The turquoise-green coalition officially decided on Wednesday in the Council of Ministers to develop a new security strategy. Despite demands from the opposition for involvement as soon as possible, the government wants to prepare documents first to be submitted to parliament for debate by the end of the year, as Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP) and Energy Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) have said. ) explained before the meeting.
The applicable security strategy was adopted by the National Council on 3 July 2013 in the form of a resolution based on a draft law with the votes of the SPÖ, ÖVP, FPÖ and Team Stronach. Much has changed since then, not only with the Russian offensive war in Ukraine, which is why the security strategy now needs to be reviewed.
“View security in depth”
Tanner emphasized that preparatory work on defense policy began as soon as the war began. You have to see safety as an integral part, you see that in the energy crisis, but also in the pandemic, says Tanner. Comprehensive national defense must move to the center of security strategy, something that has been neglected so far, she noted.
Gewessler was convinced that security also meant independence from Russian and fossil fuel imports. It is about whether industry can produce and whether households can heat.
She doesn’t understand whether voices are now being raised that last winter was okay and should therefore be “back to business as usual” — “of course not,” Gewessler stressed. One must continue to rely on the expansion of renewable energy. Logically, the energy sector is an important part of a security strategy and the process should be completed in the autumn.
Security policy “without party politics”
After the announcement by the top government, the opposition complained from the start about a lack of involvement – but of course the government is not listening to that. It’s important that the preparatory work is seen as a foundation, Tanner said when asked. By the end of the year, the government documents must be submitted to parliament for debate, and that seems logical to her.
Of course, derivatives of security policy are constantly being discussed, as Tanner pointed out, for example, to various committees in Parliament. Security policy should not be a “partisan gimmick”. In any case, the goal is to place the new security strategy on a “very, very broad base”. Gewessler also said it would make sense to draft a document sometime, but a good, broad process would be established, she assured.
Source: Krone
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