[ad_1]
SPÖ, FPÖ and Neos bring joint application package to National Council
Vienna (OTS / SK) – At a joint press conference today, the opposition parties SPÖ, FPÖ and Neos presented a joint application package for actual parliamentary control of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the Fight Against Terrorism (BVT). SPÖ Security Spokesperson Reinhold Einwallner, Neos Security Spokesperson Stephanie Krisper and FPÖ Security Spokesperson Hannes Amesbauer want, among other things, a “regular duty” of the Interior Minister on the committee secret service and strengthen the rights of minorities. It was criticized that the opposition had not been involved in the reform of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the Fight against Terrorism (BVT); in any case, a complete reorganization of the BVT was required, hence the common demand. ****
The strengthening of parliamentary control in the course of the BVT reform was also explicitly mentioned in the government program of the ÖVP and the Greens, recalled SPÖ security spokesman Einwallner. More control and transparency are not an end in themselves, but they would also strengthen public trust in BVT. Einwallner calls for a paradigm shift in the work of the interior committee subcommittee. Two important points for this are the strengthening of minority rights in the subcommittee and a clearly defined reporting obligation for the Interior Minister.
To strengthen minority rights, a quarter of committee members should be able to request specific files and documents to improve the quality of controls. Because at this time the media reports of the previous day are often re-told in the subcommittee, criticizes the SPÖ security spokesperson. Second, in the future there should be an explicit reason for this if the Minister of the Interior is unable to provide information on certain events. For the moment, inquiries to the minister are often dismissed on the “homicide argument” that the information would endanger national security. “General reasons will no longer suffice in the future,” says Einwallner.
Liberal security spokesman Hannes Amesbauer was also pleased with the joint initiatives of the opposition. “We are currently living in a very challenging time in terms of security policy. The BVT and its state offices represent the essential protection of our country and require a fundamental reform that goes beyond the usual. It requires a complete reorganization of the BVT, including the appointment of new managerial positions with appropriately suitable people and not according to party affiliation “, says Amesbauer and continues: Control interference in fundamental rights.”
“Two essential functions are reporting and logging. The first is important to inform the National Council properly. Of course, this must be done with a view to security and confidentiality; the committee, of course, is in a position to assess this. The content of the report, such as the refusal to provide information, the extensive consultations and your responses, could also be presented with a minority right. The protocol system is also a stepchild of the Interior Committee subcommittee, because it is possible, but it is not discussed. The minutes must be kept in a safe place by the president and under lock and key, but the possibility of inspection by the members of the committee must be preserved ”, emphasized the FPÖ security spokesperson.
“I would like to thank the other parties very much for making it happen. This rare agreement shows how important and essential parliamentary scrutiny is for all of us, and how important it should be for all parties, including ruling parties, ”says Stephanie Krisper, NEOS security spokesperson. “The BVT is currently a black box that has been misused as a playground for the political interests of the parties since its founding, most often for the political interests of the ÖVP parties. In fact, the BVT is a device of uncontrolled power. We finally have to change that. Our bill provides for a paradigm shift: from the right to information to the obligation to inform. The fact that the parliament has to pursue the information must end, the interior minister has to provide it himself. A parliamentary watchdog is not a utopian wish, but it has been a practice in Germany for a long time, and it has been shown that it has not spoiled the work of the security authorities, on the contrary, ”emphasizes Krisper. (End) up / ah
Queries and contact:
SPÖ Parliamentary Club
01 / 40110-3570
club@spoe.at
https://klub.spoe.at
