Autriche

Helmut Berhard Koller est né à Graz, en Autriche, ville dans laquelle il a effectué ses études de droit, qu'il a complétées à l'Académie diplomatique de Vienne.

Entré dans la diplomatie en 1984, il a occupé différentes charges au Ministère autrichien des Affaires étrangères, notamment au Département pour l'Intégration européenne et pour le droit international. En 1986, il est nommé Attaché à l'Ambassade d'Autriche à Nairobi, puis devient Secrétaire d'Ambassade à Prague, ensuite Conseiller d'Ambassade à Helsinki.

Entre 1994 et 1997, il a été responsable des Départements de l'OSCE et des Affaires judiciaires du Ministère des Affaires étrangères et, depuis deux ans, il est en poste à Berne en qualité de Ministre auprès de l'Ambassade d'Autriche. A ce titre, il a été délégué par le Gouvernement autrichien à la Rencontre Coudenhove-Kalergi.

It is a distinguishing honour and a great pleasure for me to talk to you here at the third Coudenhove-Kalergi Meeting, a meeting organised by the Paneuropean Union, dedicated to the work and the ideas of this great Austrian. I would like to take this occasion and thank the organisers for their splendid work, which seems to set the preconditions for an absolute success of this meeting.

Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi was the originator of the Paneuropean idea, aiming at the creation of a United Europe at a time where this continent was suffering from the disastrous consequences of World War I. The rivalry between Germany and France having been the underlying reason for that war, Coudenhove-Kalergi believed that the key to a future in peace lies in a stable solution of this conflict. It took another even more disastrous world war before this vision was put into reality by Robert Schuman and Jean Monnet, who called the European Community for coal and steel, which soon after led to the creation of the European Economic Community.

I do not want to bother you now with the well-known success story of the European Community, which became the European Union in 1992. I have been invited to talk to you about the Austrian option in this process of European integration and I follow this invitation. I would like to start maybe by outlining a little bit the way which led to the accession of Austria to the European Union which was a development that was to a certain degree a logical consequence of its preceding political and economic development.

After Austria had regained its full independence and capacity to act autonomously through the conclusion of the State Treaty in 1955, the participation in the European integration process became very soon one of the most important goals of the Austrian foreign policy.

The fact that Austria had opted for the status of perpetual neutrality in the same year did not prevent it from pursuing an active and dynamic foreign policy. On the contrary, only few months after its full independence Austria adhered to both the United Nations and the Council of Europe, the international organisations where Austria has been a particularly active member ever since, maybe underlined by the fact that the elected Secretary General of the Council of Europe is for the second time an Austrian. Austria has always considered itself not only a "bridge between East and West", but first and foremost a central European "outpost" of the Western core-ideals of democracy and human rights.

As a consequence, Austria sought and found a close integration in the Western European organisations. For a long time, the political environment in Europe, which was until 1989 characterised by the East-West confrontation, placed a full membership in the European Communities out of reach for a neutral State. Austria therefore became in 1960 a founding member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA – AELE) which included those European countries which for the time being had chosen not to join the EEC.

Nevertheless, the establishment of the closest possible ties with the European Community remained a top priority for the Austrian foreign policy. A decisive step towards this goal was taken in 1972 with the successful conclusion of a Free Trade Agreement between Austria and the Communities.

It was only after the fundamental political upheavals in Central and Eastern Europe and the collapse of the Iron Curtain, however, that full membership in the European Communities became a truly realistic option for Austria.

After thorough and successful negotiations with the European Union and an intensive process of national discussion which was topped by a national referendum where 66,58 %, which is two thirds of all voters, approved of the accession to the European Union, Austria became a member State of the EU on the 1^st January 1995.

When Austria entered the European Union, it departed from a favourable starting position as its fourth richest country. Nevertheless, our accession to the European Union had a considerable impact on our economy and I will now briefly outline the economic side of this full integration process.

In 1995, Austria with its 8 million inhabitants became part of a common market with 371 million inhabitants, with common rules on competition, a common commercial policy and, of course, the famous four basic freedoms : free movement of goods, of services, of labour and of capital. Thus, it is not difficult to imagine the extensive economic effects which EU membership had and still has on our country.

Yet, after more than 4 ½ years, now it has become indisputable that the Austrian membership in the European Union represents a political and economic gain for our country. We are in the favourable position to say that benefits even exceed our expectations and prove the correctness of our decision to apply for EU membership. The accession to the EU, thus, proved to be a farsighted step, which will on a medium and long-term basis help protect our economic welfare and lead to the strengthening of the Austrian position in the world markets.

To highlight this point, let me just cite some of the economic advantages, which have so far followed, from our membership to the EU. As a matter of fact, there are lots of examples for this and I try to pick the most interesting and the most drastic ones :

• According to recent estimations, the overall prosperity gain of Austria was 28 billion ATS up to now, which is somewhat more than 2 billion EURO, which is 1,3 % of the Austrian GNP.
• Austrian goods and services can now be offered unhindered in the entire internal market of the EU. More than 2/3 of the Austrian foreign trade are part of this "domestic trade" and are therefore not anymore subject to any customs formalities. By the mere elimination of the formalities and waiting periods of trucks at the German and Italian borders of Austria, Austrian economy saves an incredible 8 – 16 billion ATS per year, roughly speaking 1 billion EURO which are simply saved by leaving out formalities which up to 1995 hindered the free flow of goods.
• The Austrian trade balance improved substantially. Since 1995, Austrian exports increased by almost 12 % per year.
• The positive economic effects extend likewise to the Austrian trade with non member States of the EU. Free trade agreements as well as co-operation and association agreements, which the EU has concluded with numerous third countries, offer the Austrian economy new markets under easier access conditions. This concerns mainly the European agreements with the Central and Eastern European countries.
• Foreign direct investments in Austria have increased considerably since the entry into the EU with almost 80 % originating from within the European Union.

However, the open access to a market of 371 million citizens not only offers new opportunities and possibilities but also resulted and results in an increased stress of competition and a renewed need for adjustment for the Austrian economy. This concerns in particular those economic sectors that have been so far largely protected from the open market forces.

I would like to cite two examples that clearly illustrate these implications for the Austrian economy:

• The Community rules on government contracts brought about a far-reaching liberalisation of these markets in Austria. There is an increased pressure of competition for the Austrian building and construction industry which now has to compete with other European companies in a sector which was previously basically considered as a national reserve of a value of a couple of a billion ATS per year.
• Another sector of Austria's economy that has so far been largely protected from the open market forces and which, thus, had to undergo particular adjustments after our accession to the EU, was the banking sector.

But the gains Austria obtained through its accession to the EU are not only of an economic nature. I even believe that the most important advantages of our EU membership can be found on the political field. Since its accession, Austria has been able to participate actively in the decision-making of the European Union. The Union's Institutions provide for a strong role for smaller member States and therefore give a country like Austria the possibility to effectively engage in the policy-shaping of the Union and to assert its positions within the EU. As a consequence, Austria can participate on equal terms with its EU-partners in the shaping of the challenges and designs for our common European future, as there are : introduction of the EURO, establishment of a common foreign security and defence policy, and of course enlargement.

However, the benefits of EU-membership should not only be seen in an increase of wealth or political power to act, but first and foremost in a gain of security and stability in Europe. We should never lose sight of the fact that the process of European integration had and still has the fundamental goal of preserving peace among the member States and on the continent. The stabilising political effects and the economic gains the European integration offers are clearly not restricted to its member States, but are largely open to countries outside the Union. Since its founding, the European Union has tried to establish not only close political but also economic ties with its neighbouring regions.

In Europe the EU is the only organisation which offers the indispensable economic and political weight to confront the challenges of the future. Critical developments that might arise from religious or ethnic conflicts, ecological, economic or demographic inequalities, or organised crime will not stop at any borders. Thus, we need the European Union, since it is the sole European structure to dispose of the necessary resources and instruments to face these transnational dangers.

Let me now come to the final part of my statement and elaborate briefly on the enlargement process of the EU and Austria's position in this process.

There is no doubt that the enlargement of the EU is in the strategic interest of Austria. In the long run, Austria can not have any interest in remaining the Eastern most outpost of the EU instead of regaining its central position as a turning point in the heart of Europe. Politically, Austria expects an increased stability from the accession of applicant States to the EU. Economically, Austria has already benefited a lot from the opening in 1989. Despite of its relatively small size, Austria is one of the most important foreign investors in Central and Eastern Europe, due to the profound knowledge of the specific market conditions there, which Austrian companies dispose of. EU membership of Eastern and Central European countries will moreover force them to adopt higher ecological standards, especially in the field of nuclear safety, and higher social standards that are a precondition for fair competition.

However, Austria is also potentially more affected than other EU member States by possible risks and dangers of EU enlargement. Salaries in the applicant countries average about 10-15 % salaries in Austria. More than 20 % of the population of applicant countries work in the agricultural sector, compared to about 5 % in Austria. The population, especially in the Eastern part of Austria is sensitive to forecasts of large-scale immigration as a direct consequence of the freedom of movement as soon as the boarders to the East are open, a fear which we know is largely exploited by certain political parties in Austria. Austria therefore attaches particular importance to a smooth enlargement process with the aim of minimising negative effects to the extent possible.

I would now like to formulate four goals, which may serve as a basis of a possible discussion :

1. Reform efforts in the applicant States have to be pursued in a consequent way. Much has already been accomplished, but the European Commission is right in underlining that none of the candidate States up to now fulfils the Copenhagen criteria.
2. The Union has to support these efforts vigorously. Austria therefore approves the proposition of the Commission to grant substantial financial help. The importance of this help could be compared to the help extended to Europe by the United States through the Marshall Plan after World War II.
3. Accession treaties will have to provide for long transitional periods in order to permit a smooth and gradual transition in the most sensible sectors, i.e. agriculture and freedom of movement.
4. The European Union itself is not yet ready for enlargement. The successful accomplishment of internal institutional reforms is a necessary precondition before any new members can be accepted.