VIENNA (PK) – Planned vacancies taxation, teacher training reform and the possibility of communities adopting selective speed restrictions will be discussed in committees of the National Council next week. A commemoration will be held on April 8 to mark International Roma Day. The Red-Blue Abuse of Power Inquiry Committee continues its interviews with respondents. At the Climate Youth Council, young people discuss their climate concerns with representatives from all parliamentary committees.
Monday, April 8, 2024
Austria-Bulgaria Bilateral Parliamentary Delegation, Romania visited Sofia for official meetings.
2 pm:
A commemorative event entitled “ROMNJAKraft.Sor Remembrance – Transition – Departure” will be held in honor of the International Roma Day. Emphasis is placed on the role of women. The Roma and Sindhi genocide is also discussed. This is this year's main topic of ERINNERN:AT, the teaching and learning program about National Socialism and the Holocaust of the OeAD, Austria's Agency for Education and Internationalization. Wolfgang Sobotka, President of the National Council, delivers the opening remarks. This was followed by greetings from Minister for Cohesion and Women, Suzanne Rapp, and introductory words and thoughts from Manuela Horvath, member of the Roma Minority Advisory Committee at the Federal Chancellery. Best practice examples from the lives of strong Roma are provided by Csilla Höfler, coordinator of the EMRO project at Caritas Styria, Žaklina Radosavljević, president of the VIVARO association in Vienna, Tina Friedrich, project worker at Caritas Graz and Alysea Nardai and primary school teacher in training at Oberwart. Herbert Bredl, historian and employee of ERINNERN:AT, will speak on “Remembering: Remembering Borajmos using the example of Terla Burgenland”. Finally, the representatives of all the parliamentary committees have their say. National Council members Nikolaus Berlakovich (ÖVP), Harald Troch (SPÖ), Eva Blimlinger (Greens) and Michael Bernhard (NEOS) and Federal Councilor Isabella Thiermann (FPÖ) will speak.
Media representatives are requested to register at [email protected].
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
National Council President Wolfgang Sobotka will be in Paris until April 10. A discussion is planned with Senate President Gerard Larcher and others.
From the 9th to the 10th of April, the delegation of the European Union Committee of the Federal Council will visit The Hague. Political discussions will take place in the First Chamber of the Dutch Parliament, on the International Criminal Court, on the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and with representatives from Europol and Eurojust.
6:00 PM:
Youth projects will be honored in the categories of “Climate Dialogue”, “Climate Action” and “Climate Arts & Culture” when the Climate Action Awards are presented as part of the Climate Youth Council 2024 in Parliament. Individual projects will be presented in the cooler of the National Council Hall. After a welcome by the Parliamentary Director Harald Dosi, the head of the Environment Committee of the National Council, Lucas Hamer, Katharina Kowalski from the Ministry of the Environment and the head of the Central Youth Representative will talk about “Climate Policy and Youth Participation”. The event will be moderated by journalist Verena Michitz. (Parliament, National Council Hall)
Media representatives are requested to register at [email protected].
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
10 am:
The Red-Blue Abuse of Power Inquiry Committee continues its investigation. Home Office staff, chair of the Court of Auditors Margit Crocker, former Home Office staff and former Federal Health and Women, Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection Pete Hardinger-Klein. Invited to provide information. (Parliament, Erwin Schrödinger Local 1)
1:00 PM:
The Committee on Labor and Social Affairs is dealing with the amendment of the Wage and Social Impositions Act and minor changes to the Social Security Act requested by the ÖVP and the Greens. MPs will also discuss an international agreement between Austria and Japan on social security and several opposition issues. In addition to its own proposals to combat wage and social imposition, the SPÖ calls, among other things, for the first pension adjustment and the complete repeal of the constitutional protection of the statutory pension system. NEOS favors a degenerate design of unemployment benefits and the elimination of retirement bonuses for long-term employees. The FPÖ calls for a serious fight against fake companies and a package of measures to prevent pension cuts. (Parliament, National Council Hall)
1:00 PM:
The constitutional committee's agenda includes a coalition proposal for vacancies, as well as a change in the Union Ministry Act due to the transfer of Youth State Secretary Claudia Blacome to the digitization agenda. In a proposed law, the Freedom Party urges the abolition of the ORF fee; They see it as a “forced tax”. The SPÖ is mobilizing against ageism with an initiative movement for constitutional change. NEOS has called for a draft law for a constitutional amendment that would ensure the possibility of city audit offices being appointed as organs in cities with their own laws. (Parliament, Ludwig Wittgenstein Local 5)
16.30 hrs:
Changes in road traffic regulations proposed by coalition parties are being discussed in the transport committee. It is intended to make it easier for states and municipalities to set speed limits in local areas and enforce them. The opposition has also presented initiatives related to speed restrictions, which will be discussed in the committee. (Parliament, Bertha Van Sutner Local 4)
7:00 PM:
As part of the Foreign Office's Honorary Ambassadors Conference this year, Federal Council President Margit Cole delivers opening remarks at the evening reception. (Aula der Wissenschaften, Vienna)
Thursday, April 11, 2024
09.00 am:
The Red-Blue Abuse of Power Inquiry Committee continues its investigation. A former cabinet employee of the Ministry of the Interior, a former employee in the Secretary-General's Office of the Ministry of the Interior, FPÖ Club President Herbert Kigl and a former head of the Cabinet of the Ministry of the Interior have been invited to provide information. (Parliament, Erwin Schrödinger Local 1)
09.00 am:
The editorial board will discuss the current report of Education Minister Martin Polasek on EU plans for 2024. After that, there was a discussion with the minister about the current issues. The agenda also includes several demands of the opposition parties. These include progress in digital education and computer science subjects and measures to manage and process crises, school psychology and democratic education, to the right to full-day educational places for children. In addition, the nine-point plan calls for the potential for violence and conflict in schools, the introduction of German as a break language, and an end to sexism in schools and the education sector. (Parliament, Liz Meidner Local 6)
10 am:
The Tourism Panel begins with a current discussion on the topic of tourism acceptance with State Secretary Susanne Krauss-Winkler and Peter Leimer and Rebecca Dahl from Statistics Austria. The ÖVP, SPÖ and the Greens have submitted a joint proposal to further develop tourism research in Austria. Other demands from the opposition include the creation of a social, training and further education fund for tourism workers and a relief package for the tourism sector, for example reducing non-wage labor costs. FPÖ sees corona “financial chaos” for tourism businesses. (Parliament, Federal Council Chamber)
10 am:
The Accounts Committee deals with the report of the Court of Auditors on the renovation of Parliament Buildings, the current activity report of the Audit Committee and the report on average income and fringe benefits for pensioners in the Central Public Sector for 2021 to 2022. Negotiations are taking place in the NEOS application on the content and methodological development of the Income Survey. (Parliament, National Council Hall)
10.30 am:
The President's Conference sets the agenda for the next plenary sessions. More information can be found in the “Top on the National Council” newsletter from Parliamentary Correspondence.
12.00 Noon:
On the agenda of the scientific committee is a comprehensive joint revision of the legal basis of universities and colleges. The focal point is structural change and further development in the field of teacher training and teacher education. Further findings include preparation for further university education, quality assurance, performance contract negotiations and university development plans. Opposition proposals for implementation of part-time study, clarification of details in continuing contract terms, gender in academic work, teaching profession and teacher training reform are also being discussed. (Parliament, Liz Meidner Local 6)
1:00 PM:
At the Climate Youth Assembly, young people from all over Austria debated the climate topic in parliament from 9 to 11 April and created images of the future. They exchange ideas with members of all parliamentary committees in dialogue groups on climate policy challenges and possible solutions. At the end of the Climate Youth Assembly, the results of the discussion with the parliamentarians will be presented in the presence of the Minister of Climate Protection, Leonor Kevesler. (Parliament, Elise Richter Local 2)
1.30 pm:
The Health Committee plans to deal with the detailed draft legislation for the new Psychotherapy Act. It provides for the establishment of postgraduate degrees in public universities from 2026 and aims to enable wider and more cost-effective access to training with 500 study places annually. MPs want to debate 2022 LGBTIQ+ health report (Parliament, Bertha Van Sutner Local 4)
2 pm:
The EU Subcommittee holds a meeting with Agriculture Minister Norbert Totschnig. The plan is yet to be decided. (Parliament, Ludwig Wittgenstein Local 5)
(final) keg/lan
Note: Current dates can be found in Parliament's online calendar. Media staff are requested to pre-register for filming and photography at [email protected].
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