Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen wants to “keep an eye on the work of the government” during the crisis. He managed to win over two energy experts as advisors: ex-Verbund boss Wolfgang Anzengruber and Wifo expert Angela Köppl.
President Van der Bellen has been accused for weeks of being too passive in the face of the energy crisis. This attitude is now changing. The head of state brings an energy consultant duo to the Hofburg. “I will monitor the situation closely – and also keep an eye on the work of the government,” Van der Bellen told the “Krone”.
Van der Bellen: ‘I take the concerns of the Austrians seriously’
He managed to recruit two top professionals from the energy sector for his advisory team. Wolfgang Anzengruber, longtime CEO of Verbund AG, and Angela Köppl, Wifo economist with a focus on climate change and the energy industry. Both work on a voluntary basis. They make their expertise available in the form of briefings and work sessions on the state of affairs on the energy market. “I take the concerns of the Austrians seriously. We must do everything we can to ensure that our economic power is not permanently damaged and we must not let our population freeze or be unable to live,” says Van der To call.
Given the high dependence on Russian gas, he wants to put pressure on Austria to become independent from the import of fossil energy and to handle energy more carefully. “The Austrians rightly expect the government to work. I expect that solutions will be continuously worked on.” The message is clear: Van der Bellen will be involved from now on.
Source: Krone
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