The Austrian Parliament on July 11, 1999, passed a law of constitutional status, which prohibits not only the production of nuclear weapons in Austria (which is already forbidden by the NPT anyway) but also:

• deployment of nuclear weapons;
  
• transporting of nuclear weapons through the country (transit);
  
• testing of  nuclear weapons; and
  
• use of nuclear weapons.

This would prohibit Austria from joining NATO's nuclear sharing arrangements, should it ever become a member, or from joining similar arrangements in the European Union if they ever developed. Thus it becomes a major political and legal stumbling block against the possible future development of an independent European nuclear deterrent.