Staatssekretär Pröll: "Of course, you also get tips from dad"

State Secretary Alexander Pröll is confident that the three-party coalition with SPÖ and NEOS will last the full legislative period of five years. "It is important to constantly communicate with each other and also point out where your coalition partner has difficulties," he said in an APA interview. "Then everything can be resolved well at the negotiating table."

"Engine Room of the Government"

A key task for cohesion in the coalition falls to the government coordinators, according to Pröll. For the SPÖ, this is State Secretary Michaela Schmidt, and for the NEOS, Armin Hübner. "From my perspective, this is the engine room of the government, where it is decided whether the government work functions, whether we can implement the measures, because we simply negotiate the measures for the people weekly, which are then decided in the Council of Ministers."

Of course, coordination between three parties is much more complex than in the previous two-party coalitions, emphasizes Pröll. "But the positive thing is that we have the motto, live and let live. This means that each party can also set its priorities and there are no minimal compromises. I find that very, very positive." Communication with Schmidt and Hübner is "very, very good on a human level," says the ÖVP government coordinator.

Pröll Provides Insight

The work of government coordination is a "continuous discussion and examination of substantive issues," explains Pröll. "This means that negotiations actually take place weekly, always on Tuesday evening until late into the night, on the topics that are then discussed in the Council of Ministers the next day and then unanimously decided." It is clear that everyone has their own positions. "These are also exchanged. They are substantively tough, but always respectful discussions."

Potential points of contention have not yet emerged in the government of ÖVP, SPÖ, and NEOS, but a major task will be the budget rehabilitation. As State Secretary for the public service, Pröll faces difficult salary negotiations in the fall. Civil servants have been promised a settlement above the inflation rate. "It would be unprofessional to make concrete statements at this point. Legally, a salary adjustment in the amount of the annual inflation plus 0.3% is planned for 2026. Any salary negotiations traditionally take place in the fall," the State Secretary only comments on this.

Potential for savings in administration is seen by Pröll in digitalization, for which he is also responsible. "The baby boomer generation is now retiring. This means we will not be able to solve everything with replacements because we simply do not have that much personnel available. And this is exactly where AI comes into play from my perspective." The State Secretary continues to rely on the e-government platform ID Austria. The goal is to have nine million users by 2030. Currently, there are 3.8 million.

Fight Against Antisemitism

Another area of responsibility in Pröll's portfolio is the fight against antisemitism. Here too, he faces a significant task, considering the latest study from the parliament. The State Secretary refers to the national strategy against antisemitism. 38 out of 41 measures have been implemented. They now want to build on this - with a national "Strategy Against Antisemitism 2.0", which is supposed to focus on digitalization. Especially in the digital space, "a lot of antisemitism is being spread."

The Holocaust center demanded by the President of the Jewish Community of Vienna (IKG), Oskar Deutsch, is included in the government program, with a feasibility study planned as a first step. According to Pröll, this should be coordinated relatively quickly in discussions with coalition partners. Although there is no concrete timeline yet. "If I could wish for something, it would be that we accomplish this by summer," said the State Secretary.

Pröll: "It is true that it happened quickly"

Pröll's rapid rise in the party - from an employee of the ÖVP to the cabinet of Sebastian Kurz - did not follow any strategy, he emphasizes. "It is true that it happened quickly," he says, but: "I did not actually plan any step. It just happened." Between him and ÖVP leader Christian Stocker, "a very, very close relationship of trust developed," after all, Pröll was his short-term Secretary General. They exchanged views daily, "we always honestly told each other our opinions."

The fact that the State Secretary comes from a family of top politicians - his father is the former ÖVP leader and Vice Chancellor Josef Pröll, his great-uncle the former governor of Lower Austria Erwin Pröll - is seen by the State Secretary as a double-edged sword. "Yes, we are a political family, but I am my own person with my own thoughts," he emphasizes. "But of course, you also get tips from dad, that's completely clear."

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.