Sebastian Kurz declared victory in the Austrian elections on Sunday, in a win which could see him form an alliance with the far-right in a crushing blow for Brussels.
The anti-immigration Freedom Party (FPO) came second in the vote after receiving 26.9 per cent and its role as kingmaker has put a “serious strain” on the EU amid fears the election has “unsettled” Austria’s role in the union.
And now a stinging editorial in an Austrian newspaper has further heightened fears the country could split, after suggesting the EU was descending into superstate “madness”.
Kornelia Kirchweger, editor of Wochenblick, claimed the European Union Commission President is now fast-tracking his plan to implement the “United States of Europe” project before his farewell in 2019.
And she warned Mr Juncker’s aim was to “completely eliminate the sovereignty of the Member States in order to govern them centrally from Brussels.”
Predicting the future of Brussels, she wrote: “Juncker wants to bring critical EU members in line. He calls this “more efficient decision-making”.
She added: “In addition, the EU is to grow to 30 members by 2025 at the latest.
“The rich countries (like Austria) are to pay for the poorer countries. This ‘EU social assistance principle’ is called ‘Cohesion’ in specialist jargon.
“This madness, especially since 2015, has made an invasion of mainly economic migrants possible, and will completely change the face of Europe.
“Juncker is now eager to expand the Schengen area to all EU countries. Bulgaria and Romania are to join immediately.
“How much he has lost his sense of reality shows his statement: Europe was not a fortress and should never be one.”
Mr Juncker will leave his current role in 2019 – the same year the UK leaves the European Union as a free nation.
And it is now rumoured Austria could be next in line to ‘Brexit’ as the country veers even further to the right.