Political bombshell

Chancellor announces referendum in speech

The link between conscription and the militia system is currently under debate.(Bild: P. Huber)

In light of global upheavals, Chancellor Christian Stocker calls for a greater sense of realism: Austria's security requires a strong federal army. The population will decide on the reform of conscription and the militia system in a binding referendum. He also announces that asylum seekers will only receive basic health care. 

In his speech at the political New Year's event in Vienna's Metastadt, Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) faces up to "reality," as he believes Austria must do. In view of the geopolitical crises, it is not neutrality alone that protects us, but "a comprehensive, state-of-the-art national defense." 

He calls for faster decision-making and greater independence of the EU from other countries, especially in terms of security, the military, and armaments. According to him, Austrian neutrality is also the basis for the necessity and obligation of national defense. 

Population decides on reform
Stocker advocates for an army that meets modern standards, is ready for action every day, and is based on universal conscription and a militia system. "A militia system without mandatory militia training cannot meet the requirements." The reform would also include civilian service, known as alternative service to military service, for which a majority in parliament is required. However, he sees the need to involve the population in such a far-reaching change, which is why a referendum binding on the political parties will decide the issue. 

The chancellor said: "Apart from the fact that a political decision will have to be made, I believe that such a far-reaching change should not be made over the heads of the population. For me, that means that the decision will be made in a referendum."

 basic healthcareStocker also wants to cut healthcare for asylum seekers: "In the future, they will receive basic care, but no longer have full access to all our healthcare services." He said he could not understand why people who had paid into the system for a long time had to wait a very long time for an appointment or were even turned away, while, conversely, people who had never paid in enjoyed full care immediately.

No longer an island of bliss
The chancellor wants a "turning point"—not only for the Alpine republic, which is recovering very slowly from the longest recession of the postwar period, but above all for his party, which is struggling in the polls. According to the latest polls, the party now only has the support of 20 percent of Austrians, far behind Kickl's FPÖ, which has established itself at the top of the polls with 36 percent. 

The ÖVP leader sees our way of life in a free, united Europe and in a free democracy as under threat and emphasizes that the country's future can only lie in the European Union and that allies and communities are essential for this. However, he would like to see a reform of the structures in the sense of granting the European Council, the body of heads of state and government, the right of initiative for legislative proposals.

Capital flight to the US
He also criticizes the outflow of European funds for innovation to the US instead of pumping them into innovation within the European confederation. The wheels of strengthening the competitiveness of the economy and the internal market must turn faster again, and decisions must be made more quickly. 

Referendum vs. plebiscite

• The main difference lies in the binding nature: a referendum is legally binding and concerns a law that has already been passed.
• Areferendum is not binding, takes place before legislation and serves as an important basis for political decision-making.
• However, Chancellor Stocker spoke of a "binding" referendum.

Since the introduction of the legal basis for referendums at the federal level in 1989, it has only been used once: in 2013, the first nationwide referendum was held on the question of whether conscription should be retained or a professional army introduced.