Budget crisis: Coalition is fighting for progress in the Palais Epstein!

Budget crisis: Coalition is fighting for progress in the Palais Epstein!

In the past few days, the top representatives of the ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS had intensive discussions about the upcoming coalition negotiations, which above all focus on the urgently needed budget consolidation. At a meeting in the Palais Epstein on Tuesday, the party leader Karl Nehammer (ÖVP), Andreas Babler (SPÖ) and Beate Meinl-Reisinger (NEOS) came to the media and reported "essential progress" in the negotiations. Nehammer emphasized that the past few weeks were "more than intense" and that in many areas one had "made significant progress", while in certain subject areas there is still a lack of agreements that mark the so -called "red traffic lights", such as Today. reported.

An essential point of the talks was the need to save up to 24 billion euros, as Meinl-Reisinger mentioned. The coalitioners work on a total state budget of 250 billion euros and have to find a balance between savings and new income to cope with the challenges. BABLER praised the more than 300 negotiators who had "done great things", but there are still many open questions and challenges, such as tax and economic issues that are considered particularly tricky. In this context, it is also discussed whether the governors should be included in the negotiation process, as Meinl-Reisinger suggested, to ensure a total-state effort, such as the Kleine Zeitung .

The negotiations are also continued on the holidays, whereby the tone between the parties continues to be constructive. Nehammer made it clear that there is still "in the timetable of the turquoise-green negotiations", although Meinl-Reisinger underlined that "no new government under the Christmas tree" will be. It remains to be seen whether the negotiation teams can find solutions for the existing differences in the current week, in particular with regard to the upcoming savings that are to be between 12 and 15 billion euros, depending on the consolidation path.