Austria Preps for Challenging EU Presidency
When it takes over the rotating EU presidency on Jan. 1, Austria hopes to revive Europe by infusing the debate about the EU constitution, enlargement and budget with "energy and confidence." Six years after EU members in Feb. 2000 imposed sanctions on Austria for welcoming an far right-wing party into the government, Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel said the revival of Europe will be his country's main priority during the six-month presidency.The differences between European member states, which became painfully visible after France and the Netherlands rejected the European constitution in the spring of 2005, are likely to present a major challenge to the Austrian presidency.
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