Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) Finance Minister Maria Fekter has launched an attack on the new French president. The former interior minister branded Francois Hollande’s targets as “nonsense”. Speaking to the Oberösterreichische Nachrichten newspaper, Fekter said ambitions to add aspects guaranteeing economic growth in struggling countries to the planned European Union (EU) fiscal pact were outdated. […]
Tag: EU
Joblessness is what worries Austrians the most, a poll regarding European issues shows. Karmasin asked 500 Austrians to reveal which developments they were concerned about. Around 43 per cent identified unemployment. This means that Austrians fear negative trends in this regard more than anything else when it comes to European developments. European decision-makers are at […]
Austrian Vice Chancellor Michael Spindelegger has promised that the European Union (EU) will not let Greece down. The head of the People’s Party (ÖVP) said there was no alternative to helping Greece in its current situation. The member state of the EU and the Eurozone is in a serious political crisis after the leaders of […]
By John Leo Moberg Hungary’s new law limiting the number of cargo barges allowed on the Danube has been in effect since the end of April to the annoyance of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce. The limit on cargo barges on the River Danube in Hungary has been in effect since the end of April […]
Austrian builders are starting to feel the pressure of competition from abroad. Since the opening of the domestic market to firms from EU countries more and more foreign firms are setting up business in Austria. Spokeswoman for the builders Maria Epple said: “It is not just the lower wage costs but also the fact that […]
WKO less optimistic than WIFO
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The Economy Chamber (WKO) has warned from overly positive economic forecasts. The Institute for Economic Research (WIFO) recently said Austrian enterprises might invest 5.6 billion Euros this year in the domestic economy, 12 per cent more than in 2011. The WKO’s industrial section announced yesterday (Weds) that firms’ spending might not rise as sharply. WKO […]
Othmar Karas has claimed that there would already be a tax on financial transactions if the European Parliament (EP) had the final say. Karas – who heads the EP delegation of the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) – said today (Weds) current European Union (EU) regulations kept the union from acting efficiently. He told the Kurier […]
Ship must not sink, Wallner warns
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The new governor of Vorarlberg has criticised the government for its “politics of announcements”. Markus Wallner of the People’s Party (ÖVP) – who succeeded Herbert Sausgruber as head of the western province in December 2011 – said yesterday (Thurs) the federal government coalition of Social Democrats (SPÖ) and ÖVP must reset its course. He appealed […]
The government wants to keep campaigning for a tax on financial transactions despite the German government’s policy shift. German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble said earlier this week the attempts to implement such a levy in the European Union (EU) should be abandoned. Schäuble said there was a lack of support in […]
School fruit and veg project flops
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Austrian schools have only claimed around a fifth of the 1.3 million euros made available as part of an EU project to provide kids with fresh fruit and vegetables. In a study in Salzburg local officials said that only five of the schools and about two dozen kindergartens had joined in with the program. In […]