Flanked by the SPÖ provincial governors from Carinthia and Vienna, Peter Kaiser and Michael Ludwig, Rendi-Wagner addressed the topic of inflation at a press conference on Thursday. The SPÖ leader complained that the population was being left alone by the government. Long-term, price-dampening measures are needed, not just one-off payments.
She quoted the current AK price monitor, according to which cheap food and cleaning products had become more expensive by an average of 42 percent year-on-year – more on this in oesterreich.ORF.at – and called for a suspension of VAT on staple foods. In addition, an anti-inflation commission should ensure that there are no unjustified price increases.
“Lake Constance Coalition” on Migration
Migration expert Gerald Knaus, author and chairman of the think tank European Stability Initiative – ESI, gave a guest lecture on the topic of migration and flight at the retreat. “We have to reduce irregular migration, we have to prevent it,” said Rendi-Wagner. The European asylum system does not work, Hungary does not meet its obligations, she explained: Austria registered 100,000 asylum applications in the previous year, the neighboring country 45.
According to Rendi-Wagner, Austria must forge alliances in Europe with similarly affected countries, who can imagine a “Lake Constance coalition” in this matter with Germany and Switzerland. One could also cooperate with the Netherlands, Spain or Denmark. In addition, one must make “diplomatic offers of cooperation” to the countries of origin and transit of the refugees, such as Morocco and Tunisia, which also provide for the possibility of rapid repatriation.
SPÖ presented exam results
In addition to the subject of migration, which is highly controversial within the party, the SPÖ also discussed their approaches to the inflation crisis and the energy transition at their retreat. The Burgenland governor did not take part.
Call for “kindergarten billion”
The demands in the field of education were presented by the host, Kaiser, who presented his country as a role model in this area. Because, as is currently being attempted in Carinthia, a legal entitlement to all-day, free childcare from the first year of life should also be made possible in the federal government. For example, 100,000 additional childcare places are to be created throughout Austria. There will also be 180,000 additional all-day school places.
The SPÖ wants to counter staff shortages among educators by making jobs more attractive, for example by investing in educational centers that are to become “living spaces”. “Our most important raw material is education,” said Kaiser, education should not exclude anyone. Elementary education is central, for which the planned “kindergarten billion” should be implemented.
fight against the shortage of doctors
The SPÖ also wants to combat the shortage of doctors and nurses, namely with more training places, as Vienna’s mayor Michael Ludwig said. The nursing profession should also be recognized as hard work. But the supply of medicines should also be secured, for example by bringing production back to Europe. And last but not least, the “Action Program” is also dedicated to the energy transition, which is to be promoted with a fund endowed with 20 billion euros and investments in training and research.
Upper Austrian SPÖ leader to the exam
Michael Lindner, head of the Upper Austrian SPÖ, speaks, among other things, about the New Year’s retreat of the Social Democrats, about integration policy and about plans to combat inflation.
Burgenland’s provincial governor, Hans Peter Doskozil, did not take part in the exam. At his own request, he has not been a member of the Executive Committee since 2021. The appeal by Upper Austria’s SPÖ head of state Michael Lindner on Tuesday’s ZIB night to include the Burgenlander in the committees again is likely to have no effect, because: “It was his own decision,” said Rendi-Wagner – “so it can again only be his decision to become part of the panel again”.
No comment from Doskozil
Even though he was absent, Doskozil did not want to comment on the meeting in Klagenfurt. From the office of the governor, it was only said on Thursday at APA request that there were no comments about the presidium retreat. In any case, the SPÖ denied that Doskozil represented a more restrictive asylum policy. Rendi-Wagner once again referred to the position paper he and Kaiser had prepared on the subject. And the subject was also dealt with intensively during the exam, it was said.
