2024-01-28 13:42:30
On Sunday in the ORF “Press Hour”, Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) once once more rejected the idea of bringing forward the National Council elections in the fall. “I’m ruling out new elections in the spring.” However, he will not form the government alone, but with the Greens. He wants to finance his Austria plan by reducing subsidies, higher growth and fewer social benefits for immigrants.
“If I decided for myself, then we would vote in September,” said Nehammer. His speech on Friday in Wels including the presentation of the “Austria Plan” does not contradict this. He took the opportunity at the beginning of the year to show what he stands for. “I think it’s good to be able to set landmarks.”
Secretary General Olga Voglauer also advocated once morest early elections for the Greens addressed by Nehammer: A lot might still be achieved between now and September,” she said on the ORF program “Hohes Haus.” “As long as something continues for the country, as long as we are good If we can pass laws in parliament, we will continue to work.”
The Chancellor rejected criticism of the lack of counter-financing for the measures contained in the “Austria Plan”, such as a reduction in non-wage labor costs and tax rates. The fact that there are no concrete calculations and figures in his plan is because negotiations are needed to implement these measures and a coalition partner is needed following the election. Only then might concrete percentages be set; anything else would not be serious.
Even when asked, he didn’t want to commit to specific figures: In general, however, we need to “move away from subsidyitis.” Reducing this might create scope for investment in the budget – specifically, he mentioned short-time work and payments created in the wake of the corona pandemic. In addition, tax cuts and deregulation would generate more tax revenue because this would stimulate growth and trigger investments in Austria. And finally, measures once morest “immigration into the social system” would lead to a reduction in spending there. “If I add all that up, I have my counterpart financing.” One should not forget that all measures will not take effect immediately, but only gradually – as will their counter-financing.
The SPÖ, on the other hand, finds leaving the counter-financing open “dubious”: In contrast, when they proposed paying nurses in training, they broke down the costs and also made a concrete proposal for counter-financing – namely the millionaires’ taxes, according to Federal Managing Director Sandra Breiteneder a broadcast.
Nehammer once once more ruled out a coalition with an FPÖ under chairman Herbert Kickl. “Kickl has radicalized himself and with him the party.” If there was a change in chairman, the party would also change, said the Chancellor. “Each party has the possibility of a self-cleaning process.” When asked whether he considered Kickl to be a right-wing extremist, Nehammer replied: “Yes, definitely.”
The FPÖ, in turn, did not let this sit: Nehammer was “purely afraid” of Kickl, said General Secretary Christian Hafenecker in a press release. “We all know by now that he is a permanent member of the ÖVP’s ‘I’m so afraid of Herbert Kickl self-help group’, but Nehammer shouldn’t have to also wow the audience with this ‘hanging record in endless track’ bother.”
For the EU elections, the Chancellor avoided setting a percentage threshold for his party. Instead, his election goal was to come first. The same applies to the research quota in an EU comparison.
There are further differences between the Greens and the ÖVP regarding the climate protection law. The former want to set concrete reduction targets in this. However, the Chancellor said this might have a negative impact on investments in Austria. In general, he attributes the law to a “high symbolic character” and “excessive significance.” A lot has already been achieved in terms of climate protection, he pointed out, for example, CO2 pricing and the Renewable Heat Act.
Voglauer also signed on to the latter point – but she found it “a shame that we don’t have this path (to reducing emissions, note)”. But we will fight for it “with blood, sweat and tears”. If you had asked her a year ago whether the Freedom of Information Act, which is now to be passed in the National Council on Wednesday, would be effective, she would not have been able to say this either.
For Nehammer, the current regulations for filling top positions are still unsatisfactory – most recently, due to a coalition dispute, the head of the Federal Administrative Court was not filled for 14 months and the best-ranked candidate was not subsequently selected. The current plan is to initially refer the matter to a high-level commission, which will present a three-proposal. But the decision lies with the government. “I am the first to say that this needs to be changed,” the Chancellor repeated his position. Either there is a call for tenders and then a decision by a commission or a political decision. The current “mixed ratio” needs to be ended.
NEOS General Secretary Douglas Hoyos saw Nehammer’s statements as “just hot air on the occasion of the coming elections”: “The people want results. The ÖVP is now in government. It has been there for 37 years. It has burned out and no one believes it anymore,” said Hoyos in a broadcast. All the points that the Chancellor is now addressing might have been addressed by his party and him long ago. “The people need a government that delivers, not babble.”
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