EU congratulates Austria's Kurz but uneasy about possible ruling partner
European Union ministers on Monday congratulated Austria’s Sebastian Kurz on his election victory but some were uneasy about the far-right, eurosceptic party that may enter the new government and has clashed with the bloc before.
The Freedom Party (FPO) got around 26 percent of votes in Sunday’s parliamentary vote, boosted by a European migration crisis in 2015 that affected Austria and also led Kurz to campaign on an anti-migration platform.
“I don’t have a problem with Sebastian Kurz as a person. We’re not following the same line politically, that has never been the case and it never will be,” Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said on arriving to talks with his EU peers.
He listed pro-European Austrian politicians as role models for Kurz and warned Vienna not to side with migration hardliners, including Hungary, whose government is also eurosceptic.
