Why the rule of law matters so much to Austria
Austria is surrounded by neighbours whose failings on the rule of law could cause trouble for Austria itself. For this reason, stronger EU mechanisms would suit Vienna’s strategic positioning
Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy (AIES)
Sofia Maria Satanakis is responsible for scientific outreach at the Austrian Academy of Sciences’ Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information. Satanakis is also a senior associated fellow at the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy (AIES). She first joined AIES in 2013 as a research fellow. Her research addresses European integration with a special focus on EU Common Foreign and Security Policy and Common Security and Defence Policy. She also covers the Western Balkans. In 2017, she joined the Cologne Forum for International Relations and Security Policy (KFIBS e.V.) as part of the research group ‘Europe/EU’. She co-organises yearly conferences within the framework of ‘German-Austrian Debates on the Future of the EU’ for AIES and KFIBS e.V.
Austria is surrounded by neighbours whose failings on the rule of law could cause trouble for Austria itself. For this reason, stronger EU mechanisms would suit Vienna’s strategic positioning
Although Austria has the potential to influence EU policymaking more, the country often stands in its own way