Declaration of Neutrality
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The Declaration of Neutrality was a declaration by the Austrian Parliament declaring the country permanently neutral. It was enacted on October 26, 1955 as a constitutional act of parliament, i.e. as part of the Constitution of Austria.
Formally, the declaration was promulgated voluntarily by the Republic of Austria. Politically, it was the direct consequence of the allied occupation by the Soviet Union, the United States, the United Kingdom and France between 1945 and 1955, from which the country was freed by the Austrian State Treaty of May 15 of the same year. The Soviet Union would not have agreed to the State Treaty if Austria had not committed itself to declare its neutrality after the allied forces have left the country.
Since 1955, neutrality has become a deeply ingrained element of Austrian identity. Austria's national holiday on October 26 commemorates the declaration. Legally, Austrian neutrality is both part of the Austrian constitution and of international law.
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