Daniel Zadra:

“The black-blue budget is a declaration of bankruptcy”

The total costs for the city tunnel are likely to amount to well over 300 million euros.

(Bild: Mathis Fotografie)

The former provincial councillor and current chairman of the Green Party is anything but happy with the provincial budget. He would invest in future issues such as housing, care and energy, but not in the "monster tunnel spider project". 

"We need to invest in affordable housing, good care, clean energy and modern mobility - this will make life easier and more affordable for the people of Vorarlberg," demanded Daniel Zadra on Friday. Even before the 2025 state budget is passed in the Vorarlberg state parliament on Wednesday, the Greens will submit a comprehensive amendment containing a total of 64 measures and pursuing the aforementioned goals.

The tunnel spider alone will consume 160 million euros over the next three years - this money could be used to build 1000 affordable apartments.

Daniel Zadra (Grüne)

A particular thorn in Zadra's side is the almost 30 million euros that the governing parties have budgeted for the major Feldkirch city tunnel project in the coming year. He would use precisely this sum for the four future issues.

The first 14 million euros would be earmarked for affordable housing. "Non-profit housing is the key to creating urgently needed affordable living space in Vorarlberg," explains Zadra.

Against bottlenecks in the care sector
If the Greens had their way, a further eight million euros would be invested in the care and social sector. "In view of inflation and demographic trends, it is irresponsible for the state government to want to make savings in the social sector," Zadra clarifies. The planned cuts would exacerbate the bottlenecks in the care sector and put people's care at risk. The additional 7.9 million euros are absolutely necessary in order to create attractive framework conditions and secure care homes in the municipalities in the long term.

In the opinion of the Greens, almost two million euros should flow into the area of climate protection. The switch to renewable energies would make Vorarlberg independent of Russian gas and ensure stable energy prices. "Subsidies for photovoltaics, heat pumps and solar energy are being drastically reduced. Yet we need exactly the opposite," summarizes Zadra.

Last but not least, the former provincial councillor would have invested four million euros in modern mobility. "With the planned budget, we will not be able to maintain our top public transport services," he fears.

He sees potential for cuts in the travel expenses of members of the government, the governor's disposable funds and representation expenses.