At a special session of the National Council convened by the coalition Monday afternoon, the government campaigned for unity on sanctions against Russia and measures to combat inflation. Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler (Greens) and Chancellor Minister Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP) called on MPs to work together. SPÖ and FPÖ did not skimp on criticism. It was especially difficult between ÖVP and FPÖ.
Right at the beginning of his statement, Kogler offered the other factions to work together on energy security. Chancellor Edtstadler called parliament “the heart of our democracy” and recalled the decisions taken “across all party lines” in the early stages of the corona pandemic.
“Let’s shape the future together and hand in hand”
They need it now too. “Let’s shape the future together and hand in hand,” says Edtstadler: “And let’s not make the mistake of letting ourselves be divided.”
The coalition was criticized during the four-hour meeting from the opposition, especially between the ÖVP and FPÖ things became difficult. During a speech by ÖVP club boss August Wöginger towards the end of the debate, National Council chairman Wolfgang Sobotka (ÖVP) even briefly interrupted the session.
Rendi-Wagner: Gas tariffs not yet under control
Above all, the SPÖ tried to bring the subject of gas prices to the fore. Club president Pamela Rendi-Wagner warned that from her point of view there is no European solution or it will come too late. It is therefore necessary to act nationally and to maximize gas prices. The measures taken so far in Austria have not brought tariffs under control.
FPÖ: “Sanctions for knee shot”
While Rendi-Wagner promoted a united EU political approach to Russia, the FPÖ once again took a different turn. MP Petra Steger spoke of “knee shot sanctions” and accused Vice-Chancellor Kogler of unrealistic left-wing moral politics. The sanctions did not hurt Moscow as much as claimed, which in turn has been denied by nearly every coalition and NEOS speaker.
Maurer: Blaue on the side of the “war criminal”
Steger opposed the accusation that the PVV was on the side of Moscow and that the FPÖ was on the side of the Austrian people. The other parties did not believe it. Green club president Sigrid Maurer saw the blues on the side of “war criminal” Vladimir Putin.
‘The fossil fuel party is over’
Another kind of criticism came from NEOS club boss Beate Meinl-Reisinger. She called for a greatly accelerated expansion of (renewable) “liberation energies”. Everyone must have understood by now that the “fossil party” is over. She also stated that Austria was in a deep sleep when it came to security policy.
Kogler: Russia’s “beastly war of aggression”.
Kogler criticized that in view of Russia’s “beastly war of aggression” on European soil, one could not stand neutrally on the side. “Those who do nothing are complicit in mass murder, rape and kidnapping. There can be no neutrality there,” says Kogler.
Everything is being done to counter the inflation wave, Edtstadler agrees: “This federal government does not abandon anyone.” Austria is a “pioneer” when it comes to unburdening people.
Source: Krone
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