7-point program

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The strengthening of private transport as the largest overlap between the FPÖ and ÖVP.

(Bild: Roland Mühlanger / picturedesk.com)

The first working meeting of the new Styrian government team led by FPÖ Governor Mario Kunasek at Seggau Castle was supposed to deliver content rather than headlines. This promise was only partially fulfilled on Saturday.

Willi Resetarits liked to perform "Pass guad auf" at the legendary "Stubenblues" parties in the Gamlitzer Buschenschank Pongratz. On Friday evening, the members of the new Styrian state government performed on the premises. It is unlikely that this was also about human rights.

"It was a cozy end to long discussions on the government's content, some people sat up until well after midnight," people said on Saturday. There was no sign of fatigue at the presentation of the new priorities, which took place in Seggau Castle amid enormous media interest. Governor Mario Kunasek (FPÖ) and his deputy Manuela Khom (ÖVP) reeled off their "lighthouse projects" for Styria in staccato. The other members of the government had a break on Saturday.

FPÖ state governor Mario Kunasek and his deputy Manuela Khom (ÖVP) presented their lighthouse projects for Styria on Saturday.

(Bild: Jauschowetz Christian)

Hier die präsentierten Eckpunkte:

• Budget restructuring
  At 900 million euros, the shortfall in the previous year was more than twice as high as estimated. The Styrians want to collect more money at the financial equalization negotiations in Vienna. "The goal for 2025 is to stay below one billion euros in debt. In the medium term, we want to consolidate the budget by 2030," said the head of the province. Subsidies will be reviewed.

• "Air hundred"

  In the greater Graz area, aircraft will be allowed to take off again in future. Specifically, the "Lufthunderter" is to be dropped on the A9 and A2 around Graz. According to Kunasek, people need cars in Styria as a large federal state. Technology is advancing, pollutant levels have improved immensely - "we are implementing fact-based measures as quickly as possible."

• Ban on begging
  Commercial begging will be banned; sectoral bans on begging, for example around bus stations, will also be possible in future. Ambitious timetable: The amendment to the Provincial Security Act should be ready before the summer break.

The provincial councillors did not speak on Saturday.

(Bild: Jauschowetz Christian)

• Reducing bureaucracy
  According to Khom, excessive regulations, such as those relating to permits, are to be revised quickly. The entire deregulation offensive is to be completed by 2027 and the first law should be ready by the summer. However, hard facts have not yet been established in this regard on Saturday.

• Payment card for asylum seekers
  The introduction of a payment card for asylum seekers, as already exists in Lower Austria, is intended to eliminate cash benefits. The aim is to prevent abuse. There was talk of around 1000 people affected in Styria by the end of 2024. "We are waiting for the federal tender and will not be launching our own initiative," said Khom.

• Traffic
  The A9 southbound is to be widened to three lanes - so far, so familiar. "The expansion is important for the economic area, but also for the residents of the affected communities south of Graz. However, more is needed, such as the expansion of the S36 or closing the gap in the S37," emphasized Kunasek. Short-haul flights are experiencing a renaissance: the turbo is being fired up for flight connections from Graz to Vienna, Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart or Brussels, for example.

• Healthcare
  Climate, nature and environmental protection were not even mentioned - and the ailing Styrian healthcare system was only worth a side note to the government: the coalition is calling on the federal government to increase the number of medical study places. Not a word was said about the lead hospital.

Heftige Reaktionen

Steirische Opposition schäumt

"The closed meeting of the blue-black provincial government has mainly produced symbolic measures, while the central concerns of the Styrian population have been ignored: Inflation, high housing costs and energy prices, major problems in health and care seem to move the provincial government little," was the KPÖ's first reaction.

"Started as a tiger, ended up as a bedside rug"
The NEOS described the performance of the new provincial government as "insubstantial symbolic politics" that "threatens prosperity in Styria". "The state's deregulation offensive started out as a tiger and ended up as a bedside rug. Instead of creating a reporting office for bureaucracy or repealing laws, just another working group is being set up. This is a dangerous threat to Styria as a business location," said party leader Niko Swatek in a press release.

NEOS leader Niko Swatek.

(Bild: Jauschowetz Christian)

"After weeks of stalling and putting people off, the blue-black state government has still not come up with any concrete ideas on how to tackle the acute challenges - from climate protection to a lack of childcare places", Green Party leader Sandra Krautwaschl also found harsh words. "Today was another PR staging. Deceiving the public with deceptive tactics must not become the new normal."

Lack of strategies
"This closed meeting is a hollow report," commented SPÖ leader Max Lercher on the outcome of the government's work. "Citing the abolition of the 'Lufthunderter' as a key measure for Styria as a car country, but still not having a strategy to secure jobs in the industry, shows how haphazardly this state government is acting."