Following the referendum on Schengen accession on December 8, Romania began to boycott Austria. Romania was again excluded from the free economic zone since Austria was the only nation to oppose it, as was expected.
As mentioned by Vlahia News, politicians, businesspeople, owners of football clubs, and significant agricultural organizations in Romania demanded a boycott of Austria and its products. Meantime, Romania removed its ambassador from Vienna, but the political conflict had just begun. Austria was officially forewarned by some politicians to anticipate Romanian opposition to its European interests. Also, the Universitatea Craiova football club announced they wouldn’t fuel in Austrian gas stations, and one museum cancelled the exhibition of an Austrian artist.
Additionally, governments and influential people advise Romanians to avoid taking winter vacations in Austria because there are a variety of alternative ski resorts available. There were protests in front of the Austrian Embassy in Bucharest, and there is unrest in the nation that suggests more of the same will likely occur.
The widespread boycott of Austrian companies has begun in Romania. Numerous social media posts these days encourage or demonstrate how to boycott Austrian products. Romanians immediately realized that stopping their fuel purchases from OMV, the Austrian oil company, was the simplest way to protest the arbitrary decision to reject Romania’s membership in Schengen. Romanians are now driving to local brands like Rompetrol rather than OMV gas outlets.
The banking and finance industry is an additional target. Romanians are urged to remove all of their funds from Raiffeisen Bank and BCR- Erste Bank, close their accounts there, and go to the Romanian CEC Bank because these banks are on the list. Both Austrian banks released very uninspiring press releases and shared them on social media, but it didn’t seem to make a difference.
The insurance industry is also a battleground for those who disagree with Austria’s decision; calls for a boycott of UNIQA or Vienna Insurance Group are being made, and consumers are being urged to switch to other insurance providers.
On the list is also a notorious business: The usual suspect for stealing wood from Romanian forests is Holzindustrie Schweighofer, now operating under the name HS Timber Productions. Additionally, the Austrian company was being investigated for allegedly using wood from illegal logging; however, as is customary in Romania when it comes to foreign businesses, this investigation was never completed.
Additionally, items like coffee and natural juice are now mentioned: Julius Meinl, Red Bull, and even Pfanner are just a few of the Austrian brands for which they call for a boycott.
One nation whose population is not well known for engaging in such boycotts or protests against Western businesses or decisions is Romania. Romania is a flourishing market for Western businesses, particularly Austrian ones that generate billions in profits annually. However, this may signal the start of a revolution that would awaken the Romanian people and teach them how to defend their rights.
