We consider that Austria's economy remains diversified and prosperous. We project that Austria's net general government debt will decline as growth recovers, thanks in part to government reforms that have stimulated employment. We are therefore affirming our 'AA+/A-1+' ratings on Austria. The stable outlook reflects our expectation that Austria's economic, fiscal and external credit metrics will remain close to current levels over our 2017-2019 forecast period. On March 17, 2017, S&P Global Ratings affirmed its 'AA+/A-1+' long- and short-term foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings on the Republic of Austria. The outlook is stable. At the same time, we affirmed our 'AA+' long-term and 'A-1+' short-term issue ratings on Austria's senior unsecured debt. We also affirmed our 'AA+' long-term
