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National Council: New legislative resolutions and election of the Ombudsman
The second session of the new legislative period is coming up in the National Council. Topics include the current economic challenges and the first legislative resolutions on the sanctions regime.
National Council: New legislative resolutions and election of the Ombudsman
This week, the National Council will meet on Thursday for its second meeting of the current legislative period. This marks the start of a new routine for MPs, who have some significant items on the agenda.
A central topic of the meeting will be a “current lesson” on the country's economic situation. This is particularly significant as it is the first time that the Freedom Party has the opportunity to determine the theme of this format after coming first in the last National Council elections. Your chosen title “Stop destroying the economy and jobs” is aimed directly at Economics Minister Martin Kocher from the ÖVP.
New Ombudsman on board
Another important decision concerns the election of the new public prosecutor. The previous district governor of Wels-Land, Elisabeth Schwetz, will most likely take the place of Walter Rosenkranz, who will re-enter parliament as President of the National Council. In the future, Schwetz will head the Ombudsman's Office together with Gaby Schwarz and Bernhard Achitz.
The meeting, chaired by Walter Rosenkranz, will also include the first legislative resolutions. Among these is a legislative package to implement a new sanctions law, which was created in response to Russia's aggressive policy towards Ukraine. This law is intended to speed up compliance with international sanctions and make potential evasion more difficult. Another important aspect is responsibility: from 2026, the Financial Market Authority will be responsible for monitoring sanctions under international law instead of the National Bank, which represents a significant innovation.
While the FPÖ, which has also planned an “urgent request”, does not have much weight in the talks, the ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS are discussing possible coalition agreements. A motion of no confidence from the Freedom Party is also on the agenda, but the chances of success appear slim as it has already been rejected by the other groups in the Budget Committee. Despite these challenges, there is probably nothing standing in the way of an agreement on the legislative package, as the FPÖ was the only parliamentary group to vote against the proposals in the committee.
The background to these measures decided at the meeting and the new Ombudsman reflect a phase of change and reaction to current challenges and show the MPs' efforts to tackle both political and economic issues in a targeted manner. More details on this topic can be found in a detailed report on www.vienna.at.