Austria
Austria is an example to be followed by other States, as it has adhered to all of the seven key treaties in the legal architecture on disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | Yes (Ratified 2018) | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Ratified 1969) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 1998, Annex 2 state) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | No | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 1996) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2004) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Ratified 1973) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1995) | |
| TPNW Art. 1(1) prohibitions: Compliance in 2025 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire | Compliant |
| Possess or stockpile | Compliant | |
| Test | Compliant | |
| (b) | Transfer | Compliant |
| (c) | Receive transfer or control | Compliant |
| (d) | Use | Compliant |
| Threaten to use | Compliant | |
| (e) | Assist, encourage or induce | Compliant |
| (f) | Seek or receive assistance | Compliant |
| (g) | Allow stationing, installation, deployment | Compliant |
| TPNW voting and participation | |
|---|---|
| UNGA resolution on TPNW (latest vote) | Voted yes (2025) |
| Participated in 3MSP (2025) | Yes |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | Yes |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | Yes |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | 12 (18%) |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | Voted yes |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations (2017) | Yes |
| Negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | Voted yes |
| Fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Nuclear facilities | Yes |
| Fissile material production | No |
| HEU stocks | Cleared |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
| SQP with the IAEA | No |
Latest developments
At the Third Meeting of States Parties (3MSP) to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in March 2025, Austria submitted a report in its capacity as the coordinator of a consultative process ‘on security concerns of States under the [TPNW]’. The report stated: ‘Nuclear weapons represent an acute and fundamental threat to the security of all States … Responding to this threat by seeking to remove it is thus a prime responsibility and legitimate concern for all governments …’1
At 3MSP, Austria served as a vice-president of the bureau and was appointed as a co-chair of the TPNW’s informal working group on universalization. The group’s mandate was expanded to include the development of ‘potential products to further promote the universalization of the Treaty’, taking into account the recommendations contained in the above-mentioned Austrian report on the security concerns of States under the Treaty.
Austria emphasized that, under its newly formed government, it would ‘remain a key promoter of disarmament efforts, in particular of the TPNW’. It described the ‘equation of nuclear weapons with security’ as being ‘the key challenge for TPNW States Parties’, which are united in ‘the conviction that nuclear weapons are not and can never be the answer’ to States’ security concerns. ‘They are not a security guarantee. They offer an illusion of security that is based on the creation of unacceptable and existential risks for all of humanity,’ it said.2
At the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee meeting in April 2025, Austria reiterated its call for all States to join the TPNW ‘and to engage sincerely with its arguments and underlying facts’. ‘The TPNW demonstrates sincere commitment to and support for the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime,’ it said. ‘It constitutes an investment into multilateralism, international law, and international peace and security.’3
In the general debate of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2025, the Federal Minister for European and International Affairs of Austria, Beate Meinl-Reisinger, warned that growing nuclear arsenals or uncontrolled autonomous weapons systems will not make our world a safer place. ‘While we all must ensure the safety and security of our populations, we must never give up on international humanitarian law and we must ban weapons which kill indiscriminately,’ she said.4
Austria co-sponsored the 2025 UN General Assembly resolution on the TPNW, which welcomed the Treaty’s entry into force and called upon ‘all States that have not yet done so to sign, ratify, accept, approve, or accede to the Treaty at the earliest possible date’.5
Austria promoted adherence to the TPNW as part of the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review in 2025, specifically by recommending that Belarus end its support for nuclear rearmament by signing and ratifying the TPNW.6
Recommendations
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Austria should continue to encourage other states to adhere to the TPNW.
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Austria should ensure that all the TPNW obligations are implemented domestically, through legal, administrative, and other necessary measures.