National Council: SPÖ criticizes the government’s crisis management and proposes an economic stimulus package



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Lively debate in the context of the current time on the effectiveness of the crown measures and calls to the Judiciary

Vienna (PK) The National Council began its deliberations today with a report on the management of the crown crisis by the opposition parties. The SPÖ chose the title of the current hour “Fight unemployment and the wave of bankruptcies, instead of fighting the Austrian judiciary, Mr. Chancellor! Do it for Austria”. and at the same time proposed a comprehensive stimulus package. That Austria is experiencing such a severe economic recession and that the unemployment rate is so high

It shouldn’t be and shouldn’t be that way, SPÖ club president Pamela Rendi-Wagner complained. The Chancellor should take decisive action against unemployment and the wave of bankruptcies, but not against the national judiciary.

Kurz was unimpressed by criticism from the opposition and did not skimp on superlatives in his speech. Austria is number 1 in the world when it comes to helping the economy and is now also a leader in the number of corona tests performed. It will still take a huge effort to fight to get out of this crisis, but “the more we do tests, the sooner the initial steps can be taken.” The Minister of Labor, Martin Kocher, also referred to the set of measures developed by the government, which is working very well, and announced new labor and qualification offensives.

Rendi-Wagner advocates for a large economic stimulus package and a 40,000-dollar campaign for the long-term unemployed.

The corona pandemic not only has serious health effects, but also many social, economic and social consequences, said SPÖ club president Pamela Rendi-Wagner. With an 8% decrease in economic output, Austria shows one of the most severe falls in all of Europe; Unemployment has also risen twice as much as in Germany. One reason is that first aid was not only insufficient, it was also too late and too bureaucratic. As a result, more than 200,000 people lost their jobs in March 2020, Rendi-Wagner said. Even after that, things did not improve much, as many companies had been waiting for their support since November. Although € 50 billion has been made available to the economy, this does not mean that the money will go where it is needed. It is the largest sum that an Austrian finance minister has handed over by hand, emphasized the president of the SPÖ club, and no one should know exactly why. Furthermore, Blümel, who is currently very busy with other things, has not yet put a plan on the table on how Austria wants to raise the 3 billion euros from the EU reconstruction fund.

The SPÖ is always a constructive partner in helping Austria emerge from the crisis, underlined Rendi-Wagner, who referred to the economic stimulus package presented by his party, the voluntary and subsidized four-day week, the increase in unemployment. benefits for a care work foundation. It is gratifying that the government has now addressed an important point, namely the suspension of the increase in standard rents. As the public sector faces a particular challenge when it comes to the long-term unemployed, he proposed a labor offensive for this group of people in order to get 40,000 people back in employment.

In short: a comprehensive testing strategy and qualifying offensive as a means to overcome the crisis.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the government’s main goal has been to get Austria through the crisis as best as possible, Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz emphasized. He admitted that the economic challenges were enormous, and that Austria was particularly hard hit by its strong tourism industry. Linked to this are the catering and accommodation sectors, which also make a very significant contribution to creating value. Kurz was convinced that the aid was correspondingly strong, because Austria was number one globally when it came to business and employment support. As it has been managed well in recent years, Austria can also afford it. A total aid of more than 32 billion euros was distributed, with a particular focus on small and medium-sized enterprises. A total of € 6 billion was also invested in part-time work, which kept more than a million people in employment. In addition, the government is currently launching the highest qualification measure, the foreign minister stressed.

Almost three weeks ago, courageous opening steps were taken before other countries, but these are accompanied by strict security measures. Kurz was convinced that the comprehensive testing strategy in Austria in particular gave us a chance to get back to normal. He is glad that representatives of tourism and gastronomy have now also expressed their willingness to rely on intensive testing. All this under the motto “as much freedom as possible and as much restriction as necessary”.

Kocher: Austria had better come out of the crisis

Federal Minister Martin Kocher also pointed out the specific structure of the Austrian economy, which is characterized by a high proportion of tourism, leisure and gastronomy. These particular strengths, which had negative effects on the crisis, would be cushioned by a corresponding package of measures. As an example, he cited the short-time work model that works very well, which is the single most important and most expensive instrument in crisis management. Other important pillars are the labor offensive, the education bonus, the restart bonus, employment opportunities for the long-term unemployed in schools or communities, or increased emergency assistance. It is clear that additional measures will be needed to move Austria forward after the crisis. In general, those countries will better overcome the pandemic, in which social groups cannot be divided, he was convinced.

ÖVP: the best possible support for companies and future prospects for employees

Support for the government’s measures came from the ÖVP leaders. For example, MP Andreas Ottenschläger (ÖVP) expressly supported the test campaign, which is almost unique in Europe, because it is the only way to guarantee cautious opening steps for the economy and thus the preservation of jobs. . Austria is also among the top European countries in terms of financial aid. Ottenschläger was critical of the title chosen by the SPÖ for the current time. The Chancellor “is not waging a fight against the judiciary, but for education and justice,” he emphasized. Like his colleague from the parliamentary group Christoph Zarits, he once again reminded the company of the numerous support measures for companies, such as part-time work, fixed-cost subsidies, compensation for sales, the hardship fund and the employees. In addition, numerous steps have been taken to provide quick and bureaucratic help, especially to families, who often find themselves in difficult situations.

Greens focus on sustainability, ecology and specific measures for the long-term unemployed.

Also on the part of the Greens, government activities in the fight against unemployment and bankruptcies have been announced

judged successful. Elisabeth Götze MEP (Greens) placed particular emphasis on the successful short-time work model, as well as business support and various tax deferral options. In the exit from the crisis, the focus is on more sustainability and ecology, which is also supported by companies. This shows, for example, the high demand for the investment bond. There is also a tailwind from the EU, which is making a reconstruction fund available to its member states. Rather than making controversial comments, it would be better to discuss concrete proposals, argued Markus Koza of the Greens. The government has put together a very comprehensive work package focusing in particular on education, qualification and career reorientation, with a particular focus on future areas of care, ecology and digitization. It is true that specific measures are needed for the long-term unemployed. In his opinion, the 40,000 campaign proposed by the SPÖ was too high and not tailored to the target group, he judged.

SPÖ accuses the government of failure in the management of the crown

Josef Muchitsch (SPÖ) was disappointed by the statement of the Federal Chancellor, who once again only listed the various aid to the economy. However, this does not help more than a million people who have had significantly less income for months. If no concrete plan is finally developed for the time after the pandemic, there will be no rebound. Above all, real support is needed for the 140,000 long-term unemployed who have no chance on the job market. Christoph Matznetter (SPÖ) pointed out that it was not only the tourism sector that was responsible for the economic recession, which by the way is also very pronounced in countries such as Croatia, Spain and Italy. He doesn’t really understand why Kocher joins these government excuses.

FPÖ: The government hit Austria against the wall and divided society

If Austria is really that good when it comes to support measures, then ask yourself why the economic and unemployment data are so bad, MP Dagmar Belakowitsch (FPÖ) said at the meeting. Large amounts have always been promised, but these apparently do not reach many of those affected, as numerous demands from businessmen have shown. The government pushed the country against the wall, he summarized. Belakowitsch also criticized the fact that the government had de facto introduced mandatory tests and thus made it impossible for all those children to attend school if they were unwilling or unable to meet this requirement. The highlight now is that Constitution Minister Edtstadler, who was deputy head of the corruption and economic prosecution before her government office, is now berating her own authority to do Kurz a favor. In doing so, “he cheated to join WKStA and did not work a single day.” In a phase where nothing is working and the economy is in a mess, the ÖVP has nothing better to do than attack the judiciary, FPÖ MP Christian Hafenecker also added to the criticism from his parliamentary group colleague. Not even the federal president, who usually thinks about everything, comments on Foreign Minister Kurz’s letter to the Prosecutor’s Office.

NEOS loses specific measures and condemns appeals to the judiciary

In one particular crisis, constructive cooperation with the opposition would have been necessary, NEOS mandate Josef Schellhorn judged, but this was not the case very often. Regarding the efficiency of the Corona measures, many examples show that the help was not given specifically, but with the shower. Schellhorn also warned that there would be a wave of insolvencies once the deferrals expired. Therefore, he once again called for not only a reform of the insolvency law, but also measures to strengthen social capital and the establishment of investment funds. A good and reliably functioning judiciary is something like the calling card of a constitutional state, emphasized Johannes Margreiter (NEOS), who deemed the “cries of the Federal Chancellor inadmissible.” Any appearance of partisan political influence should be avoided. (Continuation of the National Council) sue


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