First trip abroad

Meinl-Reisinger: “Neutrality is very clear to us”

(Bild: Michael Gruber)

Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger (NEOS) welcomes the EU Commission's proposals to mobilize more money for Europe's defence capabilities. On the occasion of her first trip abroad in her office on Thursday, she also reaffirmed the new federal government's commitment to neutrality. Europe must be self-confident and united, she demanded.

Meinl-Reisinger emphasized that "everything must be done" to "strengthen Europe's autonomy". Unfortunately, in times like these, this also means "the ability to defend itself", which is why she welcomes the EU Commission's proposal. It wants to mobilize 800 billion euros to become less dependent on third parties such as the USA and to be prepared for new threats. The topic was also at the top of the agenda at the special EU summit in Brussels on Thursday.

"Neutrality clearly applies to us"
 "We need to look in detail at what this means in concrete terms", continued the Foreign Minister. It was "important to her that this also goes in the direction of joint procurement and interoperability". And "the neutrality that the constitution stipulates clearly applies to us. But the one has nothing to do with the other," emphasized the liberal politician.

For Meinl-Reisinger, one thing is certain: "Austria stands in solidarity with Ukraine." She announced on Bluesky on Wednesday that she had spoken to the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrij Sybiha. She did not want to say anything about a possible trip to Ukraine. The liberal politician is convinced that the security of Ukraine cannot be negotiated over the heads of Ukraine, just as the security and future of Europe cannot be negotiated without Europe at the table.

She "believes that in view of the geopolitical situation, it is necessary for Europe to take action, stand on its own two feet and act with self-confidence". After all, European security is also being decided in Ukraine and "that is why we in Austria are insisting on a just and sustainable peace". In response to a question about the activities of US President Donald Trump and his administration and his change of course in favor of Russia on the Ukraine issue, she said that these were "decisive days".

Appeal for unity
But: "Europe can position itself more strongly if it wants to. We are a rich continent, we are a strong continent, more people live here than in the USA." For the Foreign Minister, "self-confidence is required". For Meinl-Reisinger, however, Europe's strength lies above all in its unity. She therefore appealed for this unity to be preserved: "We should not allow ourselves to be divided, because then the enemies of Europe will have won in the end."

The new Foreign Minister Meinl-Reisinger met EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas on her first trip abroad.

(Bild: Michael Gruber)

"Strength of the law and not the lawof the strongest"
 For Austria, it must be clear "that we are always better off when the strength of the law applies and not the law of the strongest", said Meinl-Reisinger. In these times, "the rules-based world order seems to be giving way to a power-based world order, and that is not in our interest". She emphasized the importance of transatlantic relations; however, in contrast to the USA, Europe and Austria "have other interests, especially in the Ukraine issue, and also the interest that multilateralism is strengthened instead of weakened".

"We are better off having a seat at the negotiating table than having economic or military power decided over our heads," she emphasized. She sees it as her "task to ensure that this strength is established, above all for Europe".

On her first trip abroad as Foreign Minister, Meinl-Reisinger met with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas and EU Commissioner for Migration Magnus Brunner.