Franco-Polish economist Daniel Foubert says Austria’s blocking of Romania’s entry into the Schengen zone is “exactly what Russia wants” and accuses Vienna of being Moscow’s “Trojan horse” in the European Union.

Foubert mentions in a series of posts made on his page Twitter that Austria has become one of Russia’s closest partners in Europe, despite the fact that it is part of the EU and European institutions.

“Austria’s historical ties with Russia go back centuries, but the post-Cold War period marked a transformation. Relations became mainly economic. Russia was one of the key suppliers of energy resources for Austria, Austrian companies have significant investments in Russia,” says the economist.

As for Austria’s military neutrality, established after the end of World War II, it allowed Vienna to be a bridge between East and West, says Foubert.

“While this positioning benefits diplomatic relations, critics argue that it promotes Russian influence in European affairs. Russia’s use of “soft power” in Austria through cultural exchanges, think tanks and mass media also plays a role,” he explains.

Foubert then cites several examples of how Vienna has hesitated to take action against Russia despite concerns about a series of actions by Moscow.

Austria did not take measures against Russia after the killing of a Chechen dissident in Vienna

One such case occurred in 2003, when an agent of the SVR, Russia’s foreign intelligence service, was caught talking about bribes offered by Moscow to high-ranking Polish officials. Six years later, it was in Vienna that Umar Ismailov, a former bodyguard of Ramzan Kadyrov, who had meanwhile become a vocal critic of the Chechen leader, was killed.

Although the Austrian police believed that the assassination was ordered by Kadyrov, the government at the time, led by Social Democrat Chancellor Werner Faymann, took no notable action against Moscow.

Foubert also notes that despite the fact that Russia’s relations with the West began to deteriorate after the illegal annexation of Crimea by the government of Vladimir Putin and the outbreak of the separatist war in Donbas, Austria continued to maintain diplomatic relations and economic cooperation with Moscow. levels

Just two years later, the Freedom Party of Austria (FPO) signed a cooperation agreement with President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party, and in 2018 Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, leader of the Austrian People’s Party, expressed hope for a new rapprochement between the EU and the EU. Russia.

Russian gas, connection between Austria and Russia

Also in 2018, Austria was the only major EU country that did not expel Russian diplomats after the poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Great Britain, where he had taken refuge.

In the same year, after his re-election, President Vladimir Putin paid an official visit to Austria, signing an agreement in Vienna to extend the supply of Russian gas to Vienna until 2040.

This move was made despite the fact that the former Austrian army colonel was found guilty of spying for Russia and sentenced to 30 years in prison. An international arrest warrant has been issued for an officer of the GRU, Russia’s main intelligence agency, who was responsible for maintaining ties with a former Austrian army officer.

But Chancellor Kurz at the time invoked Austria’s neutrality to justify why his government would not take “unilateral measures” against Russia.

A year later, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen announced that Austria would maintain its participation in the Nord Stream 2 project, despite sanctions imposed by the United States at the time.

The Chancellor of Austria visited Vladimir Putin in Moscow after the start of the war in Ukraine

Austria first expelled a Russian diplomat only in 2020 after his involvement in an industrial espionage scandal.

Daniel Fubar also reminds that after the start of the war in Ukraine, Vienna supported the sanctions adopted by the EU against Russia, due to which Moscow included Austria in the list of “unfriendly countries” along with all other member states of the community bloc. .

However, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehhammer in April 2022 became the first European leader to visit Putin in Moscow, calling for talks to end the war.

“Without Romania in Schengen => less investment in infrastructure => less infrastructure to support NATO operations on the eastern flank,” concludes Daniel Fubar.

The CEO of consulting firm Excalibur Insight in Warsaw, Fubar received a bachelor’s degree in history from the Sorbonne University, where he also studied for a master’s degree in international relations. He also received a bachelor’s degree in Polish civilization from a prestigious French university, and a master’s degree in finance from the Neoma business faculty.

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