Tu felix Austria ... draw!

TU FELIX AUSTRIA … DRAW!

25 Years of Austria

in the E

In cooperation with

Bella gerant alii, tu felix Austria nube Let others wage war, thou, happy Austria, marry This well-known verse from the Baroque period refers to the successful marriage policy of the Habsburg dynasty that ruled over Austria for hundreds of years. The phrase “tu felix Austria” is even older and frequently used to describe Austrians as particularly life-­ enjoying and the country at large as favored by circumstances: Austria as an island of the fortunate. This is a cliché that has been called into question time and again by artists who see it as an attempt to distract from inconvenient truths and to whitewash existing problems.

Caricature is an exceptionally apt medium to make political context visible and to boil down complex processes to their essence. This is why we propose varying the epigrammatic dictum to Tu felix Austria … draw!, as many prefer a critical confrontation with the truth, rather than live in blissful delusion with a lie.

These “drawing journalists” take up their artistic arms to denounce

Bruno Haberzettl Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor: the Styrian sleepyhead. A defense player through and through, in politics and in his matrimonial bed! Bores his wife, a temperamental Portuguese, to death already in her younger years, 2009 Private possession

anomalies and abuses and encourage independent thinking. They show how important it is not to repress, but process, unpleasant events from history. They give visual expression to the dramatic contrast between ideal and reality and get to the bottom of problems. This makes caricatures an integral part of public discourse, as they shape opinions and create awareness, inform political views, and inspire thinking.

On the occasion of 25 Years of Austria in the EU, we have brought together works by thirty-eight caricaturists, male and female, who deftly interlace the associated fears and expectations, scandals and hopes, wishes and challenges with political commentary. The exhibition thus also documents the broad stylistic range and variety of drawing art in the Austrian press.

Concept and texts: Gottfried Gusenbauer (Artistic Director, Karikatur­museum Krems, and Curator) and Ulrike Guérot

Bruno Haberzettl Maximilian I the Last Knight. A true champion, he wins medals in numerous tournaments. Maximilian is a distinguished patron of the arts and a poet himself, 2009 Private possession

Bruno Haberzettl The imperial couple Maria Theresa and Francis I, surrounded by their children. Making school compulsory probably was only a matter of time …, 2009 Private possession

25 Years of Austria in the EU—and Nothing New in Europe?

“The realistic hope is for a beautiful moment together that lets many people in Europe start dreaming of a democratic Europe again.”

Dr. Ulrike Guérot, Head, Department for European Policy and the Study of Democracy, Danube University Krems

Caricaturists, in many respects, are dreamers. They dream of a more just world, of a society that places humaneness above egoism and rampant consumerism, or of politicians who feel committed solely to the truth. They dream of a Europe that unites, that cultivates its shared values and demonstrates solidarity—in good times and bad. Not always do they see their dreams come real.

That is why they sit down at their desks, picking up the pen against populism and incendiary propaganda and in favor of Europe, which is so much more than a peace project. For example, the EU member states have all subscribed to the European Convention on Human Rights and are committed to joint climate policies. (GG)

Rudolf Angerer Getting Europe under One Hat, n.d., State Collections of Lower Austria, inv. no. KS-13868

Luis Murschetz The Boat Is Full, 1989, State Collections of Lower Austria, inv. no. KS-15290

It is a good thing therefore that, thanks to the Austrian cartoonists and caricaturists assembled here, we can have a good laugh at what we have been doing together on the European continent for seventy years now. But it is good, too, that probably for some—including myself—the laughter will get stuck in their throats. For rarely does it become as clear how much we are actually going in circles with this European unification project: getting divergent national interests “under one hat”? Very early on, Rudolf Angerer drew the big European hat that the then heads of state and government were very reluctant to put on, as are their colleagues today.

Or The Boat Is Full, a 1989 cartoon by Luis Murschetz that takes aim at how the then so-called “flood of asylum seekers” was seen almost exactly thirty years ago. How often have we heard that again in the past couple of years and months, “the boat is full,” while boats full of exhausted refugees at sea in the Mediterranean had to beg to be allowed to disembark in any European port, often for days, as if they had, as Carola Rackete put it in her hearing before the European Parliament in fall 2019, “the plague on board and not vulnerable humans.” Pictures that do not go together at all with the European values of humanism and universalism. But the Fortress Europe, as a cartoon by Gerhard Haderer of 1995 is entitled, already existed 25 years ago; the cartoon title spans an arc to another drawing by Haderer, Seeking Refuge on Lampedusa before Christmas, of December 2012. (UG)

Manfred Deix Does the ban on the name “Käsekrainer” mean losing a piece of Austrian identity?, 2012 State Collections of Lower Austria, inv. no. KS-20665

Gerhard Haderer Seeking Refuge on Lampedusa before Christmas, published in: Stern, no. 51 (2012) State Collections of Lower Austria, inv. no. KS-19749

European Myths Europa as a character of Greek mythology has been a recurrent motif in high art and caricature. She is the daughter of Agenor, the Phoenician king of Tyre, and his wife Telephassa. Zeus, father of the gods, falls in love with the beautiful Europa but is fearful of the ire of his consort, Hera, and therefore comes up with a ploy: his messenger, Hermes, is sent out to lead the royal daughter to one of her father’s herds that the god of thunder himself has mingled with in the guise of a white bull. Europa is so deeply impressed by the gorgeous animal that she lets herself be abducted and taken to Crete by him, riding on his back. Once arrived, Zeus transforms himself back and goes on to father three children with Europa, including Minos, the future king of the island.

His mother, in time, will have the entire continent named after her. The motif of Europa and the bull was used in a multitude of cartoons and caricatures of the past decades to make a range of diverse statements, mostly to point to deficiencies and problems of the European idea as such.

Historical Background of the EU (EEC/EC)

Thomas Wizany Off the Map, published in: Salzburger Nachrichten, 25 Jun 2016 Private possession

Petar Pismestrovic Point of Collapse, published in: Kleine Zeitung, 30 Dec 2016 Private possession

Erich Sokol “Ha, free at last!”, published in: Arbeiter-Zeitung, 1 Feb 1966 State Collections of Lower Austria, inv. no. KS-16047

Wolfgang Ammer Europe in Tension, published in: Wiener Zeitung, 2019 Private possession

After World War II, the majority of Austrian political parties are Western oriented; they do not want to be left without U.S. aid in economic, political, and security matters. However, this takes considerable diplomatic skill as the Soviet Union is only willing to cosign the Austrian State Treaty of 1955 on the condition that Austria commits to permanent neutrality. Austria is not supposed to go overboard with its enthusiasm for the West.

May 9, 1950, is a very special day for Europe: the so-called Schuman Declaration leads to the founding of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in the following year, laying the foundation of what later becomes the European Union. The Treaty of Rome comes into force on January 1, 1958. The treaty provides the constitutional basis for the creation of the European Economic Community (EEC, from 1993 EC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom). The Stockholm Convention of 1960 sets the stage for the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Its founding members are Denmark, Great Britain, Norway, Austria, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland. In 1972, the EEC and ECSC conclude a free-trade agreement with Austria.

The Run-Up to EU Accession: Fears and Hopes

Gerhard Haderer, EU Cow, published in: Trend, no. 3 (2001), State Collections of Lower Austria, inv. no. KS-19710

Austria’s way into the EU is long and often arduous. On the one hand, many Austrians are very skeptical about joining the EU, and on the other, some foreign governments are not all enthused with the possibility of Austria’s accession. In 1989, the national parliament calls on the federal government to submit an application for EU membership “while maintaining the status of permanent neutrality.” Foreign Minister Alois Mock, the father of the Austrian EU membership, personally hands over the application “letter to Brussels” that same year. Together with Brigitte Ederer, who, as state secretary, represents Federal Chancellor Franz Vranitzky, he finalizes the accession negotiations on March 1, 1994, in Brussels. In days-long meetings toward the end, the contested main issues are transit traffic through Austria and the reservations of the Austrian agriculture industry about the EU. Only a couple of months earlier, in November 1993, the Maastricht Treaty has come into force, the document that founds the European Union (EU), though first only as an umbrella structure of the European Communities.

Gerhard Haderer European Economic Area/Foreign Minister Alois Mock, 1989, State Collections of Lower Austria, inv. no. KS-18635

Luis Murschetz Difficult Neighborship, 1992 State Collections of Lower Austria, inv. no. KS-23410

Documentation of the Austrian Accession in 1995 On June 12, 1994, a referendum is held in Austria about the country’s accession to the European Union. A high voter turnout of 82.3 percent speaks to the great interest among the population—with 66.6 percent voting in favor of joining the EU. On January 1, 1995, it then happens: with the accession of Austria, Sweden, and Finland, the EU grows to fifteen member states. Prior to that, the Norwegians vote against EU membership in a national referendum. The first countries that opt for intensified economic cooperation (in the European Coal and Steel Community) in 1951 are Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Over time, more and more European nation-states decide to join the Union.

Since 2013, the EU has had twenty-eight members. The United Kingdom remains a member of the European Union until a withdrawal agreement takes effect or the period for ratification of such an agreement—which has already been extended several times—has expired.

Manfred Deix EU King Mr. Mock, 1996 State Collections of Lower Austria, inv. no. KS-19238

Erich Sokol Manneken Pis, published in: Arbeiter-Zeitung, 1989 State Collections of Lower Austria, inv. no. KS-11021

Michael Pammesberger, The European Parliament, n.d., private possession

Date of EU Accession by Country 1 Jan 1958 (EEC)

Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands

1 Jan 1973

Denmark, Ireland, United Kingdom

1 Jan 1981

Greece

1 Jan 1986

Portugal, Spain

1 Jan 1995

Finland, Austria, Sweden

1 May 2004

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Cyprus

1 Jan 2007

Bulgaria, Romania

1 Jul 2013

Croatia

EU Enlargement “United in diversity” has been the motto of the European Union ever since the turn of the millennium. For the EU is not only an economic area but also a diverse and peaceful living and cultural space. Political strategies and laws are adopted jointly by many countries.

The Treaty of Lisbon, which is signed by the twenty-seven EU coun­ tries in 2007, aims to further strengthen the civil rights of EU citizens and expand cross-national cooperation. And the EU keeps growing: on July 1, 2013, Croatia joins the Union, and currently, accession negotiations are under way with several EU-neighboring countries.

If a country wants to become a member of the EU, a complex process is launched that takes considerable time. After meeting the fundamental requirements for membership, an applicant country has to implement EU legislation and regulations in all areas of policy. This set of prerequisites has come to be known as “Copenhagen Criteria” and includes a free market economy, stable democratic governance, and the rules of law. In addition, accession candidates must accept all EU legislation and the euro.

Current candidate countries Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Turkey still are in the midst of a years-long process of implementing EU rules and legislation into national law.

Heinz Ortner, We’re All Joining Forces Here, 2003, private possession

Scandals and Events from the Time of Austria’s EU Membership

It is particularly during campaign seasons that critical quips against the EU are usually amped up, and many people feel confirmed in their reservations through the massive criticism coming from advocates of an EU exit and right-wing populists. This fires up and keeps fueling a never-ending debate in the European Parliament, and current goings-on around Brexit are just another sign of systemic reforms still waiting to be done.

One recurrent cause of debate often is the principle of subsidiarity.

It says that the European Union should only interfere in national— for example, Austrian—affairs if the country in question is unable to resolve them on its own. The Reform Treaty of Lisbon, signed in 2007, establishes the possibility of a popular petition directly calling on the European Commission to propose a legal act (European Citizens’ Initiative), which is an expansion of democratic rights of citizens at the EU level. In addition, the rights and possibilities of national parliaments to participate in EU legislation are substantially expanded.

Both prior and after the accession, Austria keeps fretting and having qualms about the Union. Fears of “heteronomy” or the “loss of Austrian identity” are conjured up, which may in part account for the fact that EU documents start having specifically Austrian expressions such as “Eierschwammerl” (“egg mushrooms”) and “Erdäpfel” (“earth apples”) in them, on par with the Standard German terms “Pfifferlinge” (chanterelles) and “Kartoffeln” (potatoes).

One symbol of EU overregulation is the notoriously famous so-called cucumber regulation no. 1677/88/EEC: a cucumber of the highest-

Manfred Deix EU-Suited Sausages—Austria in the EU. The domestic food industry will have to make quite an effort to hold out against the European competition, 1994 State Collections of Lower Austria, inv. no. KS-14094

quality “Extra” class must be “well-shaped and practically straight,” with a “maximum height of the arc” of ten millimeters for every ten centimeters of length. The European Commission eventually revokes the regulation in 2009.

The coalition that the conservative People’s Party enters in with the far-right Freedom Party in 2000 makes scandal in the EU. Head­ ed by Jörg Haider, the Freedom Party comes in second behind the Social Democrats in the parliamentary election in October 1999.

Being only the third largest party in parliament, the People’s Party decides to team up with the “blue” right-wingers. In response, the fourteen other EU member states decide to restrict bilateral relations with Austria. It is only after more than seven months that the sanctions are lifted after a report by three EU-appointed “wise men” recommends doing so.

In 1985, an agreement is signed in Schengen, Luxembourg, which clears the path for the abolishment of internal border controls in the EU. EU citizens shall be able to move freely between the Schengen countries. Waiving “controls of persons without suspicion” means an expansion of their personal freedoms. At the same time, this ushers in a harmonization of visa policies in the EU. The possibility of a temporary reintroduction of internal border controls is, however, expressly regulated in the Schengen Borders Code. The measure is justified on grounds that it provides necessary protection against people smuggling and illegal migration.

Erich Sokol Balancing Act, n.d.

State Collections of Lower Austria, inv. no. KS-11211

Thomas Paster, Tough Going in the EU, published in: Leader-Journal, 2009 Private possession

Bruno Haberzettl The Russian delivery is here!—It’s Father Frost, not gas to keep us warm, 2009 Private possession

Euro

“An economic and monetary union (EMU) was a recurring ambition for the European Union from the late 1960s onwards. EMU involves coordinating economic and fiscal policies, a common monetary policy, and a common currency, the euro. A single currency offers many advantages: it makes it easier for companies to conduct crossborder trade, the economy becomes more stable, and consumers have more choice and opportunities. However, a variety of political and economic obstacles barred the way: weak political commitment, divisions over economic priorities, and turbulence in international markets. These all played their role in frustrating progress towards the Economic and Monetary Union.” https://europa.eu

Grexit, Brexit, and Maybe Auxit?

Grexit is a contraction of “Greek exit” and refers to the possibility of Greece being forced to leave the eurozone. Greece has been in a budget and national debt crisis ever since 2009, with the consequence that the country fails by far to meet the EU’s convergence criteria. The responsible Greek government is accused of having cooked the accounts to gain access to the eurozone in the first place. Greece’s exit from the eurozone has been an issue of de­ bate ever since the beginning of the state debt crisis but is found to be impossible under the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. Wolfgang Wiegard, a former top member of the German Council of Economic Experts, answered, in an interview with the Mittelbayerische Zeitung, the question “How should and how

can Europe help?” by saying the following: “Whether Grexit or not, Greece will remain dependent on aid from the European partners for many years to come. For one thing, this is to prevent, through support measures, the threatening impoverishment of the population. Equally important, however, is it for Greece to become a competitive economy again.”

In June 2016, a referendum is held in Great Britain about Brexit (“British exit”). With this vote, the Conservative prime minister David Cameron seeks to settle once and for all the dispute about the British EU membership that has been festering for many years. The result gives cause for much excitement and debate: 51.9 percent of British voters are in favor of seceding from the EU (“Leave”), 48.1 percent are against it (“Remain”), with a total turnout of 72.2 percent. The Brexiteers, who advocate leaving the EU, hope for the country to regain its full national sovereignty as well as full control over its borders. But the British Parliament rejects on several occasions the Brexit withdrawal agreement that Cameron’s successor as prime minister, Theresa May, has negotiated with the EU, which leads to May’s resignation in June 2019. On December 12, 2019, a snap election for the House of Commons is held in Great Britain. Political commentators see the Tory (Conservative) win under Boris Johnson as a clear pro-Brexit vote.

In Austria, a referendum on the Auxit, that is, on Austria leaving the EU, is occasionally brought into play by some politicians but has never been a real political issue due to the country’s strong economic integration and a government steering a strictly pro-European course.

Thomas Paster, Sinking Ships, published in: Oberösterreichische Nachrichten, 1998, Private possession

Daniel Jokesch, The Threat of Auxit, 2019 Private possession

Thomas Wizany, Europa and the (Soon-to-Be) Ox, published in: Salzburger Nachrichten, 22 Sep 2018, private possession

Michael Pammesberger, The Brexit. Live!, n.d., private possession

What the EU Does for Its Citizens

Central and Western Europe has never seen so long a period of unbroken peace as it has since the end of World War II. The origins of today’s EU date back to the 1950s, when, at first, six states founded the European Economic Community. Intensified eco­nomic integration was supposed to prevent military conflict in the future, accelerate economic growth by establishing a larger market, and increase the wealth and prosperity of European citizens. Today, the EU is considered as one of the most successful peace projects in the history of humankind. In 2012, the EU was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its commitment to peace, conciliation, democracy, and human rights.

in. Since 2002, the euro has been legal tender in all countries of the eurozone. Charges on money transfers into other EU countries must not be higher than within one’s own country.

Aside from many other benefits, the protection of human and civil rights is another important aspect of the EU. The Union protects minorities and disadvantaged groups of the population and works against suppression, championing equal rights for all people, irrespective of their nationality, gender, language, culture, profession, special needs, or sexual orientation.

There are four special freedoms that apply in the EU: the freedom of movement of people allows all EU citizens to move freely within the Union and take up residence in any EU country they prefer.

There are no border controls for goods, no tariffs or other trade restrictions in place within the EU—these are the characteristics of the freedom of movement of goods. Freedom of movement of services means that EU citizens are entitled to offer their services in any EU country. And the free movement of capital lets them choose freely which EU country they want to invest their money

The Austrian Institute of Economic Research (WIFO) has calculated the economic effects of Austria’s accession to the EU 25 years ago; the results were published in May 2019. Summarized briefly, they show that the real gross domestic product (GDP) and total em­ployment have grown and the volume of trade with EU countries is much higher than it would have been without EU membership. There has been 2.4 percent less inflation, because no more tariffs are levied on imports. Austria was able to achieve growth effects that were twice as high as those of Finland and Sweden, two countries that also joined the Union in 1995—an effect of the EU Eastern Enlargement.

Bruno Haberzettl The EU Parliament Taking Action for the Future of Europe …, 2018, private possession

Bruno Haberzettl Production Flaw …, 2016, private possession

Michael Pammesberger What’s Most Annoying about the EU …, n.d.

Private possession

Oliver Schopf EU-Take-off, published in: Der Standard, 1 May 2004, private possession

Outlook and Challenges

“Today […] a new commitment must be made […] to fight against hatred of the other, against anti-Semitism, against racism, against intolerance.”

Simone Veil Simone Veil was born in 1927 in Nice, France, as the daughter of a Jewish family. She was a survivor of the concentration camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Bobrek, and Bergen-Belsen. Veil was an icon of feminism. As French minister of health (1974–1979), she achieved substantial progress for women’s rights. In the first direct European election in 1979, Simone Veil was elected to the European Parliament. Until 1982, she held, as the first woman ever, the position

of president of the European Parliament. She remained a MEP for fourteen years, and also became chair and deputy chair of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party Group. In 1993, she went back into domestic politics in France. In 2017, Simone Veil died, just two weeks before her ninetieth birthday.

http://www.europarl.europa.eu

Margit Krammer New Independence, published in: Kleine Zeitung, 2017 Private possession

Veronika Lambertucci reduced to silence, 2019 Private possession

Gerald Mayerhofer Dangerous Altitude, published in: Oberösterreichische Nachrichten, 11 May 2019 Private possession

Petar Pismestrovic Dangerous Opponent, published in: Kleine Zeitung, 7 Apr 2019 Private possession

Oliver Schopf EU Ship on a Euro Course, published in: Der Standard, 14 May 2011, private possession

The EU is founded on the rule of law, which means that all its actions are based on treaties agreed voluntarily and democratically by all member states. These binding agreements define the goals that the EU pursues in its various different areas of activity. The Union has a unique institutional structure. General priorities are set out at regular summits by the European Council, that is, the heads of state and government of the member countries. Internal decisionmaking in the EU falls to a number of institutions, of which the most important are the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union (Council of Ministers), and the European Commission.

Aside from the European Commission, which has a representation in each member state, numerous other EU institutions, organs, and agencies are represented in Austria.

“Europe is the best idea we ever had.” These are the opening words of a call issued by twenty-one heads of state of the European Union, among them Austrian federal president Alexander Van der Bellen, to encourage participation in the 2019 European parliamentary elections. It is released on a symbolically charged date, May 9, Europe Day. They make the argument that it takes a strong community to be able to cope with global challenges such as terrorism, climate change, globalization, and migration. What is needed, they say, is “a Union that constantly reviews its work with a critical eye and is able to reform itself, a Union that is built on its citizens and on its Member States as a vital base.”

Michael Pammesberger The Distant Planet Europe, n.d., private possession

Bruno Haberzettl The “large” parties have discovered climate protection for themselves!—Now it’s getting real dirty …, 2019 Private possession

Photo Credits and Copyright © 2020 Bildrecht, Vienna, for the works by Wolfgang Ammer and Margit Krammer © Oliver Schopf/Bildrecht, Vienna, 2020 © Erich Sokol Privatstiftung, Mödling, 2020 © 2020 for the works and photos by Rudolf Angerer, Manfred Deix, Bruno Haberzettl, Gerhard Haderer, Daniel Jokesch, Veronika Lambertucci, Gerald Mayerhofer, Luis Murschetz – München, Heinz Ortner, Michael Pammesberger, Thomas Paster, Petar Pismestrovic, Thomas Wizany, with the artists or their estates Front cover: Gerhard Haderer, EU, 1999, State Collections of Lower Austria, inv. no KS-17986

Wolfgang Ammer EU-Brainstorming, published in: Wiener Zeitung, 2018 Private possession