The Austrian issue

The European Union adapts to political reality as this is shaped by member-states. This can be seen in the handling of the "Austrian issue" which emerged after the country's radical populist right-wing Freedom Party (FPO) became part of the country's governing coalition.

There can be no comparison to the reactions and the sanctions imposed on Vienna when then Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel formed a coalition in 2000 with the party then led by Joerg Haider.

Europe's reaction back then proved fruitless. It could be said that today's response has been a more pragmatic one.

At the end of the day, developments on the "Austrian issue" mark the end of a delusion regarding a homogeneous political behavior by nation-states, imposed from above. This marks some progress, but it is also a sign that the European idea has waned.

A less prominent case perhaps...