Austria’s new leader has told the EU to ‘take a back seat’ and let countries manage their own affairs as he considers forming a coalition with a far-right party founded by former Nazis.
Sebastian Kurz, who at 31 is set to become the youngest leader in the world, said he wants to make the European Union ‘more subsidiary and more collaborative’.
The young politician, who campaigned for this month’s election with a hard line on immigration, said he wanted the bloc ‘to take more of a backseat on issues where nation states can make better decisions.’
Sebastian Kurz (pictured with girlfriend Susanne Thier), who at 31 is set to become the youngest leader in the world, said he wants to make the European Union
Austria’s president has given the green light to conservative leader Kurz, whose People’s Party (OVP) secured 31.5 per cent of the vote in last week’s parliamentary election, to form a government.
He has already said that his party has common ground with the far-right Freedom Party (FPO), which was set up by former Nazis 60 years ago.
The party left the political fringes to establish itself as a mainstream party long ago, gaining around a quarter of votes in parliamentary elections on October 15, within a whisker of the Social Democrats.
In an interview with Spiegel Online, Kurz was challenged to explain his stance on the EU, having claimed to be a staunch pro-European.
He responded: ‘I represent a mainstream party and the voters have given me a mandate as a pro-European agent of change.
‘We would like to make the EU more subsidiary and more collaborative, and to take more of a backseat on issues where nation states can make better decisions.’
Kurz (pictured with European Commission President Jean-Claude last week) has already said that his party has common ground with the far-right Freedom Party (FPO), which was set up by former Nazis 60 years ago
When asked to explain what he meant, Kurz told the website that there needed to be ‘closer collaboration on foreign and defense policy’ but that ‘we don’t need to have a social union’.
Yesterday, Austria’s likely next chancellor, revealed he wants talks over a new government to last no more than two months.
‘The Austrians expect that there is quickly a strong and stable government which takes up work,’ Kurz was quoted as saying by Austria’s Kronen Zeitung. ‘That means that negotiations should be concluded in less than 60 days.’
KTo form his coalition, only two of Austria’s parliamentary parties, the Social Democrats (SPO) and FPO, have enough seats to give Kurz a majority if they go into coalition with the OVP.
Kurz is currently holding an initial round of discussions with the leaders of all parties in parliament, the last of which is his meeting with outgoing Chancellor Christian Kern, the head of the Social Democrats, later on Sunday.
In a separate interview with tabloid Oesterreich, Kurz said his party has common ground with the FPO and that he had already held constructive talks with FPO leader Heinz-Christian Strache.
‘In the conversation with Heinz-Christian Strache, I also had the impression that he has a strong willingness to effect change and creative drive,’ Kurz was quoted as saying by OE24.
‘But now I will conclude these talks on Sunday, and then take up coalition negotiations with a partner.’