this was called the "active neutrality 
policy"). This stage also covers Austria's active role in South 
Tyrolean politics. 3) Globally orientated foreign and neutrality 
policy (1968/70-1983/1984): The " Kreisky era" was characterised by 
increasing activity on the international stage (esp. in Middle Eastern 
politics); Vienna became the seat of international organisations (UN 
City); Austrian contingents in UN troops in Cyprus and the Golan 
Heights. 4) "Realistic Foreign and Neutrality Policy " (since 
1983/84-1994): Austria began to re-orientate itself toward the EC and 
the politics of good neighbourly relations, which paved the way for 
Austria's accession to the  European Union. This policy also took into 
account the changing political systems in eastern Central Europe and 
the former USSR. The disintegration of Yugoslavia in the wake of the 
war was of particular significance in this context. 5) phase of 
Austria's membership in the European Union (since 1995). Increased 
orientation towards Europe, especially in the light of the inclusion 
of Eastern European countries; EU-wide foreign policy will increase in 
significance. Further important international issues will continue to 
include environmental protection, external economic policy and  
security policy.

!Further reading
E. Zoellner (ed.), Diplomatie und Aussenpolitik 
Oesterreichs, 1977; H. Kramer, Strukturentwicklung der Aussenpolitik, 
in: Handbuch des politischen Systems Oesterreichs, 1991.


%%language
[Back to the Austrian Version|AEIOU/Außenpolitik|class='wikipage austrian']
%%

[{FreezeArticle author='AEIOU' template='Lexikon_1995_englisch'}]
[{ALLOW view All}][{ALLOW comment All}][{ALLOW edit FreezeAdmin}]