Austria's nuclear phobia

Italian plans to build a nuclear power plant have triggered a storm of protest in neighbouring Austria. The daily Die Presse criticises the Austrians' knee-jerk rejection of the plans: "By now almost all Europe has come to the realisation that the demand for an adequate supply of environmentally-friendly energy can only be satisfied by increasing nuclear power. Austria is different. It imports nuclear power but the provincial politicians and the tabloid press never miss an opportunity to stir up fears of a nuclear accident each time a nuclear reactor is set up near its border. ... And because nuclear phobia, like neutrality, is part and parcel of the state ideology it has an impact on foreign policy that reaches all the way to the EU level. The phobia regarding all things nuclear is a constant factor in Austrian politics. Austria is willing to risk a deterioration in its neighbourly relations for its sake. This attitude has little to do with rational thinking but is based rather on a missionary fervour fuelled by populism."

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