Austrian News & Politics

[Jubal]

We have a government! A hasty second round of Black-Red-Pink talks has produced a deal, and today the last hurdle was passed as the NEOS party conference voted for it with about 94% in favour (said party conference also reportedly decided that their favourite animals were cats, which is very important news).

So the ÖVP retain the chancellery under Christian Stocker, Andi Babler of the SPÖ is vice-chancellor, and NEOS' Beate Meinl-Reisinger is the Foreign Minister. Other key ministries: Interior and Defence stay with the ÖVP, as do energy, agriculture, and family affairs. The Finance ministry is with SPÖ-nominated economist Markus Marterbauer, and the SPÖ also have transport, justice, health, and science. NEOS get education as their second ministry.

The agreed platform is somewhat austerity-focused: per European-level fiscal rules Austria has been overspending. The SPÖ wanted to go in on wealth taxes to solve the problem: that won't happen, but they have managed to negotiate a bank levy, along with some savings from departments and the end of the 'climate bonus' which was a key Green policy intended to buy support for climate measures with a directly connected repayment to households. The overall vibes are strongly pro-EU. Mass digital surveillance also seems to have been kept out of the plans which is good news.