ABSTRACT
The Austria Freedom Party's (FPO) European isolation became obvious when FPO-representatives joined the European Parliament in 1995. The European Union (EU) 14 sees the FPO as a party with an openly racist and xenophobic agenda. The determination of the present Federal Government must, however, be evaluated in the context of what will be described as the ambiguous language being repeatedly used by some high representatives of the FPO. The FPO politicians remained outside of any formalized affiliation while the other Austrian members joined the different ractions–the conservative, the social democratic, the green, and the liberal groups. Probably no other Austrian phenomenon of the 1990s has been observed, described, analyzed, and explained as much as the FPO. Two questions should be raised: Was the EU's approach legitimate? And: Is the EU's image of the FPO correct? As the answer to the second question is the basis for the answer to the first question, the FPO's specific character is the real issue.
