Vienna (OTS) – In the first edition of the Ö3 summer talks in “Breakfast with me” (June 16), Vice Chancellor and Green Party leader Werner Kogler was a guest of Claudia Stöckl.
Kogler chose the restaurant “Klein Steiermark” in the Schweizergarten in Vienna: “For me, that immediately gives me a connection to my homeland, Styria.” The Vice Chancellor took stock of his four and a half years in government: “Much more has progressed than expected would have suspected the difference between black and green. In any case, I reject and I can get really emotional about the fact that the Greens have sold their soul.” His biggest learning as Vice Chancellor was “to weigh things up quickly and make decisions. I haven’t always been so decisive and I’ve learned that. There have been enough crises.”
Kogler spoke for the first time on Ö3 about his secret wedding – the two of them at the registry office in Graz in October 2022 with Sabine Jungwirth, federal spokeswoman for the Green Economy, with whom he has been in a relationship for 14 years. As Kogler’s wife had said to Claudia Stöckl in the preliminary conversation, the marriage also had a pragmatic background, for example to have access to the hospital and to be protected in the event of the partner becoming ill. When asked about this in the Ö3 summer talk, Kogler said: “It is obvious that there are also rational reasons and we also have a daughter with Down syndrome, so we have a special responsibility.”
Could the Green Party leader imagine returning to the opposition bench after the elections? “Yes, of course. I am a passionate parliamentarian. But when we talk about government coalitions, I can only say: It would make sense if the Greens took on some of the responsibility again.” How long he would like to stay in politics and whether he also shares his wife’s dream will be discussed later to live in another country? “I always had the idea of putting down roots in Italy. That’s still the case. But retirement in the traditional sense is unimaginable for me. There will always be some level of commitment.”
For anyone who missed the broadcast, the audio excerpts are available online on the Ö3 homepage (oe3.ORF.at) and on ORF-Sound to listen to, and the entire conversation is available in the Ö3 “Breakfast with Me” podcast.
The Ö3 summer talks in “Breakfast with Me” with Claudia Stöckl – the top candidates in person – every Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Hitradio Ö3.
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