Expensive purchase

Opposition calls for an underground committee on the floodplain deal

The majority of the Antheringer Au will be renaturalized and the wild boar population will be decimated by the end of the year.

(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

Salzburg's SPÖ is firing back at the People's Party over the purchase of the Antheringer Au in 2022. There will be a special session of the state parliament and an underground committee is to shed light on the deal. 

All against the ÖVP! The Salzburg Social Democrats are now at the forefront of the campaign against Schwarz. The reason: the purchase of the Antheringer Au by the state for 35.6 million euros in 2022. A rough report by the State Court of Auditors shows that the deal was too expensive and that the state is also said to have assumed the expected taxes of the seller Max Mayr-Melnhof. Daniela Gutschi (ÖVP), the nature conservation councillor at the time, contradicted this. "A final price was negotiated and this amounted to 30 million euros net. In gross terms, it came to 35.6 million," explains Gutschi.

For the SPÖ, the matter is clear: the price was too high, as the Court of Auditors states with reference to several expert opinions. "This is an ÖVP scandal," says party leader David Egger. It is certain that the Reds, together with the KPÖ Plus and the Greens, will convene a special state parliament on the matter. This will take place in September. And one thing is already almost certain: there will also be a committee of inquiry!

The majority of the Antheringer Au will be renaturalized and the wild boar population will be decimated by the end of the year.

(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

Haslauer, Gutschi and Mayr-Melnhof reached an agreement on the floodplain.

(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

In any case, the timing just before the national elections on September 29 is interesting and it is highly likely that the final report of the Court of Audit will not be ready by then. This is because the ÖVP is submitting a detailed counterstatement. Gutschi: "I assume that all of our statements will be incorporated."

What will the Freedom Party and Greens do?
The role of the FPÖ will also be interesting. Party leader Marlene Svazek was always opposed to the purchase and found the price far too expensive. The Freedom Party also commissioned the audit by the Court of Auditors. At that time, however, the Blue Party was in opposition and not yet in the provincial government.

However, Svazek reiterated last week that she would not have agreed to the purchase even if she had been in government. As is well known, the Greens were part of the government at the time and are now supporting the special state parliament - and this in the case of a nature conservation project. After all, a large nature reserve is to be created and the Salzach river widened. And creel hunting for wild boar will come to an end there.