Karl Nehammer

Karl Nehammer
Nehammer in 2024
Karl Nehammer
Born	18 10, 1972
Birthplace	Vienna, Austria
Nationality	Austrian
Occupation	Politician
Title	Chancellor of Austria (2021–2025)
Known for	28th Chancellor of Austria
Education	University of Vienna

Karl Nehammer (born 18 October 1972) is an Austrian politician who served as the 28th Chancellor of Austria from December 2021 to January 2025. A member of the Austrian People's Party (Österreichische Volkspartei, ÖVP), Nehammer rose through the ranks of Austrian conservative politics over two decades, holding positions as a member of the National Council, general secretary of the ÖVP, and Minister of the Interior before ascending to the chancellorship. He succeeded Alexander Schallenberg, who resigned the chancellorship in order to return to his role as Minister of Foreign Affairs, amid political upheaval following the resignation of Sebastian Kurz from politics. During his tenure as chancellor, Nehammer navigated Austria's response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, maintaining the country's tradition of strategic neutrality while supporting European Union sanctions against Russia. He gained international attention in April 2022 when he became one of the few Western leaders to meet directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the conflict. Following unsuccessful coalition negotiations after the 2024 Austrian legislative election, Nehammer announced his resignation as both chancellor and ÖVP leader, stepping down on 10 January 2025. In July 2025, he was appointed Vice-President of the European Investment Bank.

Early Life

Karl Nehammer was born on 18 October 1972 in Vienna, Austria. Details about his family background and upbringing have remained relatively private throughout his political career. Nehammer grew up in Austria during a period of political stability and economic prosperity, shaped by the country's post-war consensus politics and its tradition of coalition governance between the major parties.

Nehammer's early career was closely connected to the ÖVP and its affiliated organizations. Before entering national politics, he developed experience in communications and political strategy that would later serve him in senior party and government roles. His background in communications work provided him with organizational and messaging skills that proved instrumental in his rise within the ÖVP's internal structures.

Nehammer served in the Austrian Armed Forces, an experience that influenced his later policy positions, particularly regarding security and defence matters. His military background distinguished him from many of his political contemporaries and contributed to what observers described as a disciplined, structured approach to governance.

Education

Nehammer attended the University of Vienna, where he studied political science. His academic training in political science provided a theoretical grounding that complemented his practical political work within the ÖVP's organizational apparatus.

Career

Early Political Career and Party Work

Nehammer's political career was built within the structures of the Austrian People's Party. He held various positions within the party's Vienna organization, gaining experience in campaign management and political communications. His work within the party apparatus brought him to the attention of senior ÖVP figures and positioned him for advancement.

In 2017, Nehammer was elected as a member of the Austrian National Council, the lower house of the Austrian parliament. His entry into national parliamentary politics coincided with the rise of Sebastian Kurz within the ÖVP, and Nehammer aligned himself with the reformist wing of the party that Kurz led.

In September 2018, Nehammer was appointed general secretary of the ÖVP, a position of considerable organizational importance within the party. As general secretary, he served as the party's chief organizer and public spokesperson, managing communications strategy and election campaigns. He held this role from 2018 to 2020, a period that encompassed the collapse of the ÖVP–FPÖ coalition government following the Ibiza affair, the subsequent snap election in 2019, and the formation of a new coalition between the ÖVP and the Greens.

During the 2019 Austrian legislative election campaign, Nehammer played a central role in the party's organizational efforts. The ÖVP, running as the "New People's Party" (Die neue Volkspartei) under Kurz's leadership, secured first place in the election.

Minister of the Interior (2020–2021)

On 7 January 2020, Nehammer was appointed Minister of the Interior in the new coalition government formed between the ÖVP and the Greens under Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. His appointment to one of the most sensitive ministerial portfolios in Austrian politics reflected his standing within the party and the trust placed in him by the Kurz leadership.

As Interior Minister, Nehammer confronted several significant challenges. His tenure was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, which required the Interior Ministry to implement and enforce public health restrictions, including lockdowns, border controls, and assembly regulations. The enforcement of pandemic measures placed considerable strain on the relationship between citizens and law enforcement authorities.

In the area of foreign espionage, Nehammer announced in 2020 that Austria would file charges against a Turkish spy, signaling a firm stance on the protection of Austrian sovereignty against foreign intelligence operations.

The most significant security crisis of his tenure as Interior Minister was the 2020 Vienna attack, a terrorist shooting that occurred on 2 November 2020 in the centre of Vienna. A gunman, later identified as a supporter of the Islamic State, opened fire at multiple locations near the Schwedenplatz, killing four people and injuring more than twenty others before being shot dead by police. Nehammer served as the government's primary spokesperson during and after the attack, providing regular press briefings and coordinating the security response. In the aftermath, questions emerged about the performance of Austria's domestic intelligence service, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counterterrorism (BVT), which had received a warning from Slovak intelligence authorities about the attacker's attempt to purchase ammunition but had failed to act on it.

Nehammer took a firm public position on immigration and asylum policy during his time as Interior Minister, advocating for strict border controls and opposing irregular migration into Austria. These positions earned him characterization in international media as an "immigration hardliner."

Chancellor of Austria (2021–2025)

Accession to the Chancellorship

The path to the chancellorship for Nehammer was precipitated by a rapid series of political crises within the ÖVP. In October 2021, Sebastian Kurz resigned as chancellor after he was placed under investigation for corruption-related charges, including allegations of using public funds to commission favorable polling and media coverage. Kurz was succeeded by Alexander Schallenberg, who had been serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Schallenberg's chancellorship, however, proved short-lived. On 2 December 2021, Kurz announced his complete withdrawal from politics, and Schallenberg subsequently resigned as chancellor, expressing a desire to return to the foreign ministry.

On 3 December 2021, the ÖVP nominated Karl Nehammer to become the party's new leader and chancellor. He was formally sworn in as the 28th Chancellor of Austria on 6 December 2021 by President Alexander Van der Bellen, continuing the coalition government with the Green Party under Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler.

International media coverage of his appointment emphasized his background as Interior Minister and his firm stance on immigration. The Guardian described him as an "immigration hardliner" taking over as Austrian leader. Politico noted that his ascent to the chancellorship represented the third change of chancellor within the ÖVP in a matter of weeks, reflecting the turbulence within the party following the Kurz era.

Russia-Ukraine War and Meeting with Putin

One of the defining events of Nehammer's chancellorship was Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. As chancellor, Nehammer supported the European Union's sanctions regime against Russia while simultaneously maintaining Austria's constitutionally enshrined policy of military neutrality. This balancing act — supporting sanctions and humanitarian aid while not providing military equipment to Ukraine — placed Austria in a distinct position among EU member states.

In April 2022, Nehammer made an internationally notable decision to travel to Moscow for a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meeting, which took place on 11 April 2022, came shortly after Nehammer had visited the Ukrainian town of Bucha, where evidence of mass atrocities committed by Russian forces had recently been uncovered. Speaking to CNN after the meeting, Nehammer said he went to Moscow to "look in President Putin's eyes and confront him with what I saw" in Ukraine. The meeting drew mixed international reactions, with some observers praising the diplomatic effort and others questioning its utility given Austria's limited leverage.

In an extended interview with the Groupe d'Études Géopolitiques in April 2024, Nehammer elaborated on Austria's approach to the conflict, discussing the concept of "strategic neutrality" and how Austria's neutral status could be reconciled with robust support for the European security order.

Domestic Policy and Coalition Management

Nehammer's tenure as chancellor was shaped by the need to manage the coalition between the ÖVP and the Greens, two parties with fundamentally different positions on issues such as climate policy, migration, and economic regulation. The coalition, originally formed under Kurz in January 2020, continued under Nehammer with Werner Kogler serving as Vice-Chancellor.

The government faced the ongoing challenge of managing Austria's post-pandemic economic recovery, rising inflation, and energy price increases exacerbated by the war in Ukraine. Nehammer also continued to advocate for strict immigration and asylum policies, a position that at times created friction with the Green coalition partner.

Foreign Policy and Bilateral Relations

As chancellor, Nehammer engaged in active bilateral diplomacy with European leaders. He hosted Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Vienna in September 2024, and maintained close relations with neighboring countries, including Croatia, where Prime Minister Andrej Plenković paid an official visit to Vienna during Nehammer's tenure.

2024 Election and Resignation

The 2024 Austrian legislative election, held on 29 September 2024, resulted in the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) emerging as the largest party, led by Herbert Kickl. All other parliamentary parties, including the ÖVP, SPÖ, NEOS, and the Greens, declined to enter into a coalition with the FPÖ under Kickl's leadership. In response, President Alexander Van der Bellen tasked Nehammer, as head of the second-largest party, with forming a new government.

Nehammer attempted to form a coalition government, engaging in negotiations with the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) and the liberal NEOS party. However, these three-party coalition talks ultimately collapsed. Following the failure of the negotiations, Nehammer announced his resignation as both ÖVP leader and Chancellor of Austria. He formally stepped down as chancellor on 10 January 2025.

European Investment Bank

Following his departure from Austrian politics, Nehammer transitioned to a role in European institutional governance. On 22 July 2025, it was announced that he had been appointed as the new Vice-President of the European Investment Bank (EIB). In this capacity, he was set to join the EIB's Management Committee, with his term beginning on 1 September 2025. The position involved succeeding a Swedish predecessor on the committee.

Personal Life

Nehammer is married. His wife, Katharina Nehammer, has worked in communications and public affairs, serving as a spokesperson in the Austrian Federal Ministry of Defence.

Nehammer has generally maintained a degree of privacy regarding his family life, consistent with the norms of Austrian political culture. His personal demeanour has been characterized in media profiles as direct and disciplined, traits frequently attributed to his military background.

Legacy

Karl Nehammer's political career spanned a turbulent period in Austrian politics, marked by the rapid rise and fall of Sebastian Kurz, the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Vienna terrorist attack, and the geopolitical upheaval caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. As chancellor, he inherited a government and party apparatus destabilized by corruption investigations and leadership changes, and he was tasked with restoring a degree of stability to both.

His decision to meet with Vladimir Putin in April 2022, shortly after visiting the site of atrocities in Bucha, Ukraine, represented one of the most prominent diplomatic moments of his chancellorship and illustrated his interpretation of Austria's neutral status as enabling rather than preventing active engagement in international crises.

On immigration and asylum policy, Nehammer maintained the ÖVP's position favoring strict controls, continuing a policy trajectory established under his predecessors. His characterization by international media as an "immigration hardliner" reflected these positions.

The failure of coalition negotiations following the 2024 election — in which the far-right FPÖ emerged as the largest party — marked the end of his chancellorship and highlighted the challenges facing centrist parties in Austria and across Europe in the face of rising populist movements. His subsequent appointment to the European Investment Bank in 2025 signaled a continuation of his career in public service at the European level.