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Austria ‘grossly deficient’ in the fight against corruption, EU says

Austria has come under fire in a report on corruption, which lists serious shortcomings including a lack of transparency.

Published: 13 January 2023 16:47 CET
Austria 'grossly deficient' in the fight against corruption, EU says
An inner view shows the Austrian Parliament in Vienna on December 20, 2022. (Photo by VLADIMIR SIMICEK / AFP)

The latest report of the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) attests to Austria’s gross deficiencies in the fight against and prevention of corruption, according to newspaper Der Standard.

Among other things, the report criticises a lack of transparency and political influence in appointments to law enforcement positions.

READ ALSO: Energy, corruption, labour shortage: Austria’s plans to face its major challenges

Since 2006, Austria has been a member of the Group of States against Corruption, to which another 48 European countries and the USA belong. Greco regularly evaluates the efforts of its member states in the fight against corruption. 

The current report, which is still unpublished but made available to Der Standard, is the result of the fifth round of evaluations; it deals primarily with the federal government, the police and the Federal Bureau of Anti-Corruption (BAK).

According to the report, everyday corruption in the police sector is not an issue in Austria.

However, several interlocutors of the GRECO working group noted that top jobs in the police force are awarded under strong political influence. According to the anti-corruption campaigners, this “undue” influence in awarding assignments should be stopped.

Lack of transparency

The group also looked at corruption prevention in government and found that increased attention needs to be paid to the analysis of risk factors for corruption around the highest political officials such as chancellors, vice-chancellors, ministers, secretaries of state and general and cabinet staff, the report said, according to the Standard.

GRECO recommended disclosing the financial circumstances of relatives and partners of these top political figures, although this “does not necessarily have to be made public”. Additionally, transparency is needed when appointing general secretaries, the report added.

READ ALSO: ‘Ibizagate’: What you need to know about the Austrian political corruption scandal

In total, the report is set to make 19 recommendations. These includ the implementation of the EU Whistleblower Directive, a cooling-off period for top officials who leave politics, disclosure of contacts with lobbyists, and creating a code of conduct for ministers and other top politicians.

Greco slams that major legislative projects such as the Transparency Act, which is intended to abolish official secrecy, or the reform of the criminal law on corruption have been delayed – although the latter is now to be approved.

It added that the prevention of conflicts of interest is a challenge that requires increased attention.

The group wants to receive a report from the Austrian government by the end of June 2024 on which of the recommended measures have been implemented. After that, as customary, a new evaluation will take place.

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POLITICS

EXPLAINED: Why Austria does not recognise the state of Palestine

Norway, Spain, and Ireland have announced they will recognise Palestine as a state - so where does Austria stand and why?

Published: 23 May 2024 11:34 CEST
EXPLAINED: Why Austria does not recognise the state of Palestine

The war in the Middle East has brought back some significant debate in Austria and Europe in general. When is criticism of Israel a demonstration of antisemitism? Is a two-state solution, with the recognition of Palestine as a country, the answer to end the region’s bloodshed? And where does Austria stand on the matter?

As it is, “Palestine is not recognised by Austria as a state in the sense of international law”, according to the country’s Foreign Ministry. 

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly spoken out against a separate Palestinian state, which the USA and the Europeans support in principle.

So far, there is only a Palestinian Authority (PA) with very limited state rights, which is based in the West Bank.

READ ALSO: Why conservatives in Lower Austria want to tighten citizenship rules

Which EU countries already recognise the Palestinian state?

Norway, Ireland, and Spain announced they would recognise Palestine as a state by the end of May. The three countries have already attracted a furious response from Israel, which called back its ambassadors in response.

Still, other EU countries might follow suit in hopes that the recognition would help peace negotiations in the region. Slovenia and Malta have also hinted at the imminent recognition of Palestine as a state. 

Sweden took this step ten years ago. The other nine EU states that already recognise Palestine as a state, including Hungary, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, did so when they were not yet EU members.

Around 140 out of 193 UN members recognise Palestine as a state.

Palestine, therefore, has the status of an observing non-member state in the UN. This means it can participate in meetings of the General Assembly but does not have the right to vote. Palestine has been a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC) based in The Hague for almost ten years since 2015.

Palestine cannot be recognised as a full member of the UN until a majority of the UN Security Council votes in favour.

However, the Palestinian territories are not recognised as a state by the USA, France and the United Kingdom – all three of whom are permanent members of the Security Council. They only want to agree to recognition once the conflict with Israel has been peacefully resolved.

READ ALSO: Concern grows in Austria over rise in anti-Semitic acts

What about Austria?

Austria insists on a “political process,” Kurier reported. Austria has long been a supporter of a negotiated two-state solution based on international law.

“We are deeply convinced that this is the only option that allows Israelis and Palestinians to live peacefully side by side,” Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg told the newspaper.

“Of course, this also requires the creation of an independent, democratic and viable Palestinian state.”

The Foreign Minister proposes further negotiations for the two-state solution. “Symbolic recognition at this point will not help the Palestinians. Rather, a sustainable solution is needed so that both sides can live in peace and security,” the minister said.

Strong ties to Israel

Austria has also, of course, been a strong ally of Israel for decades. It has repeatedly shown its support for the country and the Jewish population, a historical tie going back to the legacy of the Holocaust. 

Recently, Austria was among the few countries that voted no to a ceasefire as a United Nations resolution. 

Explaining Austria’s rare decision to take a firm stance, Chancellor Karl Nehammer of the conservative People’s Party (ÖVP) said: “A resolution in which the terrorist organisation Hamas is not named, in which the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7th are not condemned and in which Israel’s right to self-defence, which is enshrined in international law, is not stated – Austria cannot agree to such a resolution.”

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