Food too expensive
European alliance against the Austrian surcharge
Economics Minister Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer (ÖVP) is now firing up the European turbo against the brazen price mark-ups on food. His weapon: a European alliance against the "Austria surcharge".
Things will get down to business in Brussels on Monday. Economics Minister Hattmannsdorfer will present a position paper to the Competition Council. The Czech Republic, Croatia, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium and Slovenia are reportedly on board. Together, they want to put the big food multinationals in their place. "Then the EU Commission will have to deal with it," says the Minister. He is convinced that "even as a small country, we can be strong in Europe if we look for allies."
Food producers collect significantly more in Austria
What makes him so angry? Multinational food producers collect significantly more in Austria than in the large EU countries. Hattmannsdorfer: "The costs here are on average eight percent higher than in Germany and profits are maximized at the expense of consumers. We want to take decisive action against this!"
But Brussels is having second thoughts. The Commission does not want to act until the end of 2026. Far too late, says the Alliance. The paper states: "Citizens across the Union, especially in smaller Member States, are directly confronted with excessive prices." The EU must act faster and more decisively. After all, it estimates that territorial supply restrictions cost European consumers over 14 billion euros a year.
Austria surcharge "is an abuse of market power"
For Hattmannsdorfer, the price surcharges for small countries are clearly discriminatory. "This contradicts competition law and, in my opinion, is an abuse of market power!"
The Minister of Economic Affairs also has a clear opinion on US President Trump's new tariff plans: "Donald Trump is not a reliable partner and never will be. That's why we in Austria must now look to become more independent of the USA." His demand: Europe must welcome new trading partners. "We should also include countries outside Europe in the single market, such as Canada, South Korea and Japan. The stronger the single market is without tariffs, the better it is for our jobs and the sale of our products. After all, we earn six out of ten euros from exports."
A "no" to quotas for the employment of over-60s in companies
Hattmannsdorfer has rejected the latest proposal by Social Affairs Minister Korinna Schumann (SPÖ). She would like to impose quotas on companies for the employment of over-60s. This is unthinkable for the Minister of Economic Affairs: "You can't lump all companies together. A roofing company is unlikely to employ a 63-year-old to weld the roof trusses. An IT company is also unlikely to find programmers over 60." Instead of new requirements, companies need support "so that they can keep their existing jobs".
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