HOW CAN GERMANY DEFUSE ITS NEIGHBORS' FEARS?
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feelings on both sides; and looking at Austria's new position and tasks in
Central Eastern Europe after the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989.
"Austrians will fail to notice the sellout of their industry or real es–
tate, because they will be watching over the correct Austrian pronounci–
ation at their beloved Burgtheater," a young Austrian economist sarcas–
tically observed. He was commenting on the ongoing self-delusion of the
average Austrian regarding the ever-growing German financial participa–
tion in local industry, trade, media, and so on. The figures speak clearly:
Before its entry into the EU, Germany was Austria's most important
trade partner, and it remains so today. Forty percent of Austria's foreign
trade is with Germany - including the new
Lander.
The rest of the Eu–
ropean community accounts for an additional twenty percent. The U.S.
and Switzerland each represent only about four to five percent. Machin–
ery, high-tech products, and the motor industry rank highest among ex–
ports and imports. But Austria's tourism industry would look pretty sad
without German guests. In 1994, 67.2 percent of all the tourists staying
in Austria at least overnight were Germans. Austria is the favorite holiday
and sightseeing destination for its big neighbor. This probably provides
one of the reasons for the various frictions. Austrian hoteliers are not
denying the irresistible charm of the strong deutschmark, and they are the
ones who cater mostly to German visitors. For instance, they rename the
dishes they serve from the original Austrian-German to the German–
German expression.
Still, the inhabitants of small resorts and villages often feel invaded by
the Germans, and not only by the financial power of the tourists. The
slow sell-out of Austrian land to Bavarians, for example, those who
could afford a flat or chalet in the lovely Tyrolean Alps - using it some–
times only a few weeks during the year - turned into a delicate and
sometimes even a serious problem. Many small Alpine communities did
not know how to stop this development. Now they have found a solu–
tion, which is in accordance with EU regulations. A small community
that does not want to become a ghost city can deny residency to out–
siders, but only without discriminating against foreigners . Thus, the re–
quest of a person from Munich or from Salzburg must be handled in the
same way.
Let's look at the media. German money keeps the Austrian newspa–
pers going. Four Austrian dailies with a readership of roughly three and
a half million (which accounts for more than half of the adult popula–
tion) are financed by up to fifty percent of German capital. These are the
two daily tabloids,
Kronenzeitung
and
Kurier,
and the two quality papers,
Der Standard
and
Tiroler Tageszeitung.
The majority of weeklies and
