Relationship dossier
Austria
Greece
Relationship assessment
Generally cooperative European ties, with a notable diplomatic dispute over migration policy in 2016.
Austria toward Greece
-10Austria hosted a 2016 meeting on the Balkan migration route without Greece and supported restrictions along the route, prompting Greek objections.
Greece toward Austria
-5Greece recalled its ambassador from Austria in 2016 in protest over Austria's migration-policy meeting and its exclusion of Greece.
Overall relationship
0The relationship is embedded in European cooperation, but the 2016 migration dispute exposed a significant difference over how to manage migration through the Balkans. That episode created diplomatic friction without defining the broader relationship as persistently adversarial.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Austria and Greece maintain generally cooperative relations within Europe, but their governments clashed over migration policy in 2016. Austria hosted a meeting on the Balkan migration route without Greece and supported measures that restricted movement along the route; Greece protested by recalling its ambassador. The episode indicates a specific diplomatic strain, though it does not define the broader relationship.
Areas of tension
- Migration management and restrictions along the Balkan route in 2016.
- Greece's exclusion from Austria's 2016 meeting on the Balkan migration route.
Key developments
Austria hosted a meeting on the Balkan migration route without Greece, prompting Greece to recall its ambassador in protest.
Major uncertainties
- The extent of bilateral cooperation beyond European institutions is unclear.
- The longer-term effects of the 2016 migration dispute on government relations are unclear.