Criticism of the state environmental prosecutor is getting louder
politics
The voices of those who want to restrict the rights of the state environmental prosecutor are increasing. A lot of criticism comes from the ÖVP, the FPÖ even calls for its abolition and the Federation of Industry is now questioning its special legal status.
The critical passages on the State Environmental Ombudsman’s Office are part of a position paper on Salzburg as a business location. The President of the Salzburg Industry Association, Peter Unterkofler, demands that the procedure should be accelerated. The question therefore arises as to whether the State Environmental Ombudsman’s Office should still have the special rights that were originally granted to them, adds Unterkofler. Because now all environmental organizations have more rights in procedures, argues the president of the industrial association.
Shovel defends against weakening
State environmental attorney Gishild Schaufler, for example, is against the construction of the Salzach power plant in Stegenwald, even if it is about energy, priority should be given to ecology, she argues. Schaufler defends himself against a weakening of the state environmental prosecutor’s office. Because especially in times of species extinction and climate change, the interests of the environment must be represented, says the state environmental attorney.