Expert: turmoil in Austria has damaged Kurz’s reputation in the EU

At the beginning of the year, the media briefly speculated as the future head of the EU Commission, does he still have a chance for the job? Emmanuelides asserted that “Kurtz suffered damage to public perception beyond national borders.” In the European Council, where each member state is represented by a head of state or government, a colleague of von Kurz had changed his mind or felt certain, in his opinion. The expert doesn’t want to rule anything out, and Curtis is also “too young”.

Emmanouilidis was cautious about ÖVP’s attacks on the judiciary. Regular Rule of Law reports from the EU Commission show that there are also problems in other EU countries. “I wouldn’t say now that there is a group of countries that form a special category,” the EU expert said. He also cautioned against casting Kurz’s case “as much” as questions about the independence of the judiciary in Hungary or Poland, for example.

Emmanuelides said that the future path led by the new Chancellor Schallenberg would continue to be considered with regard to the Visegrad countries (Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia). “I dare doubt that the common position with Hungary and Poland will strengthen our position at the level of the European Union,” he points out. It is different when working with “thrifters”, which includes the Netherlands or Denmark, for example – “a formation that has an actual impact at the European level”.