Budget finale in the National Council: Lengthy vote expected in the evening

2023-11-23 11:02:00

Even where there is a lot more money, there was still room for criticism from the opposition, for example when it comes to national defense.

With an increase of 697 million to 4.1 billion, the defense department is one of the winners of the 2024 budget. Department head Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP) spoke of a sound limit that had been exceeded. There was an increase of 66 percent for investments alone.

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The opposition could not deny that there was more money, but there was still enough reason to complain. SP defense spokesman Robert Laimer questioned the purchase of long-range missiles. These are not budgeted. He fears arms deals in the back room. There are enormous expenses in the air, while the barracks on the ground are still not self-sufficient.

The liberal defense spokesman Volker Reifenberger regretted that the army was running out of personnel. It is no longer competitive compared to the private sector. Better pay is needed. The SPÖ joined the call for salary reform and NEOS defense spokesman Douglas Hoyos was also concerned. If you buy new weapons, you need personnel who can operate them. We are a long way from that.

Sky Shield debate

Participation in the Sky Shield was also a side topic. The FPÖ rejects this anyway, but Laimer was also annoyed that this was done without careful neutrality checks and parliamentary consultation. On behalf of the Greens, David Stögmüller assured that all steps would be taken with the involvement of Parliament.

After dealing with the climate protection and finance chapters, there will be an extremely lengthy vote in the evening. All proposals submitted during the three-day budget debate must be evaluated by MPs. What is central, however, is the decision on the budget, or rather the Federal Finance Act, as well as the financial framework.