In his speech on the national holiday, the Federal President surprised people with concrete agendas that a new government should tackle in the coming years. There are concepts for that, the question is implementation.
Let go of the old, dare to try something new. Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen with remarkable brevity and clarity in his address to the nation on National Day. The 80-year-old identified key problem areas of the present and future and urged politicians to tackle them accordingly. Climate, security, migration, geographical change, inflation and social problems.
But how can the president’s list of demands be brought to life? The next administration is in demand and challenged. One thing is certain: it will cost a lot. The budget addresses all the areas mentioned – and is a special case of class restructuring. 3 billion must be saved every year. Denes Kucsera, economist at Agenda Austria, defines measures for the short as well as for the medium and longer term.
The billion dollar bill
It would be easy to cancel the questionable, because it is not targeted, educational leave overnight. That instantly gives you 0.5 billion per year. In addition: put an end to watering can financing, for example with the climate bonus. An adjustment and halving of the climate ticket subsidies will yield another billion.
Transformations in the green industry are important, but according to Kucsera, adjustments must also be made here; that also contains 0.5 billion. But Austria must become climate fit. Investments are being made in green energy. However, too much land is still being used and Austria is generally lagging behind. The national climate plan was submitted quite late. According to experts, this plan will make it difficult to achieve the goals of reducing emissions by 48 percent by 2038. There is then a risk of fines.
Major problem area migration
Hot topic migration: If you want to stay in Austria, you have to learn the language and live your values, says Van der Bellen. There is consensus here among all parties. Implementation will of course be the big challenge. How to deal with people who do not want to integrate and the enormous language problems? In international comparison, Austria is doing particularly poorly. Experts demand that compulsory German courses from an early age should be an option.
Hot iron health and pensions
The president also calls for reforms in the welfare state, health care and healthcare. Topics that are of great concern to the current government. More efficiency is needed here. And above all: more investments in healthcare. By 2050 there will be a shortage of 200,000 nurses. The ÖGB considers the politicians’ actions so far to be at most ‘minimal steps’. Another hot topic: pensions. They eat up about 25% of the budget. Denes Kucsera of Agenda warns of a collapse of the system: “An extra year of work yields 2.5 billion. With an additional adjustment for life expectancy, 10 billion.”
You can also save on financial equalization with the federal states. 1 billion – would go to pre-crisis levels. The same applies to the oft-cited financing. This could generate an additional 9 billion.
Whichever government the Federal President is ultimately sworn into, there will certainly be a lot to do.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
