No majority for the FPÖ’s new election request, referendum calls for “Nehammer has to go”
Vienna (PK) – A service point for artificial intelligence is being set up at the broadcasting and telecommunications regulatory authority RTR. It is intended to build relevant expertise and provide a wide range of information and advice for AI projects and AI applications in the areas of media, telecommunications and post – including via an information portal. A corresponding legislative proposal from the coalition parties was passed today with the votes of the ÖVP and the Greens Constitutional Committee of the National Council happened. At the same time, an eleven-member advisory board for artificial intelligence is to be established. Criticism comes from the opposition: among other things, they miss an assessment process and criticized the appointment method for the advisory board.
A new election request from the FPÖ only received the support of the opposition. It makes sense to continue working until the end of the legislative period, especially since not all points in the government program have been worked through and parliament continues to work sensibly, said Georg Bürstmayr from the Greens.
The Constitutional Committee also discussed a motion for a resolution by the SPÖ, which aims to eliminate pension security contributions for retired civil servants and ÖBB pensioners if their pension is below the ASVG maximum pension. There were no requests to speak about the “Nehammer must go” public celebration.
New service point for artificial intelligence
The justification is for the establishment of a new service point for artificial intelligence at RTR (3821/A) with the increasing importance of technologies based on artificial intelligence. Among other things, the service point is intended to provide information about the regulatory framework and possible effects of AI on cyber security, conduct studies, analyzes and specialist conferences, provide web guidelines for the use of AI in the media sector including best practice models, advise public and private legal entities and itself regularly exchange information with market participants in the media sector.
The eleven members of the “Advisory Board for Artificial Intelligence” at RTR are to be appointed by the Federal Chancellor (3) or the Finance Minister (8) for a term of four years and come from the areas of ethics, research, economics, law and technology. The advisory board’s task will be, among other things, to advise the members of the federal government and the RTR who are involved in AI matters with regard to technical as well as ethical and social aspects. The advisory board should also be involved in the development and implementation of a strategy for artificial intelligence.
In the explanations for the proposed law, the applicants Eva-Maria Himmelbauer (ÖVP) and Süleyman Zorba (Greens) emphasize that the amendment is not an anticipation of the European Union’s planned AI Act. Rather, a good starting point should be created for the necessary implementation measures. It is important to monitor developments carefully and prepare for the challenges in good time. Himmelbauer emphasized in the committee that the phenomenon of artificial intelligence must be accompanied and taken in a good direction.
Opposition speaks of rapid action and sees “room for improvement”
The opposition, however, is dissatisfied with the draft law. There is “still room for improvement,” said MP Christian Drobits (SPÖ). Although he welcomed the establishment of a service point, he sees entrepreneurs as being given priority over consumers in some areas. He also advocated better involving the Ministers for Social Affairs and Education as well as Social Partnership and not leaving the appointment of Advisory Board members to the Federal Chancellor and the Finance Minister alone.
On behalf of NEOS, Nikolaus Scherak complained that by submitting the draft law in the form of an initiative proposal, an assessment process and a follow-up cost estimate were missing, although it could be assumed that the draft came from the Ministry of Finance. In his opinion, it would also make sense to wait for the results of the negotiations at EU level on the AI Act before setting up a position prematurely. The mistakes made in combating hate online were repeated. According to Scherak, the NEOS will therefore not agree to the law, even though he considers it fundamentally important to deal with artificial intelligence.
FPÖ MP Harald Stefan also misses an assessment process. Two councils had just been merged in order to streamline them, and a new advisory board was now being set up, he said. The FPÖ cares about the issue of artificial intelligence, Stefan assured, but what is available is a “quick shot” and an incomplete draft.
Tursky: There needs to be a national body for artificial intelligence
Digital State Secretary Florian Tursky countered the opposition by saying that it makes sense not to wait for the AI Act to set up a service point for artificial intelligence, but rather to “make advance payments”. After all, we already know “pretty much” what will be in the AI Act. This means you can prepare in advance for the certification of AI systems. According to Tursky, the service point is intended for both companies and consumers, and the social partners should also be involved in a different way. However, the advisory board should remain reserved for science, said the State Secretary.
Opposition closed for new elections
An application from the FPÖ was rejected with the votes of the ÖVP and the Greens (3066/A), which aims at an early dissolution of the National Council. The federal government has “completely lost the support of the population” and new elections are therefore needed quickly, said Harald Stefan, justifying the initiative. The political debates are also deadlocked and movement is needed.
SPÖ MP Alois Stöger expressed his express approval of the new election request. He claimed that the government had taken the wrong measures to combat inflation.
MP Georg Bürstmayr (Greens) countered this by saying that the coalition had brought about improvements in many areas. As examples, he cited various climate protection measures, securing the judiciary and abolishing cold progression. In addition, the government program has not yet been completed, he emphasized. He expects “that something will continue in the election year.” As long as parliament can work sensibly and with results, the legislative period should be completed, said Bürstmayr.
Referendum “Nehammer has to go”
The initiator of the referendum “Nehammer has to go” is also dissatisfied with the government’s work (2079 d.B.) Robert Marschall and his colleagues. The Chancellor has grossly abused the trust of voters and trust in democracy, they argue, criticizing Nehammer, among other things, for the introduction of compulsory COVID-19 vaccinations and the actions of the police “against the peaceful people” at rallies during the Corona -Pandemic, the government’s Russia policy and the ÖVP’s exceeding of the campaign cost cap in the 2019 National Council election campaign. In addition, Nehammer was never elected Federal Chancellor by the people and, by moving from the National Council to the government, he committed a “breach of the separation of powers”.
Specifically, the 106,440 signatories of the referendum are calling for Article 41 of the Federal Constitution to be changed so that all resolutions of the National Council and thus also resolutions of no confidence against Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer can be requested by referendum.
There were no requests to speak on the referendum after the initiators were not informed in time about the start of the deliberations due to a misunderstanding by the parliamentary directorate and were therefore not present. Committee chairman Jörg Leichtfried, who informed the MPs about the unfortunate misunderstanding, pointed out that the representatives of the referendum were able to submit a written statement on the committee report, which will also be published.
Abolition of pension security contributions
The Constitutional Committee finally postponed a motion for a resolution from the SPÖ (2243/A(E)), which aims to abolish pension security contributions for retired civil servants and ÖBB pensioners, provided their retirement benefits are below the ASVG maximum pension. In the opinion of the SPÖ, after the pension system for civil servants has been aligned with that of the private sector, there is no justification for collecting these contributions.
Both Green MP Eva Blimlinger and ÖVP MP Wolfgang Gerstl showed understanding for the SPÖ’s concerns. But it is not possible to find a solution overnight, Blimlinger argued. Gerstl also pointed out that retired neo-civil servants no longer pay pension contributions anyway. According to Werner Herbert, the initiative is fully supported by the FPÖ. (Conclusion of the Constitutional Committee) gs
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