Austrian far right and conservatives outline a budget deal
Published: 05:01 PM,Jan 13,2025 | EDITED : 09:01 PM,Jan 13,2025
Head of Austria's Freedom Party (FPOe) Herbert Kickl and the head of People's Party (OeVP) Christian Stocker address the media in Vienna. — Reuters
VIENNA: Austria's far-right Freedom Party and the conservative People's Party said that after three days of coalition talks they had reached a deal on bringing the budget deficit back within the European Union's limit. Freedom Party (FPO) came first in a parliamentary election in September with about 29 per cent of the vote but was not tasked with forming a government until a centrist attempt to do so without the FPO collapsed a week ago. The first order of business in its coalition talks with the People's Party (OVP) was how to bring the budget deficit back within the EU limit of 3 per cent of economic output.
'We have taken a fundamental decision and developed a joint roadmap to avert an EU excessive deficit procedure against Austria,' FPO leader Herbert Kickl said in a statement after a press conference with OVP leader Christian Stocker. Weak growth in the economies of important trading partners helped push Austria into a second year of recession last year, denting the country's tax take. — Reuters
'We have taken a fundamental decision and developed a joint roadmap to avert an EU excessive deficit procedure against Austria,' FPO leader Herbert Kickl said in a statement after a press conference with OVP leader Christian Stocker. Weak growth in the economies of important trading partners helped push Austria into a second year of recession last year, denting the country's tax take. — Reuters