* Please note the BLOCKING PERIOD October 26, 2024, 5:00 p.m. *
Dear Austrians,
and all people who live in Austria.
I wish you a happy national holiday.
It is a holiday in troubled times.
A time full of conflicts and uncertainties
and contradictions.
Outside Austria. And within.
What our common future
as a society regards,
Many of us are pessimistic
and scientific studies
underline this picture.
The generation contract
the promise of increasing prosperity,
Confidence in an economic recovery,
the value of achievement, the belief in one
continuously intact environment, the value of peace;
the value of liberal democracy and the social market economy
as a role model for the whole world:
All of this seems to have lost its power.
It’s like we’ve broken the habit,
something good for us
of our common future
to hope for.
At the same time, many of us have
withdrawn to her own personal space
Getting ahead, disconnected from the community.
And concentrate entirely on
each one’s own, personal one
Life and how to improve it.
Maybe many people have the feeling of
impotence given the force,
with which the big changes happen.
That’s human.
But this feeling is not allowed
change the sausageiness.
That would be dangerous
for our society as a whole.
And in any case, it certainly solves it
none of the profound ones
Future problems.
Ladies and gentlemen,
one of the biggest questions
our time is:
How do we find a way to face difficult,
to face unavoidable situations?
Without looking away?
Without giving up prematurely?
Without jeopardizing our achievements?
I think the first thing you need to do is
to acknowledge things as they are.
And a few simple buts
to speak uncomfortable truths:
First: The problems will not solve themselves.
It doesn’t help when politicians suggest
that the living conditions are changing anyway
will get better again,
if we just believe in it hard enough.
It doesn’t help if others either
promise too simple solutions,
if only you let them do it.
Because secondly: There is no painless way to solve the problems.
Let’s say what we experience:
The irreversible climate damage.
The volatile security architecture.
The challenges that migration brings with it.
The change in the age pyramid and lower birth rates.
The rising prices.
The social problems.
The structural crisis of the European economy.
Digitalization and artificial intelligence.
The hostility to performance and the new egoism.
Yes, all of this will require effort.
And new solutions will be needed.
We will be with the kind of thinking
that got us here can’t move forward.
Thirdly, we have to dare to try new things.
The challenges are new.
The solutions are not easy.
But they are possible.
When we let go of old recipes
and rethink.
The Climate Crisis send in
extreme weather event
the other around the globe.
We have to finally get into action now,
down with emissions,
Accelerate adaptation measures
multiply investments,
and shorten bureaucratic processes.
There are Migrationsprobleme – so let’s solve them:
Anyone who wants to live with us
must learn German as a prerequisite.
And recognize our culture and legal system.
Die Equality of man and woman
is a given for us.
Or at least it should be.
Just like respect
in front of same-sex lovers.
Anyone who does not recognize this and does not fully support it,
is not welcome.
The inflation hat
caused problems for many people.
We have to solve this.
Just like that welfare state
and that Health system
and the care make you fit for the future.
This won’t work with old recipes.
We have an issue with productivity.
Let us be open and free of ideology
about a positive image of Business and
the basic, I’ll call it once, Willingness to make an effort
speak:
We have so many
hardworking people in Austria,
who make our country a little better every day.
What do we expect as a community?
Willingness to make an effort on the part of each individual?
The Pension system is not future-proof.
Then we just have to
find new solutions
and think outside the box.
And yes: I would say
it will take contributions from all of us,
also from the economy.
The war on our doorstep as
Consequence of Russian aggression against Ukraine
continues unabated in the third year.
We need a new one,
effective Defense policy,
that protects our homeland.
A common, a European one.
And diplomacy that promotes peace.
Our Education system must be a central building block
to meet the challenges
to master the future.
We need new answers quickly.
At the Equality we have to move forward.
So, let’s finally put it across the board
all-day childcare in Austria.
The potential of women in the labor market
is indispensable,
but will only be able to be fully used when
even if the men do their share
take on the care work.
We also have to find a way
our The industry like that
transform that
they economical and
bring ecological benefits.
Europa needs a new one,
strong, shared image of its future.
What will this, our Europe, be in 10 years?
And we need European projects that involve…
also sees our common strength.
- Only when we have these problems
address and understand clearly. - Only when we realize
that they don’t disappear on their own. - Only when we acknowledge
that it’s effort
will need to solve them
and that we need new thinking:
Then can it succeed.
And then becomes also succeed.
All the topics mentioned
Of course it will
one new federal government have to address.
She has to take new paths.
In the approach,
in style and result.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I’m not saying that
we’ll manage it.
But what I’m saying is:
We can do it.
We can do it,
when we roll up our sleeves
and start,
to do our tasks.
We can do it,
when we all grow beyond ourselves.
We all,
By that I mean us Austrians,
and all the people who live here.
But of course very specific
also politics,
the parties, representatives, state governors,
Mayors, local councilors.
The representatives of the employee side
just like the representatives of business and industry.
The civil society organizations
and the hundreds of thousands of volunteers in our country.
Let’s together
work on solutions that
move our country forward,
Solutions that enable everyone in Austria to have a good future.
I wish you a nice evening.
Yours, Alexander Van der Bellen.