Red fickleness

Renaturation: SPÖ searches for a unified line

Babler likes to present himself as a "green red".(Bild: Zwefo)

The SPÖ is not only looking for a unified line on the issue of migration, it is also sending out different signals on climate and environmental protection. Most recently on the hotly debated issue of renaturation. The red party's fickleness made the legal mess surrounding the provincial blockade of the EU regulation possible in the first place.

All nine federal states had originally submitted a uniform statement against the EU regulation to the Green Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler, making it impossible for her to approve it. Vienna and Carinthia - probably not coincidentally - backed out during the EU election campaign and changed their minds. They demanded that Gewessler agree to the regulation. In Vienna, this was even voted on in parliament. The third red state, Burgenland, continues to oppose renaturation.

Harsh words from Tyrol
Tyrol's SPÖ leader Georg Dornauer publicly criticizes his party colleagues, Vienna's mayor Michael Ludwig and Carinthia's governor Peter Kaiser. He does not understand why it is "suddenly customary" to withdraw from a unanimous decision by the provincial governors' conference. "The whole game" has been "transparent for weeks and highly party-politically oriented towards election campaigns", said Dornauer.

The Tyrolean SPÖ leader is always open to criticism from within the party.(Bild: APA/ERICH SPIESS)

In any case, the course correction by the two states has led to a legally controversial situation. The legal experts are not in agreement as to whether the blockade of the federal states has been lifted or not. The ÖVP, on the other hand, already is and is charging Gewessler with abuse of office. The SPÖ, meanwhile, is looking for a line. As the "Krone" has learned, party leader Andreas Babler called a meeting of the executive committee on Thursday via video call on the topic of "Dealing with the state crisis". He accuses the federal government of refusing to work and sees an "unworthy state of limbo between coalition and non-coalition".

Jana Pasching with SPÖ party leader Kucher(Bild: krone.tv)

In an interview with krone.tv, SPÖ party leader Philipp Kucher did not want to respond to Dornauer's criticism. He preferred to speak of a "party-tactical skirmish" by the Greens. "Leonore Gewessler said before the EU elections that she couldn't agree because the federal states would block it, although Carinthia and Vienna have already supported the renaturation. The argument that was valid before the European elections apparently no longer applied." If Dornauer thinks this is a tactical element, then he understands, says Kucher. "Because after the European elections, it is important for the Greens to appear combative and signal that they are taking climate protection seriously."

Social Democrats in favor of regulation at EU level
Kucher explains the back and forth on the renaturation law in Vienna and Carinthia as follows: "Clarification was still needed. The provinces sat together in the provincial governors' conferences, these clarifications have now been made throughout Europe, which was also sufficient for our provincial governors. Then we said that there was no need for the SPÖ to be the excuse that nothing was happening in the area of nature conservation." At EU level, the Social Democrats are in favor of the regulation.