The governor of Lower Austria, Johanna Mikl-Leitner, continues to put pressure on the federal coalition negotiators. “It is not enough to reach the lowest common denominator,” said the ÖVP politician. “Real lighthouse projects” and “big decisions” are needed.
The most important thing is to “negotiate seriously and, above all, fairly and quickly”. Before the municipal elections on January 26, the state party leader sees “huge headwinds” for the ÖVP in general.
It is ‘clear’ that Austria mainly has a spending problem, the governor said. It is important to examine each budget item in detail – as Lower Austria plans to do with a task revision to make administration more efficient. The discussed end to the climate bonus and educational leave are “certainly two positions on which agreement can be reached” in the negotiations between the ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS and would also generate “a fair amount of money”. On the Pink Party’s proposal to involve state leaders in the coalition talks, Mikl-Leitner said: “Of course, the state governors are in permanent contact with the negotiating teams.”
“Do not accept counter-companies”
During government negotiations, it is important to focus on people’s “biggest concerns”: the loss of prosperity and the “identity of our country”. It is “the order of the day to relieve and not burden”. Mikl-Leitner demanded that the next federal government must strengthen competitiveness and stop deindustrialization – for example through tax-free overtime and reducing bureaucracy. The head of state also sees the need for action when it comes to network costs: Lower Austria, as a “model student” in the field of renewable energy production, “should not be punished.”
Moreover, there is a need for “a very clear position from the federal government towards those who do not want to integrate”. In recent years and decades, ‘misunderstood tolerance’ has been practiced throughout Europe, which is ‘self-made’: ‘We must and may expect that people who come to us obey our laws, adapt to our society and above all, accept our way of life and equal treatment.” Mikl-Leitner again pushed for stricter citizenship rules and penalties for those who do not want to integrate: “That is a very clear message that we do not accept opposing societies.”
When asked about black and blue as a possible federal alternative to a coalition of ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS, the leader of the black state party said: “This is not a time for speculation. It is about negotiating seriously and quickly, putting aside ideology and looking for the best way to generate growth again.”
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.
