In election campaign mode
SPÖ: Vienna provincial party conference in the context of the EU elections
At the provincial party conference of the Vienna SPÖ on Saturday afternoon, Mayor Michael Ludwig was confirmed as head of the Viennese party with 92.63 percent. The event at Messe Wien also served as a prelude to the EU election campaign. Ludwig was already in election campaign mode, speaking of "more and more right-wing populist parties that want to weaken Europe".
At the last party conference to date in 2022, he achieved 94.4%. Ludwig thanked the 900 or so delegates. He was convinced that the upcoming elections would be handled well.
The Vienna SPÖ now only holds a "proper" party conference every two years. In the years in between, a "Vienna Conference" is held with a strong thematic focus. Now they met again in the classic setting, which was immediately converted into the red European election campaign launch.
Häupl and Vranitzky as guests of honor
To kick off the event, state party secretary Barbara Novak welcomed the numerous guests of honor - including former federal party chairman and chancellor Franz Vranitzky and long-time mayor and Viennese party leader Michael Häupl.
After Novak, the current chairman of the SPÖ in Vienna, Mayor Ludwig, took the floor. In his speech, Ludwig assured the audience that he was the party that had always been on the right side, on the side of democracy and on the side of the people. This is important to emphasize, he said, because it is currently a matter of defending democratic achievements. "The elections to the European Parliament are of particular importance this time."
Ludwig in election campaign mode
There are, for example, more and more right-wing populist parties that want to weaken Europe. This also applies to forces outside the EU. "I am certainly referring to Russia". Hopes for lasting peace in Europe had been dashed by the invasion of Ukraine.
Ludwig emphasized that people from Ukraine had been supported. This had not been an easy task. Many children had been integrated into schools and kindergartens. In addition, the family reunification of recognized refugees is currently underway. "Yes, we are very challenged," emphasized the head of the city.
"Fairer distribution" called for in matters of asylum
The issues of refugees and integration are actually federal agendas. "We are making our contribution in solidarity," Ludwig affirmed. However, we also expect solidarity from the federal government. The mayor urged a "fairer distribution". It could not be the case that everything was handed over to Vienna. He also once again called for more police officers, for example for the Favoriten district.
"I am still committed to neutrality," Ludwig also made clear. Vienna almost has the "natural opportunity" to hold peace conferences. "However, this would have to be combined with an active foreign policy, which I am not currently pursuing," he said, also calling the federal government to account.
Praise for Schieder, support for Babler
It was a question of whether it would be possible to further develop the common Europe. Ludwig was convinced that the European Union had to be made fairer. There was praise for the SPÖ's leading candidate Andreas Schieder - who once competed with Ludwig for the post of mayor - and his work in the EU Parliament.
In his speech, Schieder then posed the question of whether it would still be possible to live in a constitutional, democratic Europe after the elections on June 9. He sees the greatest threat to democracy in the "social division of our society" and the widening gap between rich and poor. Some people have distanced themselves so far from normal life that they believe they are above the rules, he said, referring to Signa founder René Benko. Schieder also sees a threat in Silicon Valley, where a handful of people control the communication of six billion "citizens of the world". What is forbidden in real life must also be forbidden in the digital world. Due to social democratic policies, rules have now been prescribed by the European AI Act, among other things, he said.
The Vienna SPÖ leader was convinced that it was important to present a united front to the outside world, despite internal discussions. One sign of this was that the EU election campaign kicked off at the national party conference. "We are showing that many of the rumors being spread are not true." The upcoming elections will be well contested together. "Dear Andi Babler, the SPÖ Vienna supports the federal party wherever we can," he let the federal party leader know.
The EU block was opened by Nicolas Schmit, the current EU Commissioner for Labor from Luxembourg and lead candidate of the Party of European Socialists (PES) for the upcoming European elections. He is the candidate of millions of European workers and wants to stand up for fair working conditions, wages and co-determination, he said in Vienna. He also called for massive investment in the economy and a "Made in Europe" strategy. Like Schieder, he saw democracy under threat and Europe must be defended against "the madmen". The FPÖ, which unveiled corresponding election posters yesterday, wants to "stop the EU madness".
In her speech, SPÖ list runner-up Evelyn Regner insisted above all on a tax policy that counteracts inequality. If the Social Democrats did not take care of this, nothing would improve, she saw the SPÖ as the guarantor for a strong and united Europe - this was also the message of an election video with Regner and Schieder shown at the national party conference. Vienna, which has long been governed by the SPÖ, is a positive example for the EU election candidates; Schieder spoke of the "European capital of social fairness".
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