Speed in talks

Start on Monday: Who is negotiating blue-black now

FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl and ÖVP chairman Christian Stocker could quickly come to an agreement in the negotiations starting on Monday.(Bild: APA/Helmut Fohringer)

Small teams - big drive. From Monday, the blue-black pact will be negotiated in the subgroups. In less than three weeks, Herbert Kickl (FPÖ) and Christian Stocker (ÖVP) could come to an agreement. Whoever negotiates the deal now. 

The political foundation of the first blue-black coalition has already been laid with the austerity plan. From Monday, it will be built upon in negotiations in a total of 13 subgroups. "In two and a half to three weeks", according to insiders, the pact between Herbert Kickl and Christian Stocker could be sealed.

In any case, the ÖVP is relying on its top personnel for the talks. State Secretary Claudia Plakolm, for example, heads the groups on housing, family and youth as well as infrastructure. Lower Austria's "Security Minister" Gerhard Karner and Klaudia Tanner will lead the talks on their ministries (Home Affairs and Defense). Reinhold Lopatka, the People's Party's top candidate for the EU elections, will negotiate foreign policy aspects, while outgoing Women's Affairs Minister Susanne Raab will discuss the media sector.

The ÖVP is relying on established forces:

Plakolm and Wöginger, for example, are negotiating for the ÖVP.(Bild: APA/HELMUT FOHRINGER)

Stocker's successor Pröll is also involved.(Bild: ÖVP)

Health is a matter for club chairman August Wöginger, and the economy is also the responsibility of the new Chamber of Commerce General Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer. Alexander Pröll, who succeeded Stocker as Secretary General, heads the groups on justice and the constitution, the head of the Farmers' Union Georg Strasser is in charge of agriculture, the President of the Chamber of Commerce Harald Mahrer is in charge of finance - and Barbara Eibinger-Miedl from Styria is again negotiating the education sector, as she did for the Zuckerl. 

In order to prevent negotiators from being contacted by the media before the start, the FPÖ did not announce all its blue "area leaders" yesterday. So far, it has only been officially confirmed that General Secretary Christian Hafenecker will negotiate the transport and media sector, Styrian Hannes Amesbauer the internal security sector and Salzburg's Vice-President Marlene Svazek the agriculture sector.

They could negotiate for the FPÖ:

The entire staff of the FPÖ is not yet known. Hafenecker, for example, has been confirmed.(Bild: APA/ERWIN SCHERIAU)

Svazek is to negotiate the area of agriculture.(Bild: AFP)

Amesbauer will take over the area of internal security for the Freedom Party.(Bild: Jauschowetz Christian)

Budget spokesman Hubert Fuchs is to be responsible for finance. Unofficially, Dagmar Belakowitsch in the social affairs group and Volker Reifenberger from Salzburg in the defense area are also considered to be set.

The symbolic date for an agreement is February 4. The first blue-black government would then be sworn in exactly 25 years after the first black-blue one ...