VIENNA, 16th May 2025 (WAM) -- Austria's new chancellor said he would maintain his country's neutral status, despite calls for more robust solidarity against Russia and criticism that Vienna is freeloading on the security investments of its EU partners.
"Joining NATO is not on the table for Austria," Christian Stocker, leader of the centre-right Austrian People's Party, told Euractiv in a recent interview.
Stocker, who spent 30 years in local politics and only became a national MP in 2019, has little experience in foreign or military affairs. That suggests he is likely to maintain his country's tried and true approach to security: spend as little as possible on defence, while quietly seeking to embed the country into the West's military architecture.
Austria agreed to enshrine neutrality in its constitution in 1955 in order to end its post-war occupation.
