Söder's sausage diplomacy: Bratwurst meeting in Vienna and border disputes!

Söder's sausage diplomacy: Bratwurst meeting in Vienna and border disputes!

In bright sunshine, Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder caused a stir in Vienna on Thursday. Under the motto “Sausage diplomacy” he met with the Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker in the Federal Chancellery. A good lunch, consisting of bratwurst with mustard, was a must. The two politicians spoke on a first-name basis at the meeting and found a lot in common, despite the challenges that are currently straining the relationship between Bavaria and Austria. Image reports, that Söder already has experience with this type of diplomacy, having hosted a similar culinary meeting with the Czech prime minister in Prague in December 2022 and with Poland's prime minister in Warsaw a week earlier.

Unlike eating bratwursts, current political issues are anything but casual. Border controls in particular are increasingly causing headaches for Austria and Germany. Since May 2023, Germany has been rejecting migrants at the border with Austria, which is causing considerable difficulties for Austria. Chancellor Stocker said that border controls are sometimes necessary and called a temporary solution important in this context.

Border controls in focus

The strict border controls introduced under the new federal government also caused a lot of discussion. Recently, 19 asylum seekers were rejected at the German borders within two days. Tagesschau reports that the federal police registered a total of 365 unauthorized entries over two days, and 286 migrants were turned away. According to Söder, the border controls are a “powerful introduction” to a new migration policy.

The Bavarian Prime Minister also announced further measures, which could include a stop to flights from Afghanistan and changes to citizenship law. However, the criticism of the measures cannot be explained away: parties such as the Greens and the Left see the controls as a violation of EU law. Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk also expressed his concerns and accused the federal government of undermining the Schengen system.

Dispute over trucks and block handling

It's not just asylum policy that is causing tension, the dispute over block clearances on the Inn Valley motorway is also causing waves. Tyrol has severely limited the number of trucks allowed to travel to Italy, which has led to traffic jams of up to 50 kilometers on the Bavarian side. Söder said that these measures violated European law, while Stocker described them as a necessary emergency measure. A previously discussed “slot system” has not yet been implemented, and Söder criticized the federal governments of recent years for the delays in negotiations.

So there is a lot going on in the political arena, and the “sausage diplomacy” experience between Söder and Stocker may only be a small part of the big picture. When he returned to the airport in Vienna, a Bundeswehr aircraft was waiting for Söder, accompanied by Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who is also in the city and symbolizes another document of the political ties between Germany and Austria.

The future of relations between Bavaria and Austria remains exciting, especially with regard to the pressing issues of migration policy and border controls. Closer cooperation and an open ear for each other could be the key to the next joint “Würstl”.