Austrian-German relations

In 1938, the situation around the possible accession of Austria to the Third Reich was a subject of international discussion because of the signing of the Berchtesgaden Agreement by these countries, as well as the negotiations held on February 12, 1938 between Adolf Hitler and Kurt Schuschnigg . After a short period of time, Austria ceased to exist after joining the Third Reich, where it was transformed into the Alpine and Danube Reichsgau ^[2] .

After the end of the Second World War, Austria was occupied by the troops of the countries of the Anti-Hitler Coalition , but unlike Germany it was considered a victim of the war and was called liberated territory. For example, unlike the Germans, the Austrians were allowed to travel by foreign airlines. The Austrians denied their involvement in the Nazi crimes from 1938 to 1945, and also reminded them of their role in resisting the Nazi regime. Austrian politicians often declared the country's sacrificial status during the war, and also tried not to advertise their past ties with the Third Reich. In 1955, Austria and the Federal Republic of Germany officially restored diplomatic relations, then the Austrian embassy was opened in Bonn , where, until 1950, the so-called “connected point” existed ^[3] .

In Germany, some politicians even after 1945 declared a desire to renew the alliance with Austria, in particular, representatives of the Free Democratic Party and the Christian Social Union . In 1958, Franz Josef Strauss declared in his speech in the Bundestag that the question of the unification of Germany would also affect Austria. In 2011, a German politician from the CSU, Hans Merkel, stated that Austria is one of two parts of Germany. Similar statements were made by some Austrian politicians ^{[4] [5]} . From 1945 to 1955, Salzburg was the center of the American occupation forces in Austria and during this period of time made territorial claims on Berchtesgadener Land , which caused outrage in Bavaria . On May 15, 1955, the Republic of Austria regained full sovereignty by signing the Declaration of Independence of Austria . Austria reflected in the constitution a ban on association with other countries ^[6] . Germany sharply criticized the decision of the Austrians about the policy of neutrality , as well as for the nationalization of German property on its territory, but ultimately the Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Konrad Adenauer did not aggravate relations, which led to the strengthening of national identity in Austria ^[7] . In the 1960s and 1970s, there was a steady increase in bilateral economic and cultural ties between Germany and Austria. In 1976, the course of the Austrian shilling and the German mark was tied to each other, which was the result of close economic integration ^[8] .

After the division of Germany, Austria supported the policies of the Federal Republic of Germany and did not recognize the existence of the GDR . On December 21, 1972, Austria made a diplomatic recognition of the GDR after the signing of the Founding Treaty between the GDR and the FRG . In 1975, Austria and the GDR signed a consular agreement, which was the impetus for the development of bilateral relations. It was the first agreement concluded by the GDR with a Western European country, according to which Austria recognized the citizenship of the GDR . Austrian Federal Chancellor Bruno Kraisky responded to criticism of the Federal Republic of Germany that Austria will continue to recognize the citizenship of the GDR since this country is a member of the United Nations . In the spring of 1978, Bruno Kraisky made the first official state visit to the GDR. Austria and the GDR supported the provisions of the Helsinki Final Act , which defined the borders of post-war Europe, including between East and West Germany. In addition, both states suffered from the continuing Cold War , as they were located in the buffer zone between the opposing military blocs ^{[9] [10]} .

The Austrian authorities helped the citizens of the GDR to move to Germany. In 1989, the authorities of Austria and Hungary organized a European picnic , as a result of which about thousands of citizens of the GDR were able to move to the west through Sopron . Austrian federal railways assisted East German refugees in their quest to get to Germany. Despite the fact that Austria maintained good-neighborly relations with the GDR and pursued a policy of neutrality, it supported the reunification of Germany , which occurred on October 3, 1990 ^[11] .

In 1995, Austria joined the European Union , which led to a qualitative change for the better in bilateral relations with Germany. In 2012, 210 thousand Austrians lived in Germany and 213 thousand German citizens lived in Austria. For Austria, Germany is the most important trading partner: about 40% of Austrian imports come from Germany and about 1/3 of Austria’s exports go to Germany. More than 43% of all foreign direct investment in Austria comes from Germany, for which it is the largest investment partner abroad. German companies are present in Austria: banking, media companies and supermarket chains. About 40% of hotel rooms in Austria are accounted for by tourists from Germany. Austria was the sixth most important trading partner of Germany and the most important for Bavaria. Austria also purchases electricity from Germany in the winter ^[12] .

On September 4, 2015, German Chancellor Angela Merkel decided to hold talks with the heads of government of Austria and Hungary on the European Migration Crisis . As a result of negotiations, a plan was developed to block the Balkan route for refugees ^{[13] [14]} .

• Hugo Portisch: Österreich II (Band 3). Jahre des Aufbruchs - Jahre des Umbruchs; Vienna 1996, ISBN 3-218-00611-2 .