§ Lord Stoddart of Swindonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the accession of Austria to the Treaty of European Union would be in contravention of and prohibited by the "Austrian Treaty of State" signed by the United Kingdom in Vienna on 15th May 1955; whether they accept that the Treaty prohibits under Article 4(1)(2) any political or economic union between Austria and Germany directly or indirectly in any form whatsoever; and, if so, what action they intend to take to ensure that the treaty is upheld.
§ Baroness Chalker of WallaseyWe do not consider the admission of Austria to the European Union, in accordance with the Accession Treaty signed at Corfu on 24th June, to be in contravention of the 1955 Austrian State Treaty. The State Treaty's provisions concerning political and economic union with Germany are not applicable in the context of accession to the European Union.