Chaos in the government: Who leads in Austria's departments?

Chaos in the government: Who leads in Austria's departments?

In a turbulent political environment, Austria is confronted by a remarkable standstill in the new reign. The draft law for the Federal Ministry Act, which is responsible for the ministers' departmental entitlement, is only expected in April. The managing club chairwoman of the Greens, Sigi Maurer, expresses sharp criticism of this delay: "People in Austria looked at a special class for 155 days and deserve that work starts at full speed," said Maurer. Until the law was adopted, the ministers have to work interimly without portfolio, which, according to Maurer, endangers the government's efficiency. Instead, she appeals to the federal government to "add a tooth" to solve pressing problems than to wait.

urgency of the Federal Ministry Act

This law is not just a bureaucratic detail, but decisive for the functionality of the government. At the moment, the new ministers have only taken over the tasks of their predecessors. In the course of a redistribution of the agendas, Minister of Social Affairs Korinna Schumann (SPÖ) is particularly affected, which is currently not able to act because her department is still part of the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Other ministers are also there without clearly defined tasks. Only when the Federal Ministry Act comes into force can they be officially appointed to their new positions. This information was also confirmed by , which makes it clear that the government is under great pressure in the preparation of its legislative agenda.

On Friday, the discussion about the first budget decisions in the National Council is expected. Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) will submit his first government declaration, followed by a debate in which various ministers will present their plans for the next five years. The planned measures include the new Federal Ministry Act and a statutory budget provisional, which is intended to secure the flow of financial resources until the entire budget is adopted. A coalition agreement between the ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS has already determined that the first draft laws are put on the agenda, including savings projects such as bank tax. The debates and decisions about these topics could still be specified next Thursday in the budget committee, as ots.at