Austria plays an important role both politically and economically in the process of shaping the European Union’s policies, for example in the enlargement of the EU, as well as in the expansion of the “custom-free” Schengen area. Vienna’s political influence could be a useful tool for Russia in its attempts to split European unity, stop EU and Schengen expansion, even influence European support for Ukraine in the war and further loosen Western sanctions. However, the ties between the Russian Federation and Austria have strengthened so much that they go beyond the economic field and extend to all important areas, such as political, energy, cultural and social.

Vienna and Moscow interact through energy deals, diplomatic meetings and significant investments by Russian oligarchs in the Austrian economy. The purpose of these interactions is to ensure that Austria becomes an example of a pro-Kremlin nation in the European Union, which was also seen during the large-scale outbreak of war in Ukraine, where the attitude of the Austrians was one of the most favorable. lenient towards the Russians, and the military support of the Ukrainians is the least.

Russia seeks to influence Austria as part of a larger strategy to weaken the European Union and divide the European continent and the United States in order to create a political and cultural space more favorable to Moscow’s interests. Foreign influence on the European Parliament vote could jeopardize Euro-Atlantic security, and the condescending attitude of all Austrian chancellors, ending with the current Karl Nehhammer, should raise big questions, as he was the first European leader to visit Moscow on April 11, 2 months after the Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Russia mostly operates through sophisticated political influence campaigns that are specifically designed to exploit the weaknesses of a country like Austria, which is a powerful state with a pragmatic foreign policy that focuses more on economic than political interests.

The goals of these influence operations include gaining political support and attracting friendly votes in Europe, reducing Austria’s risk of political criticism of Russia by offering economic incentives, and exploiting Austria’s political and economic weaknesses for personal gain and increasing political power, often using corrupt methods and existing loopholes. Also a common practice used by Russia in other European states, but which works well in Vienna, is Moscow’s ability to take advantage of social discord, which arose mainly due to economic and military support of the Ukrainian resistance to the war.

Why does the influence of Austria play such an important role, and not, for example, another Western state? Austria is not the only EU member state affected by Russian influence in this context, but it is considered particularly vulnerable due to its history of Euroscepticism, which of course leads to a split in the European project. But most importantly, Austria is vulnerable to Russia and because of its significant investments in Central and Eastern Europe, in this case Romania.

The EU Council’s vote last December to allow Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania to join the border-free Schengen area should have been a major victory for the European Union. It was intended to demonstrate the unity of the EU bloc after a difficult year characterized by war, political and economic upheaval, and to underline the continued ability of the EU to formulate plans for the enlargement of the Schengen area and the European Union as a whole.

The argument in favor of the accession of Bulgaria and Romania is clear. These two countries became EU members in 2007 and fulfilled all the technical requirements for joining the Schengen zone in 2011. However, due to the lack of strong political will, mainly due to concerns about corruption and bringing the state into compliance with the standards imposed by the EU, the moment of joining the Schengen area was constantly postponed. Unsubstantiated reasons were cited, for example, the vulnerability of land borders. This topic is constantly used by the Austrian authorities, since the topic of migration is always a bone of contention in the elections in Vienna.

The biggest problem is that both the government in Sofia and in Bucharest are facing pro-Russian and anti-European parties – Renaștea (Bulgaria) and Alliance for the Union of Romanians (Romania), whose support has grown significantly recently. Austria’s new European Council boycott against Schengen, expected at the end of this year, would be the perfect political gift for the Russian Federation to receive again.

For the Kremlin, allowing Romania and Bulgaria to access the Schengen area is a certain disadvantage. This accession would make it possible to accelerate the transportation of goods from Ukraine and Moldova to European markets, which would bring more financial resources not only for Bucharest and Sofia, but also for Kyiv and Chisinau, and would also strengthen the support of the West in the region.

And, of course, one of the real reasons for Austria’s opposition to the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen zone is related to Vienna’s close economic interests with Moscow. A single example is the Austrian oil company OMV, which occupies a leading position in the Romanian market, continues to carry out commercial operations with Russia, importing oil and gas from this country, even despite the economic sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States. of the state

Despite the war in Ukraine, the question of Austria’s “neutrality” is still not discussed in the public debate in Vienna. Local influential figures are so entrenched in relations with Russian elites and businessmen that Austria’s political class cannot even make the bold decision to distance itself from Russia. The latest case in this regard is the law, which is still blocked in the Austrian parliament, which was supposed to criminalize the espionage activities of foreign organizations on the territory of Austria (the law devoted to Moscow). It is also a lesson for a state like the Republic of Moldova, which is going through the same drama and cannot resort to tougher action without a corresponding response from Moscow, but which at the same time needs much more support. more actively than most of the countries of Western Europe.

At the moment when even the Minister of Foreign Affairs Peter Szijjártó, a high-ranking official of a country like Hungary, with deep pro-Russian sympathies and a not too friendly attitude towards the Romanian state, asks Austria not to block Romania’s entry into Schengen, there is no room even for an interpretation against the bad will of the authorities in Vienna – Read the entire article and comment on Contributors.ro