ABSTRACT
Green politics in Austria has been influenced by developments in Germany. At the same time, it has taken on more of a pure Green demeanour than it did there. The primary focus on ecological rather than on social issues reflected the absence in Austria of a strong tradition of radical alternative politics originating, as it did in Germany, from the militant student and new left movements of the sixties. The Green Alternative Party illustrated the urge to moderation in its response to the national referendum on Austria's proposed entry into the European Union. Concern about the dilution of Austria’s stringent environmental regulations, and the usual preoccupations of Europe’s Green parties with the ELPs growth oriented and autarchic commercial and agricultural policies, persuaded the party to oppose Austria's accession to the Union. Switzerland's place as a transit centre in Europe's emerging transcontinental transportation network, along with high levels of automobile ownership, continue to threaten a once pristine alpine scenery.
