It won’t be a love affair, but rather a down-to-earth marriage of convenience. The blue-black marriage contract is expected to be signed in mid-February. The road to achieving this goal is bumpy, despite the many similarities in content. In particular, foreign policy issues such as Ukraine, the EU and Sky Shield contain explosives that a ‘demining group’ is expected to defuse.
Trust is needed for the politically sensitive blue-black company. And apparently there are also small circles of us in favor of this trust. As the “Krone” learned, the steering committee is intended to act as a kind of “demining service” between the two camps, in parallel with the negotiations in the subgroups, and to defuse political explosives if necessary.
Representatives of the steering committees on the liberal side include the two general secretaries Michael Schnedlitz and Christian Hafenecker, as well as Kickl’s right-hand man Reinhard Teufel. On the ÖVP side, in case of emergency, Harald Mahrer, chairman of the Economic Chamber, club boss August Wöginger or the young hopeful Claudia Plakolm act as dismantlers.
In general, the negotiations are proceeding in a very “efficient and structural manner,” according to ÖVP boss Stocker’s office. They do not want to make a specific statement yet about finalizing or fixing the blue-black coalition. This is questionable, but when asked specifically it confirms that mid-February should be realistic.
Three meetings per group
The procedure so far also seems clear: the FPÖ and ÖVP have agreed that all thirteen negotiating groups will meet three times each over the next two weeks. At the same time, all discrepancies within the demining group must be clarified. After the end of the semester break in Vienna and Lower Austria, which lasts until February 8, the blue-black marriage contract could be presented to the public.
The various meetings in the 13 groups are also intended to help build teams. Those involved need to get to know each other better. There will be no more love between the People’s Party and the Freedom Party; the mutual aversion is too great for that. The thirteen negotiating groups reportedly roughly correspond to the future ministries. These would then be roughly managed by the same people.
Agreement on reducing criminal liability
In terms of content, very little is getting through, unlike the negotiations about the candy coalition. There is agreement on lowering the age of criminal responsibility from 14 to 12 years. When it comes to deportations, it is said that we are reaching the limits of what is legally possible. As reported, there are likely lines of conflict when it comes to Sky Shield.
When asked by Krone, ÖVP Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner said: “Sky Shield is an important program, especially for purchasing defense systems in a cost-effective manner. Now it’s time to negotiate, and we’ll have to wait and see what decisions are made. I see a lot of unity, especially in the area of national defense.” Logically, they do not want to confirm media reports that the ÖVP has “collapsed” over the issue.
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.