On October 26, Austria marks one of the most significant moments in its modern history. On this day in 1955, the country declared its permanent neutrality – a decision that has fundamentally shaped Austria’s contemporary political identity.
The National Day is not only an occasion to honor Austria’s historical legacy and statehood, but also to highlight the values on which Austrian society is built – stability, dialogue, and a strong commitment to international cooperation.
In this interview for EUpravo zato, the Ambassador of Austria to Serbia, Christian Ebner, speaks about the historical importance of this holiday, as well as the current state and future prospects of relations between Serbia and Austria – from political cooperation and economic investment, through European integration and joint security initiatives, to cultural and educational exchange.
Austria is celebrating its National Day today. What does this mean for your country and for you personally?
"The Austrian National Day serves to honour our statehood, national identity, and the cohesion of the people. The day marks an important event that has shaped our country's history and identity: on October 26, 1955, Austria declared in a Federal Constitutional Law on the neutrality of Austria its resolve to preserve its independence for all time and under all circumstances and to defend it with all means at its disposal, to be able to make a valuable contribution to world peace as a permanently neutral state. For me as Austrian Ambassador to Serbia this day is an opportunity to bring together friends of Austria and Austrian friends and to celebrate our friendship and mutual support in increasingly difficult times."
How would you assess the current level of bilateral relations between Serbia and Austria, and which areas of cooperation do you see as most promising for strengthening the partnership?
Our bilateral relations are diverse and encompass all areas of life. On the political level, we enjoy an intensive exchange of visits, with the first visit by the new Austrian Chancellor to Belgrade this summer, where discussions on Serbia’s path towards the EU were held and a Joint Declaration was signed on "further deepening of economic relations between our two countries".
Our trade relations are developing well, Serbia continues to be an important market for Austria. Our more than 800 companies provide thousands of jobs in this country and are important partners in various business sectors, like banking and insurance, construction, telecom, logistics, agrobusiness, energy and many more. Our police contingent at the border to North Macedonia continues to provide support to the Serbian border police in the area of illegal migration. We also realize many cultural projects jointly organized by the Austrian Cultural Forum and Serbian cultural institutions, from music, literature and film to experimental art and scientific exchanges. It is only a few days ago that we celebrated the 200th birthday of composer Johann Strauss, the Viennese king of waltz, with a wonderful concert in the Madlenianum Opera House.
Which reforms within Serbia’s European integration process does Austria consider a priority, and where do you see the greatest potential for support and exchange of experience?
Serbia's EU accession reforms are guided by the recently adopted Reform Agenda as part of the New Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, in order to accelerate reforms in the rule of law, economic development, and public administration to align with EU standards.
The Growth Plan aims to boost socio-economic convergence through enhanced economic integration with the EU’s single market, regional integration within the Common Regional Market, and the acceleration of fundamental reforms. It is an important step towards its gradual integration into the EU, a concept that Austria is very much supporting. So, everybody knows what has to be done, the question is rather whether we can maintain a conducive environment for a consistent implementation.
Speaking of the economy and investments – in which sectors do you see the greatest potential for further cooperation between our two countries?
I am convinced that if we look for opportunities for further cooperation we will find them in all business sectors. Faster developing areas are of course the energy sector, especially with regard to renewable energy and energy efficiency or digitalisation in all its aspects where Austrian know how could be interesting for Serbia. The Chambers of Commerce of Austria and Serbia are closely working together in order to identify new fields of cooperation in both countries.
Austria supports numerous educational programs and youth exchanges between Serbia and Austria. What impact have these programs had on strengthening mutual understanding, and which of them do you consider the most successful?
The regional office of the Austrian Agency for Education and Internationalization (OeAD), which is responsible for educational cooperation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia, carries out projects in Serbia in close cooperation with the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education and the Institute for the Advancement of Education. It promotes sustainable educational reforms and the exchange of experience between Serbian and Austrian educational institutions and experts, with a focus on vocational education (developing school quality, promoting cooperation between schools and industry). Our advantage in organising educational programs with Serbia is the fact that we have such large and a vibrant Serbian community in Austria, that there exists a high knowledge about our educational system and that we have the necessary people-to-people contacts already in place to make these programs a success.
(EUpravo zato)