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State governors are calling for more say and financing for the health system
At their conference in Traunkirchen, the Austrian state governors are calling for more say and “inclusion at eye level” for the incoming federal government. Future challenges in the health and transport sectors are also in focus.
State governors are calling for more say and financing for the health system
On Wednesday, November 27th, the governors of the Austrian federal states gathered in Traunkirchen for their semi-annual conference. Amid the political discussions about the country's future development, some key demands on the next federal government have attracted particular attention. Next year, Salzburg will take over the chairmanship after Upper Austria's governor Thomas Stelzer vacates his place as scheduled.
The state governors, including Wilfried Haslauer from Salzburg, Anton Mattle from Tyrol and Peter Kaiser from Carinthia, pushed for more say in revenue distribution in Austria at their meeting. An important concern was “inclusion at eye level”, which is intended to give the countries a stronger voice in the political decision-making process.
Health care demands
Another central point of the discussion was the financing of the health system in Austria. The country leaders emphasized the urgency of finding a sustainable solution to meet the population's ever-growing supply needs. “The states, municipalities and statutory health insurance providers should be able to sustainably finance the ever-increasing demand for health care,” says Wilfried Haslauer. Digitalization in the health sector and the strengthening of the health professions were also highlighted as essential factors.
Another important topic was the recruitment of skilled workers in the nursing sector. Due to the increasing need in Austria, a framework plan for recruiting nursing staff from non-EU countries is required. The country leaders are in favor of simplified procedures and appropriate funding in order to address the shortage of skilled workers.
Credit institutions and traffic fines
In addition to the discussion on the healthcare sector, there was an agreement on the KIM regulation, which deals with real estate financing. Particularly with regard to young families and first-time buyers, the removal of high capital requirements is seen as essential in order to make it easier for these buyers to access property.
Another resolution that was passed deals with the use of income from traffic fines. Currently, these funds are only intended for the maintenance of state roads L, but the state governors are demanding that funds also be made available for the renewal of state roads B. Due to the age-related increase in maintenance costs, this is an urgent concern that the country leaders have put forward.
For further information about the demands of the state governors and their impact on politics in Austria, see the report on www.meinkreis.at.