• Politics

ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS Agree on Coalition Government

  • Politics

ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS Agree on Coalition Government

From left to right: SPÖ leader Andreas Babler, ÖVP chairman Christian Stocker and NEOS head Beate Meinl-Reisinger. Image: APA/Max Slovencik

 

The People’s Party (ÖVP), the Social Democrats (SPÖ) and NEOS have reached an agreement to form Austria’s first-ever three-way coalition government, with a policy programme presented on Thursday.

The three parties’ earlier attempt to form a coalition collapsed in early January, paving the way for a brief government formation bid by the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), which unravelled earlier this month.

The new government is expected to be sworn in on Monday, 3 March.

Party leaders – ÖVP chairman Christian Stocker, who is set to become Chancellor, SPÖ leader Andreas Babler, who will take on the role of Vice-Chancellor, and NEOS head Beate Meinl-Reisinger – outlined their government programme as they addressed MPs and the press in parliament on Thursday.

Read more: What’s in the New Government Programme? 

Key measures include a seven-year plan for budget consolidation, tougher asylum policies and reforms aimed at making rents more affordable.

The programme also touches on the failed talks between the FPÖ and ÖVP, stating: “While others refuse to cooperate and shirk their responsibility, we are ensuring consensus and the ability to act.” The coalition stressed that the current focus is not on party-political interests, but rather “on all of us, on Austria, on the nine million people in our country.”

Budget Plans and Ministerial Appointments

The coalition will adhere to the budget plan previously submitted to Brussels during the ÖVP-FPÖ talks, designed to avoid being placed under the Excessive Deficit Procedure.

Ministerial appointments are yet to be finalised, but the distribution of the portfolios is as follows:

The ÖVP will take the Interior Ministry, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Energy and Tourism, and the Ministry of Climate Protection.

The SPÖ will have the Ministry of Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry for Women, Science and Research, the Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology, and the Labour Ministry.

NEOS will assume the Ministry for European and International Affairs and the Ministry of Education.

All three parties will also be allocated a number of state secretary positions – a rank below that of a minister.

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2023 The International, All Rights Reserved.