War in Ukraine – “Ammunition supply no longer guaranteed”

“Thank God the Netherlands is participating”, because the right of veto against accession to Schengen is no longer a solo effort by Austria. Tikal admits that adding Bulgaria and Romania “could worsen the whole situation”. Remarkably, Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) resisted the pressure. Germany in particular exerted a lot of pressure.

Any alliance expansion – be it Schengen, NATO or EU – is “a matter of philosophy”. At a certain point you get to the point where the question arises whether an extension can solve problems – for example by exerting more influence – or whether the tenor is: “Beware, we are only increasing our problem with this”. Karner feels at home with the latter view. He fears that the asylum problem will escalate.

Abolition of Cold Progression: “Big Throw”
According to Tikal, a year under the Nehammer cabinet “is not as bad as the public thinks”. One of the main successes – the extension of Austria’s independence from Russian gas. “It’s a subject that Austrians feel.” The Krone editor describes the elimination of cold progression as the “second big step” of the past 12 Nehammer months. Tikal also takes a positive view of the anti-inflation measures and puts particular emphasis on the electricity price cap, the model of which was adopted by our German neighbours. “It’s not nothing,” he sums up.

But where there is light, there is also shadow: the fact that many government projects are still waiting for implementation is because “the government partners cannot agree”. An important example of this disagreement is the anti-corruption law. Often requested, a decree is probably still a long way off. Or the unemployment benefit reform that recently failed.

Nehammer looking for raisins
Discussion is possible for Tikal in relation to Nehammer’s communication strategy. He chooses very carefully where he appears and to whom he gives interviews: “That’s picking raisins”. Nevertheless, Tikal believes that politicians should be judged substantively. “We live in a media circus, where a flippant saying is quickly made more than it actually is”. The fact that Nehammer reactivated ‘Mister Message Control’ Gerald Fleischmann as ÖVP communications chief “is a courageous decision”. For Tikal, however, the infamous message check isn’t necessarily negative: “It just means you show up as one within a government team”. Media professionals would then have to filter out the “concentrated bullshit”.

‘Ammunition supply not fully guaranteed’
The conflict in Ukraine is currently in a phase where there are no “big bangs”, ie no major offensives. On the contrary: “The traces of use are clearly recognizable,” says the editor-in-chief. “It is a conflict where there is a lot of firing and a lot of food – in the form of ammunition – is needed” However, the ammunition supply can only be partially guaranteed, as the following figures impressively show: Experts assume that in the field of anti-aircraft missiles already the production capacity of the past nine years has been wasted by anti-tank missiles of the past 15 years. Russia responds and receives grenades from North Korea. “Not a good sign for the aggressors,” says Tikal.

Watch the full interview with Paul Tikal in the video above. KroneLIVE can be seen from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m.

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