2023-10-02 13:22:51
The fact that SPÖ officials own allotment gardens in Vienna has recently caused debate – as some plots are said to have increased in value due to rezoning. The Vienna SPÖ has now examined the matter and found no legal violations. State party secretary Barbara Novak announced this on Monday. Nevertheless, they now want to tighten compliance guidelines. The possibility of voluntarily making a dedication contribution should also be created.
The case involves, among other things, a purchase that the district leader of the Danube city, Ernst Nevrivy (SPÖ), made in 2020 in a facility in Breitenlee. In 2021, the property was reclassified as building land – which led to him being accused of benefiting from the change. Before Nevrivy, some SPÖ politicians had already purchased plots there.
In the APA conversation, the Donaustadt district leader recently pointed out that it had been known for a long time that there would be a change to the zoning and development plan. He asserted that he had no influence on the dedication process in any way.
The SPÖ has now also carried out “in-depth research”, as party manager Novak assured. The history of the events was illuminated. “We were able to determine that everything was being done on a 100 percent legal basis at all times,” she said. The rezoning process was initiated in 2006. All parties agreed to the corresponding resolutions in the local council, for example.
With one exception, none of those involved were able to directly influence the process. Only local councilor Astrid Rompolt, who bought the area in 2017, was on the local council at the time the rezoning was decided. However, Novak explained that she might not declare herself biased because the act was not negotiated or voted on – because all parliamentary groups agreed.
The fact that this option no longer exists is stipulated in the city constitution. Novak reported that colleague Rompolt assured her that she would have been happy to express her bias. The SPÖ state party secretary expressed the wish that this would be changed accordingly in the constitution.
According to the SPÖ, all those affected were on waiting lists. According to Novak, the fact that three SPÖ representatives bought a plot of land in 2017 is because the allotment garden association sold several plots of land at the time. The association organized a joint appointment with the notary. According to Novak, the SPÖ officials who made a purchase found out regarding the possibility from various sources. No “insider knowledge” was identified.
The association – or other comparable institutions – is by no means a social democratic front organization, she asserted. The election results in allotment garden districts would not indicate this either. She knows that representatives of other parties also live in allotments or own property there. But she didn’t want to name names, she added.
However, Novak did not hide the fact that the case created a “lopsided look”. That’s why on Monday the Vienna SPÖ committees discussed ways to avoid this in the future. According to its state party secretary, the Vienna SPÖ will start a compliance process in which, among other things, instructions for action will be laid down for officials. They also want to install a whistleblower system.
In addition, the possibility for a voluntary dedication levy should be created. A federal state cannot implement a mandatory solution, explained Novak. This would have to be regulated by federal law. They also want to work with the allotment garden umbrella association to make the award system more transparent. However, it is not possible to intervene directly here, emphasized Novak. This is solely a matter for the respective independent clubs.
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