National Council commemorates Graz victim: Budget debate in the shadow of the tragedy

National Council commemorates Graz victim: Budget debate in the shadow of the tragedy

On Monday, June 15, 2025, the National Council commemorates an emotional session of the victims of the tragic killing spree at a Graz high school, in which nine young people and a teacher were recently shot by a 21-year-old perpetrator. After the fatal shots, the attacker, who had been classified as unsuitable due to psychological instability in the event of a pattern as an army. The amoctat was a shocking event for the entire nation, which is now recognized by the leading politicians of the country. In a first minute of commemoration, the victim is thought of, followed by explanations by the party leader, including Christian Stocker (ÖVP), Andreas Babler (SPÖ) and Beate Meinl-Reisinger (Neos) reported oe24 and 5min.at .

The gunman had previously obtained a gun ownership card and passed a psychological report, despite his history. In this context, the Austrian government plans tightening up weapons laws to prevent similar tragedies in the future. In the future, stricter rules for the possession and purchase of weapons and an increase in the minimum age for the acquisition of weapons could be adopted. In addition, new guidelines for the type of weapon and tightened psychological tests for the aptitude test are planned reports dageschau.de .

budget debate in the National Council

The second focus of the session deals with the budget accompanying law, which includes the abolition of the climate monus and higher access to the corridor board. The proposal stipulates that the starting age for the corridor pension is increased from 62 to 63 years, combined with the requirement of 42 insurance years 5min.at . In addition, the service fee for the E-Card is increased, and the "commutereuro" is tripled to six euros per kilometer. A sales tax exemption for contraceptives and women's hygiene items as well as no standard consumption for box and platform trees are also provided.

The debate about the budget accompanying law is part of a three -day session that begins with a formally new session in the evening. The first chapters called affect important areas such as the Vice Chancellery, the exterior, the judiciary, the interior and the economy. The overall-state deficit is also to be reduced to 4.5% of GDP by 2025 political reactions and future measures

After the killing run, several suggestions for improving security at schools and supporting endangered young people have already been discussed. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner also calls for a change in data protection regulations in relation to psychological instability to enable better communication between the authorities. The SPÖ is in favor of tightening the weapons laws and calls for stricter surveillance of endangered young people and more supervision with regard to their social media use. So far, however, no clear motive for the perpetrator is known, which was described as introverted and withdrawn Tagesschau.de .