Austria's Foreign Minister, Ms Benita Ferrero-Waldner, wants the Government to defy the sanctions imposed on Vienna by its EU partners by inviting her to Dublin. Speaking to The Irish Times as her government announced it would hold a referendum on the sanctions, Ms Ferrero-Waldner said the boycott would start to crumble if the Republic broke ranks with the other member-states.
"I would have wished that one or other of the more courageous countries would have just invited me. I think it would have shown clearly to all the others that these sanctions that are called bilateral but are not bilateral in reality would be off," she said.
Six months after the sanctions were imposed in protest against the presence of the far-right Freedom Party in Austria's government, Vienna's patience is close to exhaustion. The future of the sanctions depends on a report to be prepared by three "wise men" nominated by the European Court of Human Rights, who will evaluate the right-wing government's commitment to "European values".
The monitors will also report on the evolution of the political nature of the Freedom Party, now that Dr Jorg Haider has resigned as its leader. A former diplomat who served in Madrid, Paris and at the United Nations before turning to politics, Ms Ferrero-Waldner believes Dr Haider's influence over his party is diminishing. But that could change if the sanctions are not lifted in time to prevent the referendum being held in late October or early November.
If the referendum goes ahead, the Austrian people will be asked to support their government in taking "suitable measures" to end the sanctions. According to Dr Haider, this could include blocking the package of reforms due to be agreed in Nice in December with a view to preparing the EU for enlargement.
The six-part referendum question includes a commitment to a new, treaty-based system for punishing member-states accused of contravening European values and an assertion of the democratic right of each member-state to elect any government it chooses.
It also states Austria's opposition to any development that would create a hegemony of larger EU member-states at the expense of smaller countries.
Ms Ferrero-Waldner hopes that an early end to the sanctions will ensure that the referendum is not held but, regardless of the sanctions, she is adamant Austria will not agree to some of the reforms being proposed.
"We want one commissioner per country," she said.
Although sympathetic to the idea of greater flexibility in the EU that would allow for reinforced co-operation between groups of member-states, Ms Ferrero-Waldner said Austria would demand strict conditions for any such move.
She insists that Austria wants the EU to welcome new members as soon as possible, but claims the sanctions have made it more difficult to agree compromises on the reforms that are needed first.
Ms Ferrero-Waldner believes Austria's image has suffered immeasurably. And as young Austrians complain about being insulted when abroad and accused of being fascists, the bitterness lies deep.
"Psychologically, I think a lot will have to be done to bring friendship again between people and to make this friendship more profound," she said.