2023-05-09 22:08:20
Of course, it was not the first summit of the ÖVP-Green government. A “civilian service summit” took place shortly after the swearing-in, followed a few months later by an “animal welfare summit”. Over the years, umpteen summits on the coronavirus pandemic (from the “crisis summit” to the “opening summit” organized by the economy) have accompanied the population. The “Aviation Summit” and the “Broadband Summit” were also invited. In the course of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, the main focus was on issues such as energy and security. In April, a “Car Summit” and a “Hydrogen Summit” took place in the Chancellery, and on Monday the “Food Summit” in the Ministry of Social Affairs.
Summits are a common method in politics to set issues. These are “PR events,” says political advisor Thomas Hofer, who doesn’t want to see it negatively at all, to ORF.at. Communicating about current issues is just part of the political business. In the meetings, the government also comes into contact with experts and representatives of the respective industry. However, the goal must always be to present results, as was the case recently, for example, at the “volunteer summit” or at the past “violence protection summits”.
Excerpt of previous summits
Since 2020, summits have been held on topics such as community service, animal welfare, protection against violence, broadband, inclusion, protection against violence, energy prices, jobs, child protection, gas infrastructure, cars, hydrogen, volunteering and food.
As a rule, what you want to present is already clear before the meeting. Because a summit builds on intensive preparatory work, emphasizes Hofer. This is precisely why the “food summit” stands out from those before it. This was “a PR event without PR”. “Many people probably got stuck with the fact that the government is unclear about what they are actually going to do,” says Hofer. The government apparently wants to plug the hole in the Council of Ministers on Wednesday by presenting a package against inflation. What exactly is planned remained unclear on Tuesday.
Summit as “symbolic activism”
The summit on Monday was initiated by Social Affairs Minister Johannes Rauch and Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler (both Greens). The reasons for the high prices on the shelves should be disclosed. Minister of Agriculture Norbert Totschnig from the ÖVP was there. More than 40 people spent two hours discussing price transparency and competition, as well as the controversial issue of reducing VAT. The government and trade drew a positive interim summary. However, concrete results could not be presented.
In an interview with ORF.at, political expert Kathrin Stainer-Hämmerle describes the unsuccessful summit meeting as “symbolic activism”. One could see the “inability to act” of the government. Because the ÖVP and the Greens apparently did not agree before the summit on how to tackle the high inflation. “In the weeks leading up to this, it had already been noticed that there was hardly any common basis for common goals and solutions,” argues the researcher, who at the same time reminds of party-political solo efforts.
The “car summit” by Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) was such a solo effort, emphasizes Hofer. This only served the “own positioning” of the chancellor party. The “Food Summit” could also be described as a solo effort, although Rauch and Kogler had put a current topic in the foreground. According to Hofer, the population had at least hoped for answers and first steps. Instead, there was an announcement, according to Stainer-Hämmerle. “After summits, politics should present the first results, not announce that solutions are being considered.”
ÖVP and Greens in “peaceful coexistence”
In addition to the opposition and interest groups, the media also sharply criticized. The “Kronen Zeitung” wondered whether nobody cared about the fate of the small shops and people. The “Kurier” wrote of a “political show” and the “Standard” summarized that given the large number of participants, one could imagine that in two hours one would hardly be able to do more than “present ready-made statements”. According to the “Kleine Zeitung”, the people involved could have come up with more.
For Hofer, the summit and campaigns (“Chancellor’s Speech”) also provide a picture of the state of the ÖVP-Green government. The two parties had agreed on a “peaceful coexistence”. “The axes between club officials and the chancellor and vice chancellor are stable. The government is currently in the pre-election campaign. Each party is already defining certain issues for itself,” says the political expert. Because there are hardly any points of contact between the target groups of the ÖVP and the Greens, the parties do not get in each other’s way thematically.
Take criticism as a warning
The “own agenda” dominates more than usual, says expert Stainer-Hämmerle. But that does not mean that the ÖVP or the Greens would now say goodbye to the coalition. They had clearly communicated that they still wanted to work through a few projects, said Stainer-Hämmerle. This is important despite the focus on one’s own topics. The governing parties must be prepared to agree more on compromises again. Especially when the feeling spreads in times of crisis that nothing is going on at government level, the mood in the population could change further, says Hofer.
Criticism after the “food summit”
On Monday morning, a “food summit” dealt with the currently high prices. The opposition, the Chamber of Labor and the trade union subsequently voiced a great deal of criticism.
In any case, the most recent media criticism of the “Food Summit” can be understood as a warning not to leave the “path of party politics”. When it comes to urgent issues, such as high inflation, a joint approach is important. In the same breath, Hofer mentions the National Council elections. “Even if the election takes place in autumn 2024 as planned: It can be assumed that all parties want to position themselves more strongly with their own issues after the summer.”
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