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Putin likely to discuss gas pipeline

Russian President Vladimir Putin will seek to exploit disagreement within a deeply divided EU over a Kremlin-backed gas pipeline as he looks to seal Vienna's support for the project during a visit to Austria next week.

Published: 20 June 2014 16:39 CEST
Putin likely to discuss gas pipeline
OMV, Austria's oil and gas producer. File photo: APA
During the one-day trip on Tuesday Putin will oversee the signing of a shareholder agreement between Gazprom and energy firm OMV enabling them to press on with work to build a section of the planned South Stream pipeline in Austria, Putin's top foreign policy aide said on Friday.
 
The Russian president is expected to use the opportunity to try to secure Vienna's backing for the Gazprom-led pipeline after another EU member involved in the project, Bulgaria, suspended work on it earlier this month under pressure from the EU, Putin's aide Yury Ushakov said.
 
"The issue needs to be clarified," Ushakov told reporters. "It's obvious that the topic will be discussed in this context. It's a very important subject."
 
With the deadly crisis in Ukraine showing no sign of abating, the multi-billion-euro pipeline intended to bring Siberian gas to Europe has become a new focus of tensions between Moscow and Brussels.
 
Moscow bills the pipeline as a recipe to ensure European energy security and has accused Brussels of pressuring Bulgaria into suspending work on South Stream in order to seek revenge over the Kremlin's alleged role in supporting separatists in eastern Ukraine.
 
The European Commission has called on all 28 member states to stand united in resisting pressure from the Kremlin over the project, saying the contracts Gazprom has signed on pipeline breach the bloc's competition rules.

But the EU member states appears deeply divided on the project with several states that depend on Russian gas transported via Ukraine supporting it.

Austria, Slovenia express support

Austria and Slovenia on Friday voiced support for the pipeline, saying it will ensure a stable energy supply.

"I believe that the South Stream project is the right and possible path to ensure a mid-term energy supply sustainability", Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann said after meeting his Slovenian and Croatian counterparts.

"Austria in principle backs the South Stream project … and we believe it should be carried out for the mid- and long-term sustainable supply of natural gas," said Faymann who is set to meet Putin for talks on Tuesday.

Prime Minister of Slovenia Alenka Bratusek struck a similar note, calling South Stream "a vital infrastructure project."

"There are still some technical issues that remain open and have to be solved with the EU," she added.

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said last week his country, which is a candidate for EU membership, would press on with plans to build Serbia's stretch of the pipeline.
 
Backed by Italy's ENI and France's EDF, the South Stream pipeline is a major project for reducing Moscow's reliance on Ukraine as a transit country following disputes with Kiev in 2006 and 2009 that led to interruptions of shipments to Europe.
With a capacity of 63 billion cubic metres per year, the main pipeline will stretch nearly 2,500 kilometres (1,500 miles) from Russia under the Black Sea to Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary and Slovenia to end in Italy.
 
Analysts said that while the pipeline will remain hostage to persisting tensions over Ukraine, Austria could help salvage Moscow's flagship project.
 
"Austria is a more prominent EU member than Bulgaria, its voice will be taken into account," said Valery Nesterov, an oil and gas analyst at Sberbank CIB.
 
After the latest round of EU-brokered Moscow-Kiev gas talks collapsed, Russia earlier this week suspended gas supplies to Ukraine and warned Brussels that deliveries to Europe could be interrupted.

Moscow-based political analyst Alexei Mukhin said Brussels appears ready to sacrifice its economic interests for the sake of teaching Russia a lesson.

"Europe needs South Stream," he said. "But the European Commission will find a way to put it on ice."

Separately, during his Austria trip Putin will meet with OSCE chairman Didier Burkhalter to discuss the Ukraine crisis.

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POLITICS

Why does Austria rank so badly for press freedom?

Between political scandals and a decreasing media market, Austria has consistently ranked low in analyses of worldwide press freedom, but it has reached its lowest point this year.

Published: 3 May 2024 12:41 CEST
Why does Austria rank so badly for press freedom?

When we think about countries where there are issues with press freedom, it’s usually the places that are war zones or dictatorships that come to mind. So the fact that Austria ranks only 32nd in the latest Reporters Without Borders (RSF) press freedom index may seem surprising to many people.

This is the country’s worst result to date, as it slipped from the 29th position it held last year. In 2024, Austria ranks in the middle of the countries classified as “satisfactory,” behind Moldova and ahead of Mauritania. Only eight countries are rated as having a “good” situation. The 22nd edition of the Press Freedom Index covers 180 countries worldwide.

According to Fritz Hausjell, President of RSF Austria, there are many reasons why Austria has fallen behind. The judiciary is investigating “highly problematic close relationships and suspected corrupt practices between the governing party ÖVP and several major media outlets”, he said, according to an ORF report. In addition, the judiciary is investigating the far-right FPÖ’s role in possible advertising corruption.

“In Austria, press freedom has been undermined by various political pressures or restrictions on access to information. Violence at public events prevented journalists from reporting freely”, RSF said.

READ ALSO: How Austria has tightened laws to prevent political corruption

Small market and political influences

“With just a dozen major outlets, the media market is small and very concentrated”, according to the RSF report. Additionally, tabloids have the largest readership, and there have been many attempts to influence both state and privately-owned media, with RSF calling the practice “constant”.

“Some politicians are suspected of having used public funds to buy favourable coverage in the tabloid media, while others have tried to intervene by directly going to editorial offices, such as former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. He was forced to resign in 2021 due to suspicions of buying positive coverage in a privately owned newspaper. Journalists are sometimes the targets of political attacks coming from the extremes”, the report stated.

There have been significant scandals after corruption allegations between politicians and the media.

Most recently, prosecutors said an investigation into several former government members for alleged bribery, corruption, and breach of trust was opened in mid-April. Herbert Kickl, the hardline leader of Austria’s right-wing Freedom Party (FPOe)—currently leading polls ahead of elections expected in September—is suspected of commissioning adverts and paying for them with public money.

READ ALSO: The Kurz corruption scandal exposes Austria’s press freedom problems

In late 2021, a major media graft scandal erupted in the Alpine country. Austria’s former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and his inner circle were accused of using public funds to pay for polls skewed to boost his image on Austrian tabloid media. It eventually led to Kurz’s resignation and exit from politics.

Of course, one of the country’s most infamous political scandals, the so-called Ibizagate that blew up in 2019, also shows Austrian leaders’ and major media’s murky underground connections. At the time, a leaked video showed then FPÖ leader and vice-chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache in a 2017 meeting on the Spanish resort island of Ibiza with a woman posing as the niece of a Russian oligarch.

Among the many controversial statements, Strache was filmed discussing the possibility of the woman buying Austria’s most-read tabloid, Kronen Zeitung, and making its editorial line more pro-FPOe.

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

But it’s not just the tabloid media that has shrouded connections to those in power. In 2022, two prominent Austrian journalists, editors of reputed media such as Die Presse and ORF, had to resign over leaked chats between them and politicians. The chats showed discussions over appointments with the public broadcaster ORF and friendly notes with “inappropriate closeness” between them and political leaders.

Outdated legal framework and harassment

Although various bills are being discussed, Austria is the last EU member state without a freedom of information law. Journalists are, moreover, concerned about certain political parties’ attempts to restrict their access to judicial information. 

Journalists are also harassed by various interest groups and societal movements. They are liable to censor themselves as a result of online attacks based on their gender, social class, ethnicity or religion. 

After the COVID-19 pandemic, the war between Russia and Ukraine has become an issue that is polarising Austrian society and encouraging people to question journalism, the report highlighted.

READ ALSO: ‘Reforms needed urgently’ – Is Austria becoming more corrupt?

Additionally, reporters’ coverage of protests is facing significant obstruction by police, who use frequent identity checks to harass them and threaten legal action. Women journalists are particularly at risk. Newsrooms often receive threatening letters and messages, according to the report.

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