The Austrian Freedom Party (FPO) has pointed out that Austria's perpetual neutrality enshrined in the country's constitution has now been nullified by Austria's support for the EU's warmongering rhetoric.

„The law supporting the production of ammunition is a clear violation of Austria’s constitutionally protected neutrality,” Georg Mayer, a right-wing politician from the Austrian Freedom Party (FPO) said, voicing criticism of the federal government’s foreign policy. The adopted plan secures €500 million from the EU budget, to be made available to support the expansion of production capacities for various types of ammunition and missiles, which will mainly benefit Ukraine. According to the FPO,

„this will make the European Union a protagonist in a war with Ukraine, in which Austria is also involved”.

Mr Mayer stressed that this clearly contradicts the Austrian Constitution.

„This is a violation of our country’s eternal neutrality, and Austria is supporting a pro-war group within the framework of the EU regulation,” the MEP hailing from the province of Styria explained.

According to Mr Mayer, the federal government is dragging Austria, along with its population, further and further into the war. Yet surveys show that around 80 per cent of Austrians want Austria to remain perpetually neutral.

FPO demands that the European Union stick to its own definition of being a union for peace and take any appropriate measures to ensure that many would not have to die each and every day. „More weapons will not bring about peace, they will only lead to more deaths and destruction. But we want a Europe that stands for prosperity, freedom and above all peace,” Georg Mayer stressed.

In terms of the so-called Sky Shield project, Mr Mayer’s party also argues strongly that it should not jeopardise the country’s eternal neutrality. The European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI) is a project to build an integrated European air defence system on the ground, including a ballistic missile defence capability. The initiative will begin in July 2023 with the participation of nineteen European states.

MEP Susanne Fürst, another FPO politician, had underlined in a previous debate that following the EU’s path was slowly changing, and was no longer about defending Western values such as peacekeeping, prosperity and freedom.

„The EU’s Western values are now corruption, wasteful Pfizer contracts, green deals that eat up millions of taxpayers’ money and warfare,”

the right-wing politician said.

Ms Furst called on the European Union to commit to peace negotiations rather than additional weapon deliveries, and she criticised the bloc’s unwillingness to do so. She said:

„If the German government in Brussels really has something to say, it should get the ladies and gentlemen of the EU back on track and ensure peace, instead of war. Not everyone who claims that the US is a beneficiary of the Ukraine war is pushing a Russian propaganda. The EU actually has the chance and the power to seek a solution, but the arms race is not leading to a solution that will benefit both sides. Every effort should be made to achieve a ceasefire and peace. This is not naivety and not a lack of solidarity. Because more weapons and more tanks will mean more dead soldiers and more dead civilians.”

FPO has also tabled a motion in parliament calling for Austria to stop providing financial aid to any belligerent side, and for the sanctions against Russia to be lifted. In their opinion, Europeans, including Austrians, are suffering way more from the punitive measures than Russia, which has even benefited from the EU’s sanctions policy. While Europe is bleeding itself to death at the behest of the United States, the great power overseas is also profiting from the war. That said, FPO’s proposal was swept off the table by all political parties in one fell swoop.