Forgotten World (157): Austria
Once the heart of one of the largest and longest-lasting empires in Europe (the Austro-Hungarian Empire), along with Switzerland, Austria now forms Europe’s neutral core. After annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and then Allied occupation, Austria’s 1955 State Treaty declared the country “permanently neutral”. The capital, Vienna, is home to key international organisations, including the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
There were some questions surrounding Austria’s neutrality when two thirds of voters in a country of over 8 million citizens supported European Union (EU) membership in a referendum in 1994 and entry followed in 1995. The arrival into Austria’s coalition government of the far-right Freedom Party in February 2000 sent shock waves across Europe and, for a time, Austria’s relations with the EU were severely strained after some states imposed sanctions in protest. Two Right-wing political parties remain quite strong.