Coalition Negotiations FPÖ-ÖVP: An Overview of the Subgroups
After the announcement of austerity measures to consolidate the budget, FPÖ and ÖVP now also want to establish facts in other areas. From Monday, the subgroups of the coalition negotiators will meet for the first time. Discussions are to be held in small groups with no more than a total of ten people, as both parties emphasized on APA request. In total, there will be 13 such negotiating groups in addition to the steering group.
FPÖ-ÖVP Coalition Negotiations with 13 Subgroups
Regarding the numerical composition, the Freedom Party and ÖVP have agreed on parity, i.e. equally large teams on both sides. An unofficial list, which is also available to the APA, has been circulating in recent days, and many names have already been officially confirmed. The fact that one or the other is a potential candidate for a position in a possible blue-black government is quite likely. There is no fixed timeframe for an agreement.
A topic of priority for both parties is "Internal Security and Integration". The negotiation rounds on the FPÖ side are led by Hannes Amesbauer, who recently moved from the National Council to the Styrian state government and is responsible there as a state councillor for social affairs and integration, among other things. He is opposed by the black interior minister Gerhard Karner.
The thematically broad subgroup "Constitution, Deregulation, Public Service, Fight Against Anti-Semitism and Political Islam" is to be led on the blue side by club director Norbert Nemeth, but this is not confirmed. For the ÖVP, Secretary General Alexander Pröll officially negotiates. The subgroup on "National Defense and Sports" is occupied by Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP), the FPÖ could send their representative Volker Reifenberger, but this is also not confirmed.
"Arts & Culture, Media" with Hafenecker and Raab
The "Art & Culture, Media" sector will be prominently occupied by the FPÖ, specifically by their Secretary General Christian Hafenecker. The ÖVP sends Women's and Integration Minister Susanne Raab, who had actually announced that she did not want to be part of a future government. The group on Infrastructure, Transport and Digitalisation is also led by Hafenecker. The ÖVP is represented there by State Secretary Claudia Plakolm.
Plakolm also negotiates for the People's Party in the areas of "Family, Youth and Women". For the Freedom Party, the task is rumoured to be assigned to the Member of Parliament Rosa Ecker, but this has not been confirmed. The core black issue of agriculture is negotiated simultaneously with the areas of environmental protection and climate policy. For this, the Freedom Party officially names the Deputy Governor of Salzburg, Marlene Svazek. The ÖVP sends Farmers' Association President Georg Strasser into the negotiations.
Work on the budget continues naturally after the agreement on austerity measures. For finance and taxes, Hubert Fuchs remains the main representative for the FPÖ. He mainly discusses this matter with the President of the Chamber of Commerce, Harald Mahrer. His Secretary General Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer, on the other hand, sits in the sub-group for "Business Location, Work, Energy and Tourism". The FPÖ is supposed to send Axel Kassegger.