Brussels/Strasbourg – The Social Democratic Austrian SPÖ delegation within the EU Parliament introduced on Tuesday in Strasbourg that it’s going to ship a written pressing inquiry to the EU Fee concerning the EU flood reduction. The main target is on “whether or not Austria will obtain EU support funds for reconstruction after the flood catastrophe in September 2024” and if that’s the case, from the place, and whether or not the Fee President and Chancellor Nehammer have spoken the reality. There was additionally criticism from the FPÖ and the Greens.
Fee President Ursula von der Leyen introduced the speedy mobilization of EU funds at a flood summit in Wrocław, Poland, on September 19, 2024, along with Austria’s Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP). On Monday, the EU Fee in Brussels proposed modifications to a few EU legal guidelines to permit EU funds to circulation extra rapidly to help catastrophe restoration. The modifications are meant to allow the affected member states – together with Austria – to reallocate a complete of round 18 billion euros from three EU funds.
Von der Leyen and Chancellor Nehammer are accused of promising cash in Poland that doesn’t exist. The SPÖ additional asks: “Was the Fee President conscious that no further funds could be flowing past the already budgeted and thus already deliberate EU funds from the Cohesion Fund?” and “Did Chancellor Nehammer intentionally conceal the circumstances for the disbursement of EU funds from the Austrian public a couple of days earlier than the Nationwide Council election?”
Nehammer exercised heavy criticism throughout a dialog with oe24 on Sunday. He expects the promise to be stored as a result of the precise quantity was acknowledged by Ursula von der Leyen “in entrance of witnesses.” “There may be nothing extra to interpret,” Nehammer advised oe24. On September 19, von der Leyen declared that the EU would make ten billion euros from the Cohesion Fund obtainable to the nations affected by the pure catastrophe. Austria might draw 500 million euros from this fund, Nehammer stated on the time. No counter-financing was needed both.
FPÖ Secretary Basic Christian Hafenecker criticized in an announcement “the subsequent deception of the Individuals’s Occasion”: Just a few days earlier than the Nationwide Council election, “Nehammer staged himself with the lively assist of the media (…) as an awesome helper. He had negotiated an extra 500 million euros for the flood victims in Brussels.” It now seems that “the alleged further support was a mere staging on the backs of these individuals who misplaced their hard-earned property within the flood.”
“The dealing with of information by Chancellor Nehammer is regarding. The supposed negotiation success of over 500 million in flood reduction was pure present as a result of the funds are already as a consequence of Austria beneath regional funding and are even partially already allotted. The flood shouldn’t hurt us twice by giving up long-term future investments in rural areas. The duty now’s to safe further funds from the Solidarity Fund for Austria,” defined the inexperienced EU delegation chief Thomas Waitz. (22.10.2024)
