Too expensive for the Reds

Election campaign: Antheringer Au as an SPÖ issue

The Antheringer Au nature reserve remains a political controversy.(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

A committee of inquiry in Salzburg is now only a possibility, but no longer a certainty, as the Social Democrats had announced in August. They want to wait for the state parliament and the final report of the Court of Audit.

On August 19, David Egger, SPÖ party leader in Salzburg, and the party leadership launched a major all-round attack on the purchase of the Antheringer Au by the state in 2022. The Reds see the price as a scandal and have the backing of the KPÖ Plus and the Greens. A special provincial parliament will therefore discuss the issue on Thursday. "We will finally get access to the files on Monday," says Egger.

In August, a committee of inquiry into the case was announced in order to fully investigate the purchase. "We are now waiting for the special state parliament and the final ACA report," says the party leader. This no longer sounds anything like the euphoria of August, when a committee of inquiry was considered a done deal. "National Councillor Michael Schmidt has pushed forward a bit," says Egger, adding: "We are of course reserving the right to set up a committee of inquiry." In this way, the SPÖ will be able to attract attention until the National Council elections in two weeks' time. However, it is questionable whether the issue will still be hot after the election.