Hardly anything concrete and contrary to the opinion of the experts

“Herbert Kickl and Christian Stocker, the two chief negotiators of a possible Blue-Black government, were particularly stingy with concrete content and information at their press conference today. With such zero-statement press conferences, the population is kept in the dark. In any case, this doesn’t create trust,” says Jakob Schwarz, budget spokesman for the Greens.

“Nevertheless, a few key points became known. The fact that the climate bonus is supposed to fall victim to austerity plans is in reality nothing more than a tax increase through the back door and reveals that hard times lie ahead for climate protection under a possible retro coalition. In any case, these do not bode well for the future of our country and our children and grandchildren,” says Schwarz. “You can see: With blue and black, essential milestones in climate protection are in acute danger, so the negotiators are not only putting our climate goals at risk, but also important jobs throughout Austria: If there is an abolition of funding for boiler replacement and renovation, “5,000 jobs would suddenly be at risk,” warns Schwarz about the possible consequences of Blue-Black’s backward course.

“The chief negotiators are not only working against the scientific consensus when it comes to climate protection, but the populist line seems to be pervasive in other areas too. For example, all experts are unanimously of the opinion that an EU deficit procedure would be important in order not to further burden the economy. Nevertheless, Kickl and Stocker have apparently decided against it and are thus fully consciously risking an unnecessarily brutal burden on the people in our country,” warns Schwarz and adds: “The question of who bears the burden of an austerity package is also essential in order to achieve a fair budget restructuring ensure. The fact that the federal states will incur almost six billion euros in new debt next year is clear evidence that the states’ contribution to the austerity measures is unavoidable. The fact that this is being swept under the carpet by the Blue-Black negotiators is further evidence of the populist course of the retro coalition.”