In Breakdown
Austria's coalition government is in 'campaign mode' as a vote on the EU's proposed Nature Restoration Law splits the People's Party and the Greens
Servus!
It’s official. The Austrian government wants the next parliamentary election to take place on September 29, confirming months of speculation about a possible date. (If you are an Austrian living abroad and you didn’t register to vote in the lead-up to the European elections earlier this year, I’d encourage you to look at this guide to registering I wrote in a previous edition of the newsletter and get on with the process now.)
There’s a shopworn expression in Austria that “after the election is before the election,” and indeed, with campaigning for the European elections behind them, Austria’s political parties are transitioning straight into the next round of battle. This is particularly true for the country’s two governing parties, the center-right People’s Party (ÖVP) and the Greens, whose relationship is now in complete and total breakdown.
The cause of dispute is the European Union’s proposed Nature Restoration Law. Part of the European Green Deal, the regulation aims to increase Europe’s biodiversity and help the continent meet its climate targets by restoring its ecosystems, natural habitats, and species populations. The idea is supported by the Greens as well as the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPÖ), the liberal NEOS, and environmental NGOs but opposed by the ÖVP at the federal and state level, the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), and Austria’s farming and forestry lobbies.
The Nature Restoration Law went up for a vote the Council of the EU, the council of ministers, on Monday. Responsibility for voting on Austria’s behalf fell to environment minister Leonore Gewessler. Her previous intention was to abstain due to the ÖVP’s opposition to the regulation, but over the weekend, she pivoted and announced she would vote in favor, enabling the regulation to pass. The Greens’ coalition partner reacted furiously, with Europe minister Karoline Edtstadler declaring the move “irresponsible and outlandish” and a violation of constitutional law. On Monday, the ÖVP filed a criminal complaint against her for abuse of office and fired off a letter to Brussels stating she did not have the authority to vote the way she did.
Chancellor Karl Nehammer has said that, in spite of this crisis, the ÖVP would not break off its coalition with the Greens. Practically if not formally, however, the coalition is over. Undoubtedly, electioneering is partly responsible for the breakdown. Gewessler and Nehammer are both guilty of using a key piece of European legislation to burnish their image as either a savior of the environment or champion of Austrian farmers with one eye on September 29. European politics themselves also play a role. The ÖVP has long been skeptical about the Green Deal and has been pushing European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen—who may need the ÖVP’s support in the coming weeks to remain president—to abandon parts of it including the incoming EU-wide ban on the combustion engine.
But underlying all of this is a very sincere ideological disagreement. While the ÖVP and Greens, both being parties of the middle class, have been able to find a way to govern together on most socio-economic issues, immigration and the environment were and are the two issues that, from the very beginning, threatened to destroy their marriage of convenience from within. On a fundamental level, the Greens are as sincere about the environmental commitments as the ÖVP are about protecting the interests of their electoral clientele including farmers and small business owners. In a sense, it is a wondrous thing that the ÖVP-Green coalition has lasted the full five years and taken this long to dissolve into acrimony.
Bis bald!
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Nehammer Says No
Chancellor Nehammer has repeated that he would take the ÖVP into coalition with the FPÖ after the next election but only without its leader, Herbert Kickl. Nehammer has previously characterized Kickl has a right-wing extremist, a pro-Russian sympathizer, and a threat to national security.
Karas Says No
The soon-to-be former first vice-president of the European Parliament Othmar Karas confirmed he will not enter the coming parliamentary elections in Austria with his own list. Karas announced his intention in October 2023 to leave Brussels after the next European elections citing disagreements with his own party.
Doskozil Says No
Burgenland governor Hans Peter Doskozil has said he will not take part in internal SPÖ discussions about ‘refreshing’ its position paper on immigration and asylum because the party won’t discuss proposals for a cap on asylum numbers or asylum processing centers outside Europe’s borders. Doskozil also told Profil that the SPÖ should only go into coalition with the ÖVP if the SPÖ is the larger party.