On October 26, 2025, Austria will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Second Republic. A central component of the country's independence was the inclusion of perpetual neutrality in the constitution, which was adopted on October 26, 1955. But what significance does this commitment have in the 21st century? Constitutional lawyer Christoph Bezemek provides the answer:
1: Why was neutrality so crucial for Austria when the state was founded in 1955?
Austria's neutrality is not part of the State Treaty of Vienna, but it was implicitly a requirement for it, at least on the Soviet side. In the absence of an explicit international treaty obligation, it was declared “of its own free will” by the constitutional legislator in the “Federal Constitutional Law of October 26, 1955, on the Neutrality of Austria” and brought to the attention of the international community. In this respect, it can be seen as the keystone of the restoration of Austrian sovereignty, which was to have a significant impact on the country's identity over the following decades.
2: It is often claimed that neutrality actually became obsolete with Austria's accession to the EU. Why is that?
Austria's neutrality, in terms of how it is understood and how this understanding is lived out, is subject to continuous change, which is often described with the words “integral” and “differential” neutrality. This refers to an evolution from a comprehensive understanding of neutrality, including in the sense of economic non-alignment, to a more restrictive understanding that revolves strongly around the question of military non-alignment with a duty to provide assistance. With Austria's accession to the European Union, this understanding changed once again. The Federal Constitution opened up to the Common Foreign and Security Policy and thus, in addition to the possibility of participating in economic sanctions, also to combat missions, which, however, still require a mandate from the UN Security Council. The original neutrality relationship is thus undergoing another decisive modification.
3: Only a few hundred kilometers away from Austria, war is raging in Ukraine. Is neutrality still appropriate in view of these threats?
Whether neutrality is appropriate is a question of perspective and, beyond that, one of political opportunity. Although its existence or suitability is often questioned, neutrality forms the essential foundation of the “Austrian Security Strategy 2024,” especially against the backdrop of Russia's attack on Ukraine. This document underscores what is often said by political actors in Austria: “Military neutrality” is not synonymous with “neutrality in the mind-set.” This maxim, in turn, illustrates the ongoing change in the understanding of neutrality and, at the same time, that the evolution of the concept is by no means complete. This further development seems far more likely in the long term than a formal departure from neutrality, which, in the eyes of its numerous proponents, is by no means obsolete even after the end of the Cold War and whose identity-shaping effect is also perceived by large sections of the population.
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