The “Krone” overview – Ten construction sites are waiting after nine weeks of vacation

Nine weeks of vacation start on Friday for 183 members of the National Council, 14 ministers, four secretaries of state and 646,000 schoolchildren from six states. But while most of the students have completed their assignments, the politicians are leaving behind a pile of construction sites. Here are ten of the biggest problems.

… Inflation: The cabinet repeatedly refers to support measures that have already been taken. But that is not enough for the opposition. The SPÖ wants to cancel the summer break for the National Council – until something is done about the rising prices.

… Poverty: Inflation is particularly difficult for low-income earners. The Poverty Conference calls for basic energy security, early valorisation of social assistance, decoupling of rent increases from the consumer price index and better housing aid.

… Different climate and energy laws are the government’s third construction site. Nothing has happened here for months.

… judicial power: The introduction of a federal prosecutor’s office and the strengthening of the rights of the accused are also blocked.

… Health: Before the summer, the ÖVP and the Greens wanted to take the big step towards reforming the ailing healthcare system. Little has come so far. However, the National Council has at least reformed primary care. And there was the offer of ten billion euros to the federal states for care and health, which was angrily rejected by them. Which brings us to the next construction site.

… The financial settlement: No agreement here yet. States, municipalities and cities want four times as much funding as the federal government.

… Care: An aging society and a lack of caregivers have been a problem for years that have not been solved to this day. After all, another part of the care reform was decided in the National Council.

… Education: The NEOS in the National Council tackled the partly outdated education system with an urgent request to Education Minister Martin Polaschek. He defended his work and referred to numerous measures he had taken against the teacher shortage.

… labor shortage: It’s not just in schools. Many industries complain about a lack of staff. The government has not yet found a recipe for this.

… Migration: The problem of uncontrolled immigration has also not been solved. Chancellor Karl Nehammer will receive Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić on Friday for a summit meeting. The aim is to jointly take measures for effective border control, Nehammer said beforehand.