2023-06-29 18:11:05
MPs discuss selected petitions with experts
Vienna (PK) – Vienna PK) – In the first part of today Petitionsausschusses an exchange with experts took place on the initiatives selected by the parliamentary groups. This applies to the petitions to maintain the flight weather service at Innsbruck Airport, to strengthen the health system and to play an active role in Austria in relation to peace negotiations and a ceasefire in Russia’s war once morest Ukraine.
Petition to maintain the flight weather service at Innsbruck Airport
The “Petition to maintain the flight weather service at Innsbruck Airport” presented by Deputy Hermann Gahr (ÖVP) (94/PET) opposes the planned closure of the Innsbruck Aviation Weather Service and advocates long-term security for the jobs that are at risk as a result. In addition, a comprehensive safety analysis of the effects of the closures of the aviation weather services throughout Austria, which experts view quite critically, is required. According to the petition, meteorologists are needed on site who can correctly record the relevant parameters such as visibility, cloudiness and surface wind as well as possible weather changes and prepare them appropriately for the pilots and controllers.
The former air traffic controller Matthias Promegger, who was invited to the committee as a source of information, spoke of major safety deficiencies and a “serious weakness” if in future the weather data would no longer be recorded by experts but by machines. The automatic systems have a high error rate, especially in bad weather, which is why humans are irreplaceable. Due to their geographical location, Innsbruck and Salzburg airports would be particularly affected, and Promegger said they might also suffer economic damage if there were more error messages. You have to be able to rely on Austro Control guaranteeing flight safety in Austria even “in the dark and foggy”.
If there are security concerns, people cannot be replaced by machines, Hermann Gahr (ÖVP) agreed with the expert. Promegger stated to Gahr and Nikolaus Prinz (also ÖVP) that the automated systems have not yet been certified, as is usual in aviation. Courts would have to clarify whether ice cameras or sensor errors are sufficient to guarantee flight safety. When asked by committee chairman Michael Bernhard (NEOS) whether experts were sufficiently listened to when making the decision to centralize the process, the respondent criticized the fact that no representatives of the federal states were involved or that warnings from the works council were not included.
The committee unanimously decided to refer the petition to the Transport Committee for further consideration.
Petition to strengthen the health system
“For a strong health system. ÖVP election campaign taunts check off billions of patients. Strengthen the health system in the long term.” (109/PET), under this title, SPÖ mandater Rudolf Silvan has submitted a petition aimed at strengthening the public health system in the long term. Several demands are being made of the government, such as measures to combat the shortage of doctors, a nationwide expansion of primary medical care, a risk structure balance between the health insurers or uniform rates for all insured pensioners. The “patient billion” presented by former Chancellor Kurz in 2018 in the course of the health insurance merger is criticized by supporters as “election campaign bullying” and “empty promises”.
Andreas Huss, deputy chairman of the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK), emphasized that Austrian social insurance stands for a strong public health system in which everyone should contribute according to their income. It is a tradition in the Austrian health system that the healthy stand up for the sick or the young for the old. However, these stable framework conditions have been shaken by the pandemic and the merger of the health insurance companies. For example, the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) will have a negative result in the first five years following the merger, which means that there is “no air” left for the services promised by the politicians. For Huss it is therefore “high time” to question the existing system, but without turning back the “wheel of time”. Among other things, the system is too doctor-heavy, too many treatments are still taking place in the hospitals. In addition, more preventive health measures are needed, 500 additional positions in primary care, psychosocial care centers for children and adults and a uniform catalog of services for all patients.
Andreas Kollross, Rudolf Silvan (both SPÖ) and Maximilian Linder (FPÖ) asked to what extent the harmonization of benefits promised as part of the ÖGK merger had taken place for all insured persons. To date, not all performance differences have been harmonized, informed Andreas Huss. For the ÖGK representative it is incomprehensible that despite the same contributions from all groups, there are still different levels of performance. Huss described the “ÖGK solution” to Linder as a “financial disaster” for social security.
The petition was accepted by a majority.
Petition calls for Austrian commitment to peace negotiations
Christian Hafenecker (FPÖ) introduced a petition entitled “Active peace and neutrality policy instead of warmongering”, which deals with Austria’s active commitment to peace negotiations and a ceasefire in Russia’s war once morest Ukraine (111/PET). According to this, Austria should act as a mediator between the parties with Vienna as the place of negotiation. With reference to the neutrality law, the federal government’s participation in the EU macro-financial aid for Ukraine and the transit of NATO equipment through Austria has been criticized as “warmongering”. It is urgently necessary to restore Austria’s neutral status, according to the text of the petition.
Michael Geistlinger, Associate Professor of International Law at the University of Salzburg, emphasized that the concerns of the petition are to be welcomed unreservedly from the perspective of international and human rights. “Voices for peace” are needed, which is why a neutral Austria should make its contribution to conflict resolution. In 1955 the Republic pledged to remain permanently neutral. Other countries must be able to rely on Geistlinger. In the case of the war in Ukraine, it is an international armed conflict in which the law of neutrality is “blind” to who started which war. In addition, the neutrality must not be impaired by Austria’s membership in a regional organization, according to the expert with regard to Austria’s integration into the EU. Austria might take China’s peace plans or the agreements brokered by Turkey between Russia and Ukraine as an example.
Nikolaus Prinz (ÖVP) emphasized to Geistlinger that Russia had invaded Ukraine and not the other way around. Austria supports the Ukrainian civilian population “massively”, which is covered by international law. Robert Laimer (SPÖ) saw it similarly. Not a single euro from Austria would flow into Ukraine’s military equipment. The SPÖ mandatary might see no obstacle in the interplay of domestic neutrality with European solidarity. Michael Bernhard (NEOS) stated that Austria and the EU might not remain silent regarding the attack by Russia, which violated international law, and that Ukraine should continue to be supported.
Christian Ries (FPÖ) explained that the petition does not question the fact that it is an attack by Russia that violates international law. The FPÖ mandatary was interested in the differences in neutrality in Austria and Switzerland.
Michael Geistlinger made it clear that he wanted to make it clear that he also considered the Russian attack to be contrary to international law. Humanitarian aid is “no problem” within the framework of neutrality, but the funds would be used for other purposes. As far as the difference to Switzerland’s neutrality is concerned, this is a “relaxed matter”. The main difference is that neutrality in Austria is anchored in both the constitution and international law. The behavior of former Federal Chancellor Bruno Kreisky might serve as a model for how Austria, despite EU membership, should behave in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, said the international law expert in conclusion to FPÖ mandater Christian Ries.
The committee spoke out in favor of obtaining an opinion from the constitutional service in the Federal Chancellery. (continued Petitions Committee) med
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