Austria Report

   
 

Main Actors

 
At the federal level, Austria’s WGA has both horizontal and vertical aspects. For example, horizontal inter-ministerial coordination normally involves a wide range of actors, including the Federal Chancellery and several ministries. While the lead ministries are the foreign (BMEIA), defence (BMLV) and interior (BMI) ministries, other ministries involved include the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health and Consumer Protection (BMASGK); the Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF); the Ministry of Digital and Economic Affairs (BMDW); the Ministry of Constitutional Affairs, Reforms, Deregulation and Justice (BMVRDJ); the Ministry of Sustainability and Tourism (BMNT); the Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology (BMVIT); and the Ministry of Finance (BMF). Vertically, there is cooperation with organisations such as the Austrian Economic Chamber (WKO), the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the parliament, the federal states (Laender) and civil society organisations (discussed in more detail below). The National Security Council (with the involvement of parliamentary parties) and several more specialised coordination mechanisms at different levels ensure both strategic and day-to-day coordination.
 
Austria’s WGA efforts also involve NGOs, the private sector and research/academic institutions. For example, the Vienna-based Global Responsibility Platform for Development and Humanitarian Aid serves as an umbrella organisation for 35 NGOs with humanitarian and development expertise and mandates, represents civil society in coordination mechanisms, and contributes to the mutual exchange of information with the ministries. NGOs receive 10 to 15 percent of Austria’s Foreign Disaster Fund, which is administered by the BMEIA and has an annual budget of EUR 15 million. Furthermore, the Austrian Development Agency disposes of a separate NGO budget line, the BMEIA and the Austrian Red Cross organise regular seminars on the dissemination of international humanitarian law in cooperation with the universities of Graz and Linz, and the Austrian Red Cross has provided CIMIC trainings and training for police officers on the mandate of the Red Cross and Red Crescent and the work of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Regarding the private sector, companies young and old are increasingly active, are filling funding gaps on the basis of multilateral commitments (e.g. SDGs), and are getting more and more involved in coordination mechanisms. In terms of research and academia, there are several specialised institutes that contribute to the public debate surrounding security and defence policies, including the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy (AIES), the Austrian Institute for International Affairs (OIIP), the Austrian Study Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution (ASPR), the National Defence Academy (LVAk) and the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna. In addition, these institutions are regularly commissioned by various ministries to undertake related research work.
 
Before moving on to discuss other relevant players, a geographical focus is necessary: Austria’s WGA efforts currently focus on South- East Europe (SEE), the MENA region, the Near and Middle East, and North and sub-Saharan Africa. Of these, given its geographic proximity, political instability, elements of radicalisation, and migration flows, the SEE region is of crucial importance to Austria’s security interests and can be defined as being of ‘strategic’ importance to Austria. The high number of Austrian troops deployed there – over 350 in Bosnia and over 460 in Kosovo (BMLV n.d.) – together with substantial financial and political support, shows the country’s strong commitment to this region. Austria complements its military engagement by deploying a contingent of almost 180 soldiers to UNIFIL in Lebanon (ibid.). In Western Africa, Austria’s civil and military engagement is increasing on the basis of a WGA (in particular with EUTM Mali). However, as stipulated in the 2011 Strategic Guideline on Security and Development (BMEIA and BMLV 2011), joint actions are to be given priority over unilateral projects. This principle of concentrating human resources, capabilities and assets has also been introduced at the strategic level, such as with the 3YP (BMEIA 2019a).
 
In terms of government stakeholders currently engaged abroad, Austria’s armed forces have been contributing to international peacekeeping efforts since 1960, deploying altogether more than 100,000 Austrian troops and civilians in more than 50 missions abroad. Also, there are currently around 30 members of the interior ministry (BMI) deployed abroad in advisory positions and civilian missions of the OSCE, EU and UN with a focus on the SEE region, Eastern Europe and Central Asia (e.g. the OSCE mission in North Macedonia, SMM Ukraine, EUMM Georgia and the OSCE mission in Tajikistan). Overall, current civilian and military deployment can be summarised as follows: Total: 1,110 EU (military), 376 EU (civilian), 13 NATO, 493 OSCE, 27 UN. Furthermore, the Austrian Development Agency focuses on least-developed countries (LDCs), partner countries in the SEE region, and (with a global view) countries in fragile contexts.
 
In this framework, the scope of Austria’s WGA can be described as ‘system-wide’ in South-East Europe (including trade and economic incentives) and in the Eastern Neighbourhood, and as ‘medium’ in West Africa as well as in other African countries and regions, such as where the efforts of various Austrian stakeholders (e.g. the Austrian Economic Chamber, the Austrian Development Agency, defence attaches and civil society organisations) are concentrated or where training programmes are in place, such as in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, or Accra, Ghana, home to the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC).
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