New referendums

Bolek: “Austria comes last in EU approval”

Werner Bolek, co-initiator of the "Initiative Gemeinsam Entscheiden" in the krone.tv Talk

(Bild: krone.tv)

In an interview on krone.tv, Werner Bolek once again comments on a referendum he co-initiated. Once again, there are two opposing petitions: You could either sign "For" or "Against" Austria leaving the EU.

Bolek: "In all surveys, Austria is at the bottom of the EU-27 in terms of approval of the European Union." Thirty years after the EU referendum, the two opposing referendums are therefore about determining the current position of the EU in our country.

Bolek: "Switzerland or Norway, for example, are not EU members either, but have agreements with the EU in many areas. For example, on freedom of travel or the labor market."

In general, referendums must reach 100,000 signatures in order to be dealt with in parliament. There, they are first assigned to a specialist committee, where experts or the initiators of the referendum are also heard. The committee then delivers a report on the content of the expert discussions and can, but does not have to, make a recommendation to parliament.

The initiators have already launched several referendums in the past, often in opposition to each other, as is currently the case with remaining in the EU. The referendums on compulsory vaccination, for example, were very influential.

Bolek: "Austria was a wrong-way driver when it came to compulsory vaccination. And the referendums showed that."

Watch the whole interview in the video above!