Austria-Hungary is "rising from the grave"; Don't worry, it will only last 50 years

Austria-Hungary is "rising from the grave"; Don't worry, it will only last 50 years

Given that Hungary is holding 50 billion euros in aid to Ukraine and as a hostage for that country's accession to the EU, Vienna, its critics claim, is using the impasse to push its priorities behind the scenes, ignoring the urgency of the situation in Kyiv.

Austria's recent move toward Ukraine fits a familiar pattern of exploiting its neutrality to get closer to Moscow while asserting loyalty to the West, a tactic mastered by Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán.

Austria's reputation for intransigence in Brussels has been exacerbated by its long-standing blockade of Bulgaria and Romania's entry into the Schengen area. Even Hungary supports the inclusion of the two countries.

The real reason why Austria is suddenly making noise about Ukraine in Brussels is Bosnia and Herzegovina. If the EU opens accession negotiations with Ukraine, Austria wants to include Bosnia and Herzegovina, with which it has long-standing economic and political ties.

"We want to see Bosnia and Herzegovina in the EU family," Austrian Minister for Europe Karoline Edtstadler said this month during a visit to Sarajevo, claiming that the country's accession is a "geopolitical necessity."

Given Austria's proximity to the region, calming tensions in the former Yugoslavia has long been at the top of the country's foreign policy priorities. Vienna is convinced that the best way to create lasting peace in the region - and also to reduce the persistent influence of Russia - is to bring the Western Balkans into the fold of the EU. Bearing in mind that Ukraine's accession is on the agenda of this week's EU summit, Austria saw an opportunity to slip Bosnia through the back door.

"We have no intention of standing in the way of joining Ukraine," a senior Austrian official who requested anonymity told Politika, adding that it would be like "standing in front of a freight train." Austria's only goal, the official said, was to quietly attach Bosnia and Herzegovina "to the back of the train."

However, when it comes to Austria's political direction, there is still much to worry about. Elections should be held in the country next fall. The anti-EU Freedom Party, which sees Orban's Hungary as a model, leads the polls by a considerable margin.

During a recent visit to Budapest, Freedom Party leader Herbert Kickl called Hungary "a haven of national self-determination and resistance against globalist intervention from Brussels." An anonymous diplomat also told the Brussels portal: "Make no mistake: this is a dual monarchy rising from the grave."

Finally, Politico adds that despite the growing far-right fraternity between Kickl and Orbán, Europe can take solace in the fact that Austro-Hungarian cooperation has never stood the test of time. The last attempt lasted only about 50 years, Danas newspaper reported.