Coalition talks: big challenges for ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS!

Coalition talks: big challenges for ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS!

In the middle of the challenges of a tense budget situation, the coalition negotiations between the ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS are in full swing. The party leaders emphasize that the negotiations in the 33 subgroups are surprisingly well progressed. But now the most difficult task is: the urgently needed budget consolidation. As the ÖVP boss Karl Nehammer explained, it is crucial to evaluate the various suggestions and find a common path for Austria. Neos boss Beate Meinl-Reisinger warned the negotiators that it had to be achieved more than just the smallest common denominator, and demanded more responsibility from the governors in the negotiations to bring the country forward, like Kleinezeitung.at reported.

Budget consolidation is not an easy undertaking, since Austria will have to save between 12 and 15 billion euros in the next four years. This sum depends on whether a consolidation path of four or seven years is chosen or an EU deficit procedure is used. While the ÖVP and NEOS want to avoid such a deficit structure, it could be the gentler way for the SPÖ. As an organizational challenge, the coalition talks themselves are a mammoth project - around 300 negotiators have to talk to each other in various clusters and subgroups. A rough schedule provides that a first interim report will be handed over to the steering group by mid-December, such as Kurier.at reported.

preparation for the next steps

The conversations in the subgroups cover a variety of topics, including taxes, finances, industrial policy and infrastructure, whereby the coordination of this large group of negotiators is an immense task. Topics in which no agreement is reached reach the control group, which consists of party leader and secretaries, to find solutions. In a parallel budget expert group, everyone involved is continuously provided with operational budget assessments in order to make informed decisions. These comprehensive negotiations and the central focus on reforms and reorganization show how seriously the parties are committed to a possible triple coalition at the federal level.