The government wants to make the republic more resilient with a so-called crisis security law. However, the opposition is against it. One of the criticisms is that they want to relegate the army to an aid organization.
The opposition in the National Council on Wednesday repeated its rejection of the government’s planned crisis security law. In a joint press conference, representatives of the SPÖ, FPÖ and NEOS warned of a “botch” that also harbored fundamental rights problems. Declaring a crisis with a simple majority and bypassing parliament in particular disturbed the security spokespersons of the three parties.
Devastating opinions
The opposition had already spoken out against the law in the autumn of last year. Since then, there has only been a short conversation with the political groups, Reinhold Einwallner (SPÖ), Hannes Amesbauer (FPÖ) and Douglas Hoyos (NEOS) report on Wednesday. After numerous, sometimes damning statements during the assessment phase, a new concept is now on the table, which according to the three parties has hardly changed.
For Einwallner, the Crisis Security Act is still a “democratic and security policy mistake” and an “absolutely bad design”. The draft lacks a clear definition of what a crisis actually is. That such a decision can be made by a simple majority is “very doubtful in terms of democratic politics”. For Amesbauer there are no limits to the imagination. Then the relevant minister would be empowered to govern the country alone, bypassing parliament.
cost explosion
Chancellor Karl Nehammer is only concerned with the law to give his ‘bunker’ in the government district a legal framework, suspects Einwallner, who also criticized the ‘explosion in costs’ of the project. Where the cabinet spoke of 20 million euros at the presentation in 2020, it has now risen to 50 million euros. In the meantime, construction is already underway on the new situation center – without a legal basis.
discussion culture in criticism
“The integration didn’t work,” Hoyos also lamented the government’s culture of discussion on the Crisis Security Act. He was particularly disappointed by the Greens, who, as an opposition party, had always supported the parliamentary process. The fact that the federal government does not respond to the criticism of the current opposition is simply the case. “But she also does not respond to the statements that come from her own homes,” says the spokesperson for the NEOS defense.
Putin will be happy
Hoyos is also angry that the bill only requires a simple majority to define a crisis. “If (Hungarian Prime Minister, mind you) Victor Orban did that, all of Europe would rightly cry out.” He also criticized the fact that the federal army would be relegated to a logistical aid organization in a crisis, because: “One will be happy, Vladimir Putin will be happy.”
Amesbauer also sees the division of roles envisaged in the draft as “a clear abolition of the current principle of a clear separation between military and police tasks”. This is “constitutionally highly questionable”. For the liberal, on the other hand, the National Security Council should be upgraded. Einwallner, on the other hand, argues for the Federal Chancellery to be responsible in a crisis, preferably with a responsible state secretary.
That is why none of the three opposition factions could imagine agreeing to the law on Wednesday.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
