In the National Council meeting that ended on Thursday evening, a motion to reduce the age of criminal responsibility to twelve years remained without a majority. The Freedom Party, who had introduced the corresponding change in the law, found no supporters for the initiative.
Voting took place by name, i.e. by going to the ballot box, and at the request of the Freedom Party. However, the results showed that only 20 of the 30 FPÖ MPs took part. This in turn brought the ÖVP parliamentary club into action. In the evening, the APA interpreted this as meaning that the liberal club did not stand behind its parliamentary group leader Herbert Kickl.
In the subsequent debate, the FPÖ tried again with a (non-binding) motion for a resolution with the same content. Even then, the Freedom Party remained alone. During the vote, only eight FP representatives who were present voted for the proposal.
The FPÖ’s concerns were argued based on the seriousness of crimes such as robbery, murder and rape. Society has to react here, said justice spokesman Harald Stefan: “We can’t say we look the other way.” General Secretary Michael Schnedlitz then explicitly blamed young people who were “clapped in” with the wave of refugees into the country in 2015: “Anyone who is old enough to murder and rape is old enough to be locked up.”
ÖVP also discussed
The ÖVP recently discussed lowering the age of criminal responsibility in the person of Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP). Justice spokeswoman Michaela Steinacker called the FP application on Thursday too simple and one-sided: “What we do is discuss with experts.” One will have to consider what accompanying measures a reduction in criminal responsibility would have to be accompanied.
The last item on the agenda unanimously approved a state treaty between Austria and Germany on cross-border cooperation against non-military threats. The agreement from 2022 is intended to make it possible to fly over the common national border in order, for example, to safely “hand over” a suspicious aircraft to the aviation forces of the respective neighboring country and to improve the relevant response options and times. Measures against military threats are expressly not included.
The next plenary session is scheduled for April 17th.
This article was updated at 8:50 p.m.
