On April 7th at 12 p.m. on ORF 2
Vienna (OTS) – Rebekka Salzer presents the ORF parliamentary magazine “Hohes Haus” on Sunday, April 7, 2024, at 12 p.m. on ORF 2 with the following topics:
Benko backs down
The Cofag investigative committee requested by the SPÖ and FPÖ entered the second round of surveys this week. The opposition – and not only the opposition – in the committee is particularly interested in the funding given to “billionaires” by the Covid-19 financing agency. Above all, the support for René Benko and his intricate company structure. To everyone’s surprise, Benko had agreed to come weeks ago, but now – less surprisingly for many – he has backed out and canceled at the last minute. His absence causes anger among the committee factions, but has no serious consequences for Benko. Marcus Blecha with observations and comments on the U-Committee.
Nina Tomaselli, leader of the Green Party in the U-Committee, is in the studio.
Housing resource
Inflation and high interest rates on loans have dramatically worsened the situation in the construction industry and on the housing market. To counteract this, the government presented a housing package a few weeks ago. The National Council has already decided on parts of this. Another important piece of the mosaic is likely to be decided in the week of the meeting in mid-April: the vacancy tax. The states are authorized to ask owners of empty apartments to pay. This should help bring more apartments onto the market and contribute to more careful use of living space and building land resources. Fritz Jungmayr reports.
Raising awareness
Since Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel, the world has changed and the massive increase in anti-Semitism is a threat to democracy and European values. This makes it all the more important to raise awareness of the extent and consequences. National Council President Wolfgang Sobotka said this in Israel this week. The focus of the four-day stay was meetings with President Yitzhak Herzog, opposition leader Yair Lapid and Mansour Abbas, the chairman of the United Arab List in the Knesset. Also on the program: presentation of citizenship certificates to descendants of those persecuted by the Nazis and meetings with Holocaust survivors. A report by Israel correspondent Nikolaus Wildner.