Nationalism is back

European integration is increasingly being called into question. A new kind of nationalism is spreading. By Rainhard Kloucek, Secretary General of the Paneuropa Movement Austria.

Open borders within the EU, overcoming isolationist policies and national protectionism, free movement, a free internal market—these are just a few examples of what European integration stood for just over a year ago. In fact, much of it had become a reality. Especially after the end of the Iron Curtain. Cross-border exchange functioned. There were joint infrastructure investments, people found good jobs on the other side of the border, and cross-border investments created new jobs and improved living conditions.

To be sure, there were already restrictions on the freedom of movement back then, because the 2015 refugee crisis had not yet been overcome. But now, a virus serves as an excuse for all kinds of permanent border closures. The example of Austria shows how absurd this is in part. Here, people complain about the petty measures taken by the Bavarians. On the other hand, the mayor of Sopron (Ödenburg) writes a letter to the Austrian Minister of the Interior, asking him if he knows how many Hungarians commute to work in Austria (and back home) every day, and what the border closures mean for these people. Like boys in a sandbox, Nehammer and Söder play the tough guys—or what they perceive as such.

The economic damage is already measurable, but the long-term damage to the European project remains unrecognised by these sandbox players.

Added to this are increasing calls for new protectionist measures to shield various sectors from foreign competition. The economic consequences of the lockdown policy then provide ample scope for ever-increasing state intervention in the economy.

European projects, such as the European foreign policy called for by Karl von Habsburg in his Speech on the Future of Europe, are being pushed aside. More and more, governments (including the one in Vienna) are acting according to the principle of intergovernmentalism. The regressions are becoming increasingly palpable.

Featured image © European Union 2019