Auditors criticize

Antheringer Au-weia! State paid too high a price

The 520 hectares along the Salzach are to be renaturalized after being purchased by the state.

(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

35.6 million euros for the Antheringer Au was an excessive purchase price, according to the State Court of Auditors. The auditors also criticize the deal with landowner Maximilian Mayr-Melnhof in many other ways.

The State Court of Audit rarely praises the government. Rarely, however, is the criticism as clear as with the purchase of the Antheringer Au. The multi-million euro deal was "neither economical, efficient nor expedient", the Court of Audit stated in its audit report.

As a reminder: two years ago, the state bought the 520 hectares on the Salzach for 35.6 million euros from large landowner Maximilian Mayr-Melnhof. He apparently negotiated well with the state government. This is because two experts independently assessed the floodplain landscape at a lower value. According to the Court of Auditors, one expert arrived at a price of 32.5 million euros, the second at 34.3 million euros.

State even assumed income tax as buyer
Officials from the state government were at least skeptical about the first report. Criticism also came from other quarters. A representative of the Ministry of Agriculture refused to allow the federal government to participate in the purchase of the meadow, citing the high price. The official said that "the federal government has never acquired a piece of land for such a high price per square meter".

Landowner Maximilian Mayr-Melnhof uses the floodplain partly as a hunting reserve for wild boar.

(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

The 520 hectares on the Salzach are to be renaturalized after the purchase by the state.

(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

Under Wilfried Haslauer, the state government arranged the deal with landowner Max Mayr-Melnhof (right).

(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

The Court of Audit also criticizes the fact that the state also paid the income tax due on Mayr-Melnhof's purchase. The state contradicts this statement, saying that the purchase price was negotiated as a whole. However, the Court of Audit refers to other documents from Mayr-Melnhof's tax advisor.

The purchase would not even have been necessary for a European protected area. "The result could have been achieved differently", says Court of Audit Director Ludwig Hillinger to the "Krone". The Antheringer Au has been a Natura 2000 protected area since 2002. The fact that the state wanted to buy the entire floodplain to complete the protected area was a political decision.

The state did not show much understanding in its reaction. Daniela Gutschi (ÖVP), the state councillor responsible for nature conservation at the time, said: "The Antheringer Au would actually have been worth much more, because we are creating a paradise for people and nature here."

For the opposition in parliament, the Court of Audit's criticism is grist to the mill. The SPÖ continues to raise the possibility of a sub-committee. "The Haslauer government has made a fabulous deal possible for a multimillionaire," says SPÖ party leader Max Maurer.