N. Peter Kramer’s Weekly Column
Last week political history has been made in the European Union. The absurd situation arose that Austrian Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler, a former professional activist and member of the Green party, voted in favour of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation act contrary to her government instructions. Austria had always declared that it would abstain due to internal divisions, but Gewessler casted the crucial vote in favour, which ensured the qualified majority and the ratification of the act.
The Austrian minister acted on her own authority and contrary to the instructions of her government. The rule is that there must be unity of a government : ’the government speaks with one voice’. Before the vote, the Austrian government informed the Belgian presidency by letter, signed by the Chancellor and the Federal Minister for the EU, that there had been no change in the Austrian position and that the authorisation to vote for Minister Gewessler had been withdrawn.
It should have been clear to the Belgian Presidency that Gewessler was no longer allowed to vote on behalf of the Member State of Austria. Though, the Presidency of the EU Environment Council was in the hands of Belgian federal Environment Minister Zakia Khattabi, member of the political party Ecolo.
The Austrian governing party OVP, coalition partner of the Greens, has not left it at that and has sued Gewessler for abuse of office. The party is also going to the European Court of Justice to overturn the vote. But don’t expect too much of that.
