There is a clear consensus emerging that the bilateral sanctions mounted by 14 EU member-states against Austria will be lifted very soon. The report on their operation and purpose from the group of experts appointed to examine them has been justifiably well received for its balance and sophistication. They called for the sanctions to go, but justified their original imposition in the name of common European values following the formation of a coalition including the far right-wing Freedom Party, led by Dr Jorg Haider. It is up to the French EU presidency to make the announcement, a tricky task for President Chirac, since he was one of the most active proponents of the sanctions in the first place.
They were a crude instrument with which to express the fears felt by many Europeans when this coalition was formed. It seemed to add legitimacy to a layer of far right-wing politics which thrived on justifying the role of fascist parties in the 1930s and during the second World War. Dr Haider's ambiguous references to Hitler's policies, together with his xenophobic and racist opposition to EU enlargement, labour migration and asylum-seekers, were picked up internationally far more than his trenchant criticisms of Austria's cosy corporatism - which attracted a substantial protest vote from youthful and working class voters in last November's general elections. Political leaders in France, Germany, Belgium and Spain were particularly concerned that such a precedent should not be accepted without protest.
The report subtly accommodates many of these points of view. It affirms the importance of common European values, but suggests they should be codified more coherently and invoked in a more legally grounded fashion. That is a hint to current drafters of the charter on fundamental rights and a reminder that their work will eventually need to be incorporated into the treaties if a fair procedure to deal with such breaches is to be established.
The Austrian complaint that they were the subject of a bullying approach by some of the largest states has sufficient resonance to merit close attention, even from those who have no sympathy with the coalition between the country's conservatives and what the report accurately characterises as a "right-wing, populist party with extreme elements".
The report finds that European values have in fact been upheld in Austria and that there is no discernible effect on that state's commendable record on settling asylum-seekers and refugees and dealing with minorities. But it is sharply critical of the Freedom Party and its leader, warning that it should be kept under continuing scrutiny. It is particularly and validly concerned with that party's use of libel laws to silence critics - raising an issue with much broader effect around European states.