Overview
The primary task of Austria’s foreign policy is to maintain Austria’s relation with all countries in the world and to represent its interests in all international and regional organizations where Austria is a member. Since 1995 Austria’s participation in the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the EU has a particular role. Austria actively takes part in the development of common positions, actions and strategies, as well as the formulation of statements, demarches and conclusions. Austria’s membership in the EU also plays a pivotal role in deepening our relations with many non-European states, e.g. in Africa, Latin-America and Asia. Austria’s foreign policy, among others, particularly covers
- Relations with the neighbouring states;
- Relationship with the countries of Southern Europe: Austria supports the European perspective of these states also in the interest of regional stability;
- Relations with the new neighbouring states of the enlarged EU;
- Support for all initiatives building peace, stability and prosperity in the Mediterranean region and in the neighbourhood of the Middle East;
- Austria advocates a strong role of the United Nations, exploit all possibilities the OSCE and the Council of Europe offer;
- The respect of international law, especially the universality of human rights and the rights of minorities are of special importance to Austria. Austria also continues to carry out its protective function for South Tyrol in this context;
- Questions of Austrian security policy (Common Security and Defence Policy; participation in the NATO partnership for peace);
Further focal areas are the engagement for the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the strengthening of the corresponding organizations, the ban of land mines and cluster ammunition, the control of small- and light weapons, the fight against international terrorism and the Dialogue of Civilizations.
Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs: