Austrian Diplomacy in a Changing Global and European Context: Between Innovation, Adaptation and Resilience

20 years after Austria joined the EU, this article examines the Europeanization of Austrian diplomacy in its interaction with global trends and national challenges. This article assesses the adaptation of Austrian diplomacy in the global, European and national context over time.

The change in Austrian diplomacy is primarily to be classified as reactive. Diplomats have adjusted their understanding of their roles in the course of EU membership and EU sanctions, while on a structural level Austrian diplomacy follows global trends. However, these reorientations are severely limited by ongoing national budget cuts and the lack of strategic reorientation. The introduction of the European External Action Service was also accepted as a top-down Europeanization: the increased attempts at European diplomatic coordination since 2009 are seen as an additional instrument but not as a substitute for Austrian diplomacy.