Austria's President, Dr Thomas Klestil, on an official visit to Parliament in Strasbourg, confirmed Austria's commitment to a strong European link. He warned MEPs that the high expectations of 30 years ago had now often given way to scepticism and apathy: "Today's generation has long come to take peace within the Union for granted."
The danger was that, without the firm support of its citizens, the future of Europe would be built on shaky foundations. As in other EU member states, many people in Austria felt distanced from the decision-making process, which he said was often perceived as interfering with a traditional way of life.
Backing for the EU institutions was absent in Austria, he said, and this in turn had led to an attitude of hostility, weakening vital popular support for European unification. To counter these fears, he recommended building a Europe based on the citizens' concerns. This aim involved tackling unemployment, and, following the Luxembourg Summit, the time was right for practical action. It was also vital to promote a positive environmental policy based on high standards and sustainable development.
On the question of reducing the gulf between the EU institutions and the citizen, he emphasised the need for transparency in all the EU's activities. This would mean people being readily aware of who was responsible for which decisions. A lot of responsibility for ensuring this lay with the European Parliament, he said, which faced a challenge of establishing democracy at a European level without losing contact with the grass roots.
The applicant countries should feel genuinely welcome in the EU, and the EU's existing population should feel that enlargement would not pose a threat to what had so far been achieved. Austria, he added, would be the EU country most affected by enlargement, as it borders on so many countries.