In what state is Austria? A question of the climate
At a symposium of the state of Styria, a wide range was drawn on the situation of the republic. Desired war culture of compromise.
A letter recently fluttered into the antidote’s office. The state of Styria invited to the symposium “Austria 22” in Graz, at which “Reflections on our republic in the 21st century” should be made: Central question: “In which constitution is Austria?” Our positivist answered preventively: “In the by Hans Kelsen! ”After all, the Federal Constitution has mostly been a reliable framework since it came into force in 1920. We sent our colleagues south to meet experts from science, business, culture, politics and the media who talked about the current constitution – not just in the country, but in Europe and around the world.
On Thursday and Friday, the conference fluctuated between pride in what had been achieved and fear of new threats. This was already noticeable in the host’s opening statement. Hermann Schützenhöfer pointed out how well Styria is currently performing in the “greatest economic boom in fifty years”. Then the governor started talking about the climate – the political one. It is poisoned, marked by disrespect, by crossing borders. He wanted a factual discourse and had another special wish: The federal state bashing should be stopped.
Claus J. Raidl did not fulfill his wish. He threw a reformatory torch into the discussion when he questioned whether a federal state is actually always good for the whole: “We make the citizens understand that we have to act cost-effectively and efficiently.” The grand master in the realm of economy and finance had doubts whether we are in good shape.
Christoph Grabenwarter had previously stated that at least the constitution was in good shape and was also efficient. In the Constitution of the Second Republic, it was a success and always up-to-date court, said the President of the court. He demands more respect and a willingness to compromise. “It is necessary to strengthen the constitution’s immune system against the threats to democracy.”
The culture of compromise was essential for this country, said the historian Barbara Stelzl-Marx. They named the identity-creating year 1955 and EU accession in 1995 as milestones. “The ‘homo austriacus’ has changed and is changing.” The threat to the culture of balance was mentioned several times. A culprit was quickly found – the internet, the bad bubbles on social media that poison and shorten the discourse.
Not only digital misconduct causes from manic to depressed, but also problems that will die far into the future. Economic researcher Christoph Badelt explained the dangers of fiscal gaps and demographics, which politicians do not take enough into account in the budget. The legal scholar Eva Schulev-Steindl showed how much needs to be done to become climate neutral. Climate analyst Andrea Steiner sounded even more pessimistic: “We have to act now, we have not yet achieved any long-term, sustainable CO2 reduction.”
In the end, EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn turned out to be an optimist. In crises, the Union has grown closer and closer together. At the same time, he praised independence and the “positive friction” units: “I am not one of those who want to abolish less than small nation states.” However, there should be no diversity in legality: “It must be respected.” Escalating constitutional dispute between Poland and the EU institutions.
Conclusion after returning from Graz: Kelsen could be saved. Federalism will also remain a constant in this country. But when you look beyond the country’s borders, there are some major issues of acute concern that need to be resolved urgently.