Suche
Last chance for Austria's budget: coalition struggles for savings!
On December 23, 2024, the party leaders of the “Zuckerl” coalition will discuss the budget. There is no breakthrough.
Last chance for Austria's budget: coalition struggles for savings!
The “Zuckerl” coalition in Austria stuck to budget negotiations on Monday, December 23, 2024, despite the festive Christmas season. However, no significant progress was made in an exchange lasting several hours between party leaders Karl Nehammer (ÖVP), Andreas Babler (SPÖ) and Beate Meinl-Reisinger (NEOS). The focus of the discussions was the prioritization of lighthouse projects and the contractually agreed minimum compromise, which is aimed at a plan to restructure the budget over the next seven years. If the Austrian government fails to submit a convincing restructuring concept to Brussels in January, there is a risk of proceedings by the EU Commission. The savings to be achieved amount to 3.9 billion euros in the event of an excessive deficit procedure or 6.3 billion euros without such a procedure, which would already apply from 2025. The SPÖ demands a larger financial contribution from the super-rich in the form of wealth taxes, while the NEOS demands real system changes. Talks are set to continue next Friday, November 27th, as the coalition partners continue to look for solutions krone.at reported.