Austrian conservatives and Greens strike New Year's coalition deal

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Austrian conservatives and Greens strike New Year's coalition deal

 

Leader of Austria's Green Party Werner Kogler and head of People's Party (OeVP) Sebastian Kurz shake hands after delivering a statement, in Vienna, Austria January 1, 2020. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner

 

VIENNA (Reuters) - Austrian conservative leader Sebastian Kurz struck a coalition deal on Wednesday with the Greens to ensure his return to power and bring the left-wing party into government for the first time, three months after Kurz won a parliamentary election.

 

The deal marks a swing left for Kurz, whose last coalition was with the far-right Freedom Party. It also means Austria will join fellow European Union member states Sweden and Finland in having the Greens in government, albeit in a junior role, at a time of growing calls for urgent action on climate change.

 

After a final round of coalition talks on New Year's Day and two days of leaks of new Cabinet members' names, Kurz and his Greens counterpart said they had struck a deal, as widely expected. They held off, however, on providing details of their plans - those will be presented to the public on Thursday.

 

"We have reached an agreement," Kurz told reporters standing next to Greens leader Werner Kogler.

 

The two will become chancellor and vice chancellor of the new government, and the Greens will control just four of 15 ministries, roughly reflecting their performance in the Sept. 29 election, which Kurz's People's Party (OVP) won with 37.5% of the vote while the Greens came in fourth with 13.9%.

 

"It is possible to reduce the tax burden and to ecologize the tax system," Kurz said, referring to core campaign pledges of each party and hinting at the deal's contents. The Greens said they wanted an investment package in environmental measures and to make products that damage the environment more expensive.

 

(Reporting by Francois Murphy in Vienna; Editing by David Gregorio and Matthew Lewis)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-01-02

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[Mick501]

Poor Austria.  Now they too will have to suffer dealing with Green idiots at the expense of sensible policy making.

[rudi49jr]

2 hours ago, Mick501 said:

Poor Austria.  Now they too will have to suffer dealing with Green idiots at the expense of sensible policy making.

I think you got that backwards, it’s not the Greens who are the idiots .....

[rudi49jr]

2 hours ago, Mick501 said:

Poor Austria.  Now they too will have to suffer dealing with Green idiots at the expense of sensible policy making.

And with sensible policy making I assume you mean keep on sticking your head in the sand, keep on polluting and destroying the planet and keep on denying climate change? 

[bristolboy]

2 hours ago, Mick501 said:

Poor Austria.  Now they too will have to suffer dealing with Green idiots at the expense of sensible policy making.

Whereas name-calling is clearly the mark of a superior intellect.

[Mick501]

37 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

Whereas name-calling is clearly the mark of a superior intellect.

No.  But sensible policy making is.

[Mick501]

56 minutes ago, rudi49jr said:

And with sensible policy making I assume you mean keep on sticking your head in the sand, keep on polluting and destroying the planet and keep on denying climate change? 

Realistic and achievable policies that don't destroy the economy and have an actual benefit.     Hope that's dumbed down enough for you now.

[bristolboy]

22 minutes ago, Mick501 said:

Realistic and achievable policies that don't destroy the economy and have an actual benefit.     Hope that's dumbed down enough for you now.

I don't see how it's possible to dumb down your ideas if by that you mean making them any dumber.

So are green policies destroying economies in the EU?

[Mick501]

1 hour ago, bristolboy said:

I don't see how it's possible to dumb down your ideas if by that you mean making them any dumber.

So are green policies destroying economies in the EU?

Oh jeez.    The EU is made up of different countries and each is self governed.  

[bristolboy]

1 hour ago, Mick501 said:

Oh jeez.    The EU is made up of different countries and each is self governed.  

Which is why I used the plural form of economy: economies. 

And you still haven't answered the question. Oh jeez.

[Mick501]

54 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

Which is why I used the plural form of economy: economies. 

And you still haven't answered the question. Oh jeez.

Giving you the benefit of the doubt that you do actually realise the EU has separate governments, which country would you like?  Pick a country where the greens have any influence on policy and Google if the riots in France don't suffice as example.

[bristolboy]

2 hours ago, Mick501 said:

Giving you the benefit of the doubt that you do actually realise the EU has separate governments, which country would you like?  Pick a country where the greens have any influence on policy and Google if the riots in France don't suffice as example.

Given that you don't seem to fully grasp the difference between economies and economy, I have no doubts at all about you. That said, your unfamiliarity about what's going in in Europe is quite

remarkable. Here's something to contemplate

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Renewable_energy_statistics

[Mick501]

30 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

Given that you don't seem to fully grasp the difference between economies and economy, I have no doubts at all about you. That said, your unfamiliarity about what's going in in Europe is quite

remarkable. Here's something to contemplate

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Renewable_energy_statistics

typical far leftie in a bubble.  Thinks EU is a single country.  Has an irrelevant graph.    Good luck in life sir.

[bristolboy]

2 minutes ago, Mick501 said:

typical far leftie in a bubble.  Thinks EU is a single country.  Has an irrelevant graph.    Good luck in life sir.

You've been caught out and all you've got is a disproved nonsensical claim which reveals nothing except your tenuous grasp of  English grammar. And more nonsense about how a graph showing the rising use of renewables in Europe does not provide a relevant answer to your request about picking a country "where the greens have any influence on policy." Because the astounding rise of renewable energy in Europe has nothing at all to do with the Greens? You really want to stand by that?