People’s Party (ÖVP) chief Michael Spindelegger has pointed out that his party wants to restore the country’s public budget without tax increases. The foreign minister, who took over when Josef Pröll resigned as ÖVP chief in April 2011, said yesterday (Thurs) his faction found that the state debt could be lowered significantly by austerity measures. […]
People’s Party (ÖVP) Vice Chancellor Michael Spindelegger has warned it would be a “disaster” if Austria lost its AAA credit rating. Austria’s soundness is currently given the best-possible rating by the world’s leading credit rating agencies, Moody’s, Standard & Poors (S&P) and Fitch. Economist Bernhard Felderer recently warned that they could downgrade their outlook for […]
A veteran Green Party member has spoken out against the government’s decision not to increase politicians’ wages next year. The coalition of Chancellor Werner Faymann’s Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) and Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger’s People’s Party (ÖVP) said on Sunday members of the parliament (MPs) would not get more in 2012. Delegates’ salaries were most […]
People’s Party (ÖVP) Finance Minister Maria Fekter has apologised after comparing today’s criticism of bankers with the Nazis’ persecution of Europe’s Jewish community. The federal minister warned on Friday current developments could escalate to “what resulted in wars twice.” Fekter said after a meeting of the European Union’s (EU) ministers of finance in Wroclaw, Poland: […]
Former Peoples Party (ÖVP) boss Josef Pröll is to head an internationally operating agricultural company.The Lower Austrian-Viennese branch of Raiffeisen Austrias biggest private employer announced yesterday (Weds) that the ex-finance minister will take over at its affiliate Leipnik-Lundenburger Invest Beteiligungs AG (LLI) next month. Pröll agreed with supervisory board officials on a five-year […]
Viennas Social Democratic (SPÖ) Mayor Michael Häupl has called on the federal government to show more courage in defying the aggressive campaigning of Freedom Party (FPÖ) chairman Heinz-Christian Strache.Häupl told the Kurier newspaper today (Weds): “The government has to do better and more about communicating its achievements such as the battling of the financial crisis, […]
Designated Peoples Party (ÖVP) chairman Michael Spindelegger may be forced to change his partys strategy as rumours about the looming foundation of a new party are growing.Newspapers report that Veit Sorger, head of the Federation of Austrian Industries (IV), considers setting up a new political movement. The businessman who has hit out at the […]
A vast majority think that the Peoples Party (ÖVP) has no chance to come first in the next elections.Research group Karmasin questioned 500 Austrians for political magazine profil. The agency said today (Mon) that 48 per cent of interviewed citizens think the conservative party “will rather not” come out on top in the next federal […]
Verbund AG has achieved a better turnover and higher earnings.The company Austrias busiest energy provider said today (Thurs) its turnover rose by 13.8 per cent to 917.7 million Euros from the first quarter of last year to the same period of 2011. The firm added that earnings before interest and taxes (Ebit) jumped […]
Barbara Schwarz succeeds Johanna Mikl-Leitner as Lower Austrian Peoples Party (ÖVP) councillor.Schwarz mayor of the town of Dürnstein takes over her fellow party members agendas as of now, it was announced today (Tues).ÖVP Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger said earlier this month Mikl-Leitner will succeed Maria Fekter as federal interior minister days after he […]