EU Red Envelope – Babler does NOT want to work with these forces

During an election campaign of the “Social Democratic Party of Europe” (SPE) and the SPÖ in the Marx Palace in Vienna, SPE top candidate Nicolas Schmit and SPÖ leader Andreas Babler and his top candidate Andreas Schieder distanced themselves from right-wing extremists and conservatives. competitors on Tuesday evening. The Social Democrats are the “only force that rules out a coalition with right-wing extremists” in the European elections, Babler noted.

Babler against the free market in some areas
But the “neoliberal path” with blind faith in market forces also failed. There is “no place” for the free market in education, energy or housing, Babler said to applause from more than 300 listeners. Europe must invest more in its own supply of energy or raw materials. It is unacceptable that fever-reducing medicines for children are suddenly no longer available due to a lack of supplies from third countries.

The PES’ leading candidate, Luxembourg EU Commissioner Nicolas Schmit, spoke of “directive elections” on June 9. “There should be no way back to nationalism.” Democracy and prosperity in the EU are in danger. Only the Social Democrats clearly distinguished themselves from right-wing extremist parties.

Excitement about Meloni
The leading candidate of the European People’s Party (EPP), President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, gave only a vague answer to his question about her position, saying that cooperation with right-wing extremist parties depends on the new composition of the European Parliament .

Schmit sharply criticized Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as the “best friend” of EPP top candidate Von der Leyen. Meloni has abolished social rights such as the minimum wage in Italy and is fighting against the European democratic model. “The only bulwark against authoritarian and fascist tendencies is a strong social democracy,” Schmit explains. A social and environmental industrial policy in the EU must now be rapidly developed.

Schieder fears for the European model
Andreas Schieder, the SPÖ’s top candidate for the European elections, stated that his goal was “to fight climate change and create new, green jobs.” The ‘European model of life’ with democracy, peace, freedom and the rule of law is threatened by the FPÖ and other right-wing extremist parties. Democracy is only assured “if there is social justice,” Schieder said.

Turning to security policy, he said that “the proven model of Austrian neutrality” must be preserved. But he lacks an ‘active foreign policy’ in the current federal government, which has been ‘appeased’ by the foreign ministers of the ÖVP and FPÖ over the past twenty years. The FPÖ advocates neutrality, “but in reality it is sacrificing the interests of this country at the door of Putin’s Kremlin.”

SPÖ wants to focus on companies
Evelyn Regner, second on the SPÖ list and Vice-President of the European Parliament, emphasized that much has been achieved in the social field during the past legislature, including resolutions on minimum wages, women’s rights and employment on platforms. Companies must now disclose in which countries they pay taxes.

In Austria, labor taxes are still “far too high”: of every 100 euros in tax revenue, 80 euros come from workers through taxes on income and consumption. Companies contribute 16 euros. There would be zero euros due to the absence of inheritance taxes. Regner called for the introduction of wealth-related taxes “on the ultra-wealthy” “in the spirit of tax justice.”