Government statement

Schallenberg: “Austria is not an island of the blessed”

Alexander Schallenberg speaks in the National Council.

(Bild: APA/ROLAND SCHLAGER)

Alexander Schallenberg made his second government statement in the National Council on Wednesday morning. The Foreign Minister is taking over the office of Federal Chancellor on an interim basis following Karl Nehammer's resignation. He made it clear to MPs in the House that we are living in difficult times in terms of both domestic and foreign policy. "Austria is not an island of the blessed," said Schallenberg.

Schallenberg, who was Federal Chancellor for around two months in 2021, made it clear right at the beginning of his statement that he had not aimed for the new position: "I never expected, nor did I aspire, to stand before you again as head of government." It is customary for him to make a statement on this, even though the government no longer has a majority and is unlikely to last much longer.

He announced that he would "continue to manage the affairs of office with a steady hand and ensure an orderly transition". He sees major challenges ahead for Austria as a business location. Otherwise, authoritarian systems would challenge our way of life and the international order that we built up after the Second World War.

Attempts to "undermine society"
"Trolls and bots are trying to undermine our society and destabilize our democracy via social media, reinforcing every story, every piece of misinformation, dividing us, making us look weak," the government statement reads. This is extremely dangerous and must be resisted.

Austria may be one of the richest and safest places in the world, but it is no longer an island of the blessed and is not untouchable. Schallenberg: "We are not immune to crises, conflict and war. On the contrary, they sometimes affect us directly. However, we can only solve the resulting challenges together - in Austria, in Europe and in the international community."

Schallenberg also made a clear commitment to the EU. Austria can only solve the upcoming challenges together with Europe and the international community.

Austria is not an island of the blessed, we are not untouchable.

Alexander Schallenberg

There was great praise for his predecessor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP). Schallenberg paid tribute to his passion, straightforwardness and integrity.

No new territory for Schallenberg
A government declaration is not new territory for Schallenberg. When he was in charge of the Chancellery for a few weeks between Sebastian Kurz and Nehammer, he was already challenged accordingly.

The session began with a "topical hour", which focused on the budget at the request of the SPÖ. Otherwise, the only other items on the sparse agenda were the election of members and substitute members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and a request for the "extradition" of Green Party Secretary General Olga Voglauer.

Pause in the coalition negotiations
Due to the plenary session, there is also a break in the coalition negotiations between the FPÖ and ÖVP. They are due to resume on Thursday and Friday, with topics including finance and the economy, national defense, education, pensions and foreign policy. The first round of talks should then be concluded.