Foreign Policy Outlook 2024
Joint event with the Liberal Club
On 24 January 2024, the FPÖ Political Academy and the Liberal Club hosted a lecture evening in Vienna. Dr. Walter Gehr, a diplomat and Head of the Liberal Club’s Foreign Policy Institute provided an overview of current Austrian foreign policy, which is influenced on the one hand by current events and on the other by factors that remain constant. The EU remains an important factor in the field of Austrian foreign policy. For example, strong support for Israel and the USA is clearly noticeable - in the past, Austria maintained greater equidistance internationally. Gehr also stressed the importance of the UN for Austria, partly due to the presence of the UN headquarters in Vienna, and partly because of Austrian participation in peacekeeping missions. At the same time, he noted that a reform of the Security Council is needed to enable the UN to function more effectively in the cause of peace. The speaker observed that while the budget for certain areas had been increased in the foreign ministry, Austrian diplomacy lacked a visible strategic vision.