"Taking something further"

How the NEOS want to get fit for government

NEOS chairwoman Beate Meinl-Reisinger finally wants to join the government.(Bild: APA/EVA MANHART)

The NEOS are once again complaining about the "standstill" and the "party dispute" between Turquoise and Green and hope that they will have a say after the National Council elections on September 29. With the help of reform groups, the Pinks now want to make themselves fit for government.

To kick things off, the topic of "education" was discussed on Wednesday, with experts invited to internal talks. The aim is to give all children "every opportunity". More money must be invested in this area, because: "There is only one thing that is more expensive than investing in education, namely: not investing in education," emphasized party leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger.

She cited the upcoming retirements in the teaching sector as a concrete example - 30 percent of all teachers in Austria will retire by 2030. "There is no plan to launch a real offensive to get more teachers into schools." There also needs to be an urgent reduction in bureaucracy

Meinl-Reisinger reminded everyone that "elections are just 67 days away". Then there is a chance that a new government will "finally get things moving". The NEOS are the "only independent force for reform" and they have "prepared themselves well" in recent years - "also for taking on responsibility", Meinl-Reisinger said, clearly aiming for pink government participation.

Meinl-Reisinger: "Only action will get us further"
The pink reform groups that have now been launched are not about producing more papers on content, as the NEOS' positions are known. It is now about the "how" of concrete implementation, said the party leader. By the beginning of September, the Pinks want to present this "how" in all areas - from education to easing the burden. "There must be an end to Sunday speeches, only action will get us further."