Coalition crisis: Neos quit the talks!

Coalition crisis: Neos quit the talks!

Wien, Österreich - The coalition negotiations between the ÖVP, SPÖ and Neos are apparently before the end of how the Neos indicated in a surprising press conference today. After intensive discussions on Thursday, in which the party leader Karl Nehammer (ÖVP), Andreas Babler (SPÖ) and Beate Meinl-Reisinger (NEOS) spoke about a renovated budget and important projects, the question remains open whether the negotiations have burst. According to insiders, this could be imminent. After 96 days since the National Council election, there is still no government contract that could make the negotiations on the longest in the history of Austria, which Vol.at reports.

The talks in the late Thursday took place in a secret place and lasted over seven hours. Despite the strong progress, it was said at 11 p.m., there were no concrete results. Another round of negotiations is scheduled for Friday afternoon, and there are rumors about a possible agreement on this extended weekend. The ÖVP is pushing for a quick decision, while the NEOS and SPÖ see more optimistic time frames for the agreement. A rather central point of the negotiations remains the budget-a renovation without EU deficit procedure could require massive incisions, which emphasizes a socially just solution. According to The press also expressed representatives of the SPÖ that savings should not be at the expense of the economy and the labor market.

Budget questions in the focus

The discussion is particularly controversial how a budget renovation can be designed that the weaker in society does not punish. The SPÖ calls for a revision-capable strategy that comprises wealth taxes and taxation of so-called crisis gains, whereby the focus should be on the areas that particularly benefited in the crisis, such as energy and banking sectors. Aid organizations have already expressed their concerns and warn that massive cuts in the social sector cannot be a solution. The Diakonie Director recently emphasized that investments in long-term care and social infrastructure are more important than ever, since these sectors secure jobs in times of crisis and relieve health care, says Anna Parr from Caritas. So the negotiators face a significant challenge that must be weighed against different interests.