Zeidler-Beck: New institute for supply chain research should help to be able to react more quickly to crises

2023-06-07 12:46:44

Current hour with the Federal Minister of Labor and Economics Martin Kocher: “Support of supply chain research for a strong, resilient location”

Vienna (OTS) – “The pandemic, the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine or the accident on the container ship ‘Ever Given’, which blocked the Suez Canal in 2021 and thus had an impact on the entire global economy, make the fragility of our supply chains clear to us,” said the Lower Austrian today, Tuesday ÖVP Federal Councilor Marlene Zeidler-Beck in the current hour of the Federal Council. The “Ever Given” ran aground and tilted, blocking the canal for six days. Hundreds of ships were unable to navigate the waterway, severely affecting global trade. Austrian companies were also affected because they did not receive the necessary material. “The economy is always faced with challenges in connection with supply chain problems, strategic dependencies and ensuring smooth production processes. And this is exactly where the federal government and the state of Upper Austria are starting with the new institute for supply chain research – ‘Supply Chain Intelligence Institute Austria'”, says the Federal Councilor further. “This closes a gap in research and makes a contribution to making the location even more crisis-proof.” A total of ten million euros will be made available in the years 2023 to 2027.

“The institute should help to minimize dangers and risks in order to be able to react more quickly to crisis situations. With comprehensive monitoring, it should help to identify dependencies, minimize them and also deal with procurement issues,” said the Federal Councilor. It is also intended to facilitate decision-making on questions of on-site warehousing or the production site.

As the economic research institute reported at the end of 2021, around 40 percent of domestic manufacturers of material goods described a lack of material as the primary obstacle to production. All of this shows how topical the topic of supply chains is and how necessary it is to get to the bottom of this topic and start with supply chain research. “We are constantly being shown how susceptible we are to external influences,” Zeidler-Beck pointed out that six out of ten euros generated in Austria come from foreign trade. “In times of multiple crises, it is important to draw conclusions and take measures. And that’s what we’re doing with this institute for supply chain research. This gives us a compass in our hands to be able to navigate well even on choppy seas,” pointed out Zeidler- Beck points out that ultimately everyone can make a contribution by focusing on regional products and sustainability and thereby helping to shorten delivery routes.

Kornhäusl: We want to get young people excited about the nursing profession

“We have major challenges in the nursing sector, such as staff shortages. Gesundheit Österreich GmbH speaks of a need for 75,000 nursing staff by 2030. The introduction of nursing teaching is an essential part of the nursing package,” said Karlheinz Kornhäusl, faction leader of the ÖVP in the debate in the Federal Council. “We have to get young people excited about working in care. We’ve lost some of this as a result of increasing academization. Now we’re trying to close this gap.”

“Don’t talk the nursing apprenticeship badly!” Kornhäusl rejected the criticism of the previous speaker, the Social Democratic Bundesrat President Günter Kovacs. What this government presented last year with the care package had not existed in the previous two decades, Kornhäusl emphasized that, for example, in the ten years from 2007 to 2017 under SPÖ social ministers, not so much progressed. “But the problem was already known at the time,” the Federal Council pointed out that the SPÖ Minister of Social Affairs, Rudolf Hundstorfer, whom he admired, had already included the nursing professions on the list of shortage occupations.

In Switzerland, nursing is a popular apprenticeship. “4,500 apprentices complete their nursing apprenticeship there and 80 percent remain in this profession. It is important that we introduce young people to this profession. And we do that with our own curriculum. Our dual training model with 200 apprenticeships is a model internationally – and that should now also apply to care.” Of course there will also be a scientific evaluation.

“With all understanding for the SP exceptional situation and for the fact that the last few days have been disturbing and paralyzing for the Burgenland and for other parts of the social democracy, I do not understand why everything has to be badmouthed now,” Kornhäusl hopes for an early constructive cooperation the opposition.

Kaltenegger: Reduce energy consumption

The Energy Efficiency Act is also on today’s agenda. It’s about climate protection and energy saving, emphasized the Styrian ÖVP Federal Councilor Isabella Kaltenegger on the sidelines of the meeting. “Even if we were not able to achieve a two-thirds majority, our goal remains to reduce energy consumption throughout Austria by 18 percent by 2030. To this end, 190 million euros are made available annually for measures to increase energy efficiency,” says Kaltenegger .

Kaltenegger showed a lack of understanding that the SPÖ, among other things, does not want to agree to the Electricity Price Compensation Act and thus the promotion of companies that are suffering extremely from the exploding energy costs. “This weakens our companies, the competitiveness of our economy and jeopardizes jobs,” concluded the Federal Councilor in the direction of the SPÖ. (Ending)