Austria Conservative and Green coalition: “To protect the climate and borders” – Visegrad nations

Austria Conservative and Green coalition: “To protect the climate and borders” – Visegrad nations 

Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

Sebastian Kurz of Austria is an extremely dynamic politician. Thus, his announcement of a coalition with the Green Party will most likely see him returning to be the Chancellor of Austria. Therefore, with Kurz having much in common with Visegrad nations, it will be interesting to see how both parties work together.

It would appear that the Conservatives of the Austrian People’s Party (OVP) and the left-wing Green Party are extremely strange political bedfellows. Indeed, the longevity of the proposed coalition will depend on the respective accommodation and moderation of both political parties. However, Kurz is known for being pragmatic and focusing on the bigger picture, rather than petty political point-scoring.

Hence, it is telling that Kurz uttered strongly, “It is possible to protect the climate and borders.”

Kurz stated the above after saying, “We succeeded in uniting the best of both worlds.”

The outcome of Kurz becoming the next Chancellor of Austria (seems the most likely outcome once the coalition is implemented) will please the Visegrad nations of the Czech Republic (Czechia), Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. After all, issues related to cultural identity, protecting nations from mass immigration, and the conservative mindset of Kurz will resonate in this part of Europe.

The Guardian wrote, about Viktor Orbán, the Prime Minister of Hungary, and other Visegrad nations, “Instead of looking to migration to solve the labour shortages and population decline, populist governments have rejected this option. Orbán built a wall along the country’s southern border to keep migrants out during the 2015 refugee crisis, and government-controlled media frequently links migration to moral decline and terrorism in Western Europe.”

Last year the Green leader, Werner Kogler, uttered that “radical change” is needed in Austria to overcome the right-wing policies of the former coalition. He said this immediately after the election that took place in September 2019.

Kogler admits that he and Kurz “have possibly agreed on more than we could have imagined beforehand.”

The BBC reports, “Greens leader Werner Kogler said Austria should now become a European leader on climate change issues.”

Hence, it appears that Kurz will become the Chancellor of Austria once more. At the same time, Kogler is expected to become the Vice-Chancellor. Therefore, it is hoped that both leaders will guide Austria in the right direction by focusing on respective areas of concern – while reaching accommodation on thorny issues.

Overall, the Visegrad nations will welcome the return of Kurz because he can reach out internationally based on his pragmatism. While still remaining faithful to issues that concern him deeply.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50969001

 

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