Anti-EU Austrians launched a nationwide petition Wednesday pushing for a referendum on Austrian membership of the EU, which organizers say offers "nothing positive" for their country.
"Action EU Exit" must gather 100,000 signatures between now and next Wednesday in order to compel the Austrian parliament to discuss officially the petition and a possible referendum on abandoning the EU.
"We see nothing positive offered by the EU for the people. It is a project for the benefit of the big companies - our taxes are taken and used to subsidize these companies," said Action EU Exit spokeswoman Gabriele Wladyka on state radio.
The EU works against "everything that is small and healthy," she said.
Austria joined the EU in 1995 following a referendum when some 75 percent of the population voted in favour. This, petition organizers argue, was due to misinformation and propaganda on the part of the government then in power.
Austria has been ruled since February by a coalition government comprising the conservative People's Party and the far-right Freedom Party, replacing the former social democrat and conservative ruling coalition.
The Freedom Party, which came second in elections last year, has frequently expressed skepticism over the benefits of EU membership and has condemned what it sees as the unaccountability of Brussels to the citizens of Europe.
The party has also made clear its hostility towards the expansion of the EU to the east, which some members claim will jeopardize Austrian jobs.
Austria was diplomatically isolated by the 14 EU partners when the Freedom Party entered the coalition government, a move which was seen as an attack on the country's sovereignty by both supporters and opponents of the party.
Polls conducted during Austria's isolation showed support for EU membership had slipped from 50 percent to around a third, and the sanctions were lifted after an EU-mandated report deemed the measures could spark off intense nationalist sentiment – VIENNA (AFP)
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