Provincial Councillor Amon:

Provincial Councillor Amon wants to counter the EU’s image problem

Werner Amon is responsible for Europe, International Affairs, Education and Personnel.

(Bild: ALEXANDER LOUVET)

European elections are coming up this summer, but many Styrians are wondering what their regional vote counts for. In an interview with "Krone", Werner Amon (ÖVP), Styrian State Councillor for Europe, addresses Styrian voters and talks about controversial issues such as border protection and the wolf.

"Krone": Why do the European elections matter at all for a relatively small region like Styria?
Werner Amon: Because you have a say in the direction in which the Union develops: Is it heading more in the direction of economic prosperity, growth and innovation - or is it becoming a social union. Even if social issues are important, they are a matter for the nation states. So far, Austria has benefited enormously from the economic dynamism of the EU. This means that the opening up of the market has been an advantage for Austria as a whole, for example in terms of companies and jobs. In addition, we are under the protective umbrella of this union when it comes to major trade competitors such as China or the USA.

Nevertheless, EU skepticism is particularly strong in this country. Does the European Union have an image problem?
We all say that the EU should do more, but the EU is ultimately all nation states. So it can only do what the nation states enable it to do. But the bottom line is to see what this project brings. More security, economic benefits and democratic structures - that's what the EU is all about.

Werner Amon campaigns for Styrian interests in Brussels - here in the Committee of the Regions.

(Bild: ©European Union / John Thys/European Commitee of the Regions)

In the last European elections, voter turnout in Styria was below the Austrian average. How can Styrians be persuaded to vote in the European elections this year?
I would like to remain very basic: It is important to go to every election, and this year in particular we have an intense election year. The right to vote is a civil right that was fought for with a lot of blood. It enables power to be distributed peacefully. After all, being a citizen means getting involved in your own affairs, so voting is the least an EU citizen should do.

The wolf population has increased to such an extent that it has become a threat to livestock and possibly also to humans. That is why the protection of the wolf must be downgraded again, as the European Commission has proposed.

Werner Amon, Europalandesrat Steiermark (ÖVP)

To what extent can very regional issues be discussed at EU level? When you think of the wolf, for example.
You have to differentiate here: One area is hunting law, which is subdivided down to the individual hunting associations. This defines in detail how many animals may be taken in which forests. But the wolf has been protected for a very long time. And no one will deny that nature conservation issues are not only to be dealt with at national level, which makes it a European issue. In the meantime, the wolf population has increased to such an extent that it has become a threat to livestock and possibly also to humans. That is why the protection of the wolf must be downgraded again, as the European Commission has proposed. We can then draw regional conclusions from this.

Governor Christopher Drexler would like to have the Styrian borders checked even more strictly for illegal migration. Doesn't that go against the Schengen idea?
The fact that the European Union's external border controls have not yet been fully implemented means that Schengen is under threat. The idea of the Schengen Treaty is to have open internal borders. There should be free movement of people, services, goods and capital. But if external border protection does not work well, countries with very high social standards have the problem that they become the target of increased illegal migration. They then have to take their own measures, because the nation state still has the task of protecting its own people accordingly. Nevertheless, the protection of external borders should be stepped up at EU level.

Note: The press trip took place at the invitation of the Province of Styria.