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Nowak, Rainer
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5 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
Austria's budget plan too optimistic
The ruling coalition in Austria presented an austerity programme on Friday aimed at reducing public spending by 26 billion euros by 2016, in an attempt to prevent a further downgrading of the country's credit status by the rating agencies. The liberal-conservative daily Die Presse complains that the calculations are too vague and too optimistic about international developments: "For example the plan foresees at least half a billion in revenues from a financial transaction tax. But this tax will only be levied if all the countries of the EU agree to it. Then Switzerland is expected to declare all the assets from Austria in its banks, or tax them directly, or at any rate get a billion to Vienna one way or another. The Germans want the same. If they are successful Austria will be the next in line - at least that's what the Chancellor hopes. And there's another area where the paper is too thin and remains true to its own peculiar brand of humour: cuts in healthcare are mentioned in a few lines. … The rating agencies will no doubt be deeply moved."
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More from the press review on the subject » Politics, » Austria
Ex-chancellor Schüssel resigns mandate
Austria's ex-chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel, member of the conservative ruling party ÖVP, renounced his mandate in parliament over corruption charges against former members of his government on Monday. The social democratic coalition partner SPÖ now hopes to further consolidate its power, the left-liberal daily Die Presse writes: "No holds were barred by the SPÖ and the opposition parties in their attempt to discredit Schüssel, although until now no evidence has surfaced to indicate he was involved in this scandal. The fact that he has resigned nevertheless shows that in contrast to other politicians he is not willing to go to any lengths just to hold onto power ... and that he is doing his best to defuse the attacks against his party - and as he says, against politics. ... However his resignation will only spur on his opponents. ... Because strictly speaking they are only after one thing: avoiding a new coalition of the [conservative] Austrian People's Party and the [right-wing populist] Freedom Party of Austria at all costs. All the Social Democrats want is never again to be obliged to take their seats on the opposition benches."
» full article (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Politics, » Austria
Criticism of professional army plans
Austria's defence minister Norbert Darabos announced on Monday plans to abolish conscription and form a volunteer military. He presented several models but is avoiding an open discussion about them, the liberal-conservative daily Die Presse criticises: "It's understandable that the minister only commissioned a handful of his own strategists with developing seven models for a future army, one of Austria's most important security policy decisions. That this was done to the exclusion of many people in positions of responsibility within the army was understandable, otherwise not much would have happened. But that the Darabos group had only one number of soldiers … to work with is annoying. The Sweden model is the only one likely to be successful anyway, but an army of only half that size with comparable or even lower costs should at least have been put forward for discussion. Obviously Darabos is afraid that such a model could be successful in the debate."
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More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Domestic Policy, » Austria
Austria represses the war
Austrian historians and intellectuals bemoan the silence about the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of war they say reigns in many places. The Austrian daily Die Presse claims there are many reasons for this silence: "In the case of Austria and the Second World War another motive for discreet repression comes into play: we as the first political victim - hardly anyone today believes we were a military victim - have nothing to do with the Second World War. At least that's the line of argument that has been maintained for years. But that countless Austrians were forced to take part in the war of aggression, some enthusiastically, some involuntarily, has been forgotten. In Germany there are naturally military institutions that bear the names of Hitler's would-be assassin [Count Claus Schenk] von Stauffenberg and his helpers. However as a result of this non-recognition in Austria there is not a single barracks dedicated to the Austrian heroes [who participated in the plot] of 20 July 1944."
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More from the press review on the subject » History, » Austria
Rehabilitation of deserters the decent thing to do
Heribert Donnerbauer, justice spokesman for the conservative Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), has caused an uproar with his remark: "Desertion is still an offence". He wants to postpone the rehabilitation of soldiers who deserted the German Wehrmacht. The daily Die Presse doesn't approve: "Penal provisions are above all meant to serve as a deterrent; they are supposed to prevent the perpetrator from repeating his crime and others from copying him. Therefore the sentences from the Nazi period can be rescinded. A danger that the number of desertions in the Austrian armed forces increases or that the morale of the troops deteriorates (even more) does not exist. General rehabilitation for the deserters according to the German model is a gesture that would be morally justified and unproblematic in terms of judicial policy. Nothing speaks against it and everything for it."
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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » History, » Remembrance culture, » Austria
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