Austria at the turning point: Kickl and the ÖVP clarify budget need!

Austria at the turning point: Kickl and the ÖVP clarify budget need!

Herbert Kickl received the order for government formation in the current political situation in Austria. Negotiations between the FPÖ and the ÖVP have been flowing since this Thursday, after the talks about a traffic light coalition between the SPÖ, the NEOS and the ÖVP failed last weekend. Expert Kathrin Stainer-Hämmerle classified this surprising bursts of the negotiations as negligent, as there was no sign of such a failure in advance. The Federal President was forced to give Kickl the order to avoid new elections, which underlines the urgency of the situation, as also reports daylight.

A central topic in the upcoming negotiations is the budget, for which Austria has to save 6.3 billion euros by mid -January to avert an EU deficit procedure. Kickl and his vice Christian Stocker have already announced the first progress that are to be presented at a press conference at 10 a.m., and financial expert Arnold Schiefer and ÖVP club chairman August Wöginger will support them. This meeting is eagerly awaited because it could set the course for future government work.

challenges in government formation

The focus is not only on the budget, but also on foreign policy and right -wing populist positions of the FPÖ, which among other things represent a restrictive migration policy. Stainer-Hämmerle expresses concerns that the FPÖ, which rules in five federal states, could have difficulty enforcing their ideas in the federal government. The negotiations between Kickls FPÖ and the ÖVP will become a real test stone, especially in the area of ​​EU policy and the corresponding agreements. Things such as the rejection of the EU asylum and migration pact could prove to be serious obstacles, since these points could potentially generate higher tensions and endanger the negotiations.

With the appointment of Kickl and the budget framework, the political landscape in Austria seems to face a fundamental change that could affect not only the country itself, but also its role within the European Union. How this realignment will affect domestic politics remains to be seen, but the first steps of a possible government under Kickl appear promising and at the same time challenging.

More details can be found in the reports of and tagesschau.de .