NEOS excerpt from talks: Political earthquake in Austria!

NEOS excerpt from talks: Political earthquake in Austria!

On Friday, January 4, 2025, Beate Meinl-Reisinger, the head of the NEOS, surprisingly announced the exit of her party from the coalition negotiations with the ÖVP under Chancellor Karl Nehammer and the SPÖ. This decision came after 97 days of intensive negotiations, which, as Meinl-Reisinger announced, did not bring the desired progress in terms of basic topics such as budget and future reforms. "The budget-hole is much larger than before, and a common vision for the future of Austria was simply not possible," said the Neos boss, as well as on orf.at was reported.

The surprising exit of the NEOS ensures additional political uncertainty in Austria. The last round of negotiations had taken until night, but the required profound changes in areas such as federalism and healthcare remained unaffected. It was not ready to think beyond the next election day, which was not sustainable for the NEOS. "For us, government participation is not an end in itself," emphasized Meinl-Reisinger, as well as the influx of reactions from other party circles became clear. The ÖVP, on the other hand, attracted responsibility for the failure of the SPÖ talks, while the FPÖ already made demand for resignation to Nehammer krone.at reported.

Political consequences and future negotiations

With the exit of the NEOS, the political conditions in Austria are on the brink. The ÖVP and the SPÖ theoretically have the opportunity to form a coalition of two, but due to narrow majorities and possible deviations, this is considered risky. Meinl-Reisinger thanked the ÖVP for her willingness to reform, but showed understanding of the difficulties that the SPÖ has in the coalition formation. How to proceed remains uncertain, while talks between Nehammer and Babler are in prospect at the Federal President to discuss the next steps.