Thermal baths, petition & co.

Politics in Carinthia: From Lake Klopein to the Gailtal Valley

Lake Klopein is a popular excursion destination in summer - a thermal spa could make it more attractive in winter.

(Bild: Klopeiner See/Südkarnten)

Brussels, Lake Klopein and the Gailtal valley - these are the places currently occupying Carinthian politics.

The 24th government meeting was international: after his trip to the Committee of the Regions (CoR) in Brussels on Tuesday, Governor Peter Kaiser (SPÖ) emphasized "our efforts to strengthen local and regional authorities at European level, including through funding systems". His statement to the CoR on children's rights was unanimously adopted.

The wolf and bear were also the subject of a debate in Brussels: "A resolution was passed, the protection status is being questioned", said Kaiser, as the defined protection status of "strictly protected" was established when there was a threat to the population. 

Two days after Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen met there with Slovenia's President Nataša Pirc Musar, the Joint Carinthia-Slovenia Committee will take place in Brdo (Slovenia) on Wednesday. "Intensive efforts that have supported many cross-border projects will be continued there," says Kaiser.

1.5 million euros for safety
Last week, on Friday, the state of Carinthia held another security summit with the relevant blue light organizations, at which the Austrian Armed Forces provided "critical analyses of the foreign policy situation", according to Kaiser.

The government decided that the building of the state fire brigade association should be extended - a third floor should provide space for disaster control and civil defense, for which a total of 1.5 million euros will be invested.

An extended education campaign on social media in Romania and Bulgaria is intended to draw attention to the possibility of tertiary education in Carinthia: "The skilled workers of tomorrow should be tied to Carinthia through education and integrated here," explains Deputy Governor Martin Gruber (ÖVP). The image campaign with the motto "Your future has no borders" - which was rolled out in consultation with the University of Klagenfurt, the Carinthian University of Applied Sciences and the Gustav Mahler Private University - will now be extended until May 2024 and provided with an additional budget of 80,000 euros.

"The shortage of skilled workers is a major brake on economic development in the region. That's why we as the provincial government are tackling this issue with various measures," says Gruber, also referring to the province's new Skilled Workers Agency.

Deputy Governor Martin Gruber (ÖVP), Governor Peter Kaiser (SPÖ) and Provincial Councillor Sebastian Schuschnig (ÖVP) at the press conference after the government meeting.

(Bild: Clara Milena Steiner)

Up to five million euros a year would be invested in this, emphasized Provincial Councillor Sebastian Schuschnig: "The shortage of skilled workers is slowing down our economy - we are competing internationally as a location." The agency will begin its work on April 30th and send out the first industry call from June 1st.

Thermal baths on Lake Klopein?
However, a "successful and attractive location" also requires the appropriate infrastructure, which is why regional impetus is needed, says Gruber - and brings the thermal spa on Lake Klopeiner See into play: "The provincial government has commissioned a spatial compatibility analysis to objectively assess which location would be suitable for this."

There is a "new project applicant with an interesting proposal", but St. Kanzian's mayor Thomas Krainz (SPÖ) has "single-handedly said goodbye", says Gruber: "A personal preference from the mayor for a location is not enough for us as a basis for a decision".

The analysis should deliver initial results by the fall of 2024, after which it will be up to the first-instance zoning authority, i.e. the municipality, to decide how to proceed. The municipal council must make a decision - a possible recommendation is of course not close to a commitment, but the results of the analysis will be made available to the municipal council.

The Greens are involved in the discussion in a press release: "It should be questioned whether the realization of such a project is at all compatible with the local conditions - nobody needs empty bed castles and more built-up lakeshores here," says Olga Voglauer, member of the National Council and regional spokesperson for the Green Party in Carinthia. And: "Only through a precise and objective examination can the pros and cons be weighed up responsibly. The corresponding analysis by the state is heading in the right direction."

FPÖ says "Yes to the Gailtal"
 Change of scene: The Carinthian Freedom Party has dedicated itself to the Gailtal, demanding that the state government establish a future fund for the region - "in the amount of at least nine million euros as support for the municipalities in the district of Hermagor", suggests Christoph Staudacher, 2nd President of the state parliament. The pot is to be financed from the "so-called Nassfeld millions", which amount to around nine million euros.

Gernot Darmann, Deputy Club Chairman, Erwin Angerer, Regional Party Chairman and Christoph Staudacher, 2nd President of the Regional Parliament, say "Yes to the Gailtal".

(Bild: Clara Milena Steiner)

The fund, which the FPÖ will submit as an urgent motion to the provincial parliament session on Thursday, is to be used to implement regional projects. "This works very well in Mölltal, there are corresponding rules and it is decided locally whether a project should be implemented or not. We envisage a similar approach in Gailtal," explains regional party chairman Erwin Angerer, who is also the mayor of Mühldorf. The party is also launching a petition entitled "Yes to the Gailtal!".