The first agreements seem to have been made on uncontroversial topics - security and migration. The ÖVP had recently tightened its stance on these issues before the state election. A payment card for asylum seekers is to be introduced and cash benefits are to be fundamentally abolished.

The government negotiations are expected to reach their final stages in the coming days. The first planned measures can now be announced, according to a press release. As part of the payment card, in-kind benefits in Styrian asylum affairs are to be prioritised. The government commits itself to the "domestic guiding culture and the creation of a corresponding integration guiding image". The goal must be for migrants to "respect and internalise our domestic values and rules". Sanctions will be established for those "unwilling to integrate". Furthermore, the catalogue of measures against youth crime is to be further developed. At the federal level, efforts will be made to reduce the age of criminal responsibility to twelve years.

Clear and Strict Rules for Migrants

The Styrian FPÖ leader and election winner Mario Kunasek said that the "as rapid as possible implementation of the payment card for asylum seekers" was just one of the measures that had already been agreed upon. This would realise a core demand of the Freedom Party, making Styria less attractive as a destination for asylum. The integration guiding image with clear and strict rules for migrants was also groundbreaking. This should also be anchored in the entire government programme in all relevant areas, said Kunasek.

The Styrian ÖVP leader and current governor Christopher Drexler, who was heavily defeated in the state election on 24 November, agreed with his FPÖ negotiating partner. They agreed on the urgent need for "a restrictive migration policy and effective integration measures". A basic prerequisite for integration is "the internalisation of our values and our way of life - we demand this from everyone who wants to live with us", said Drexler.

The constituent meeting of the new Styrian state parliament will take place on Wednesday, 18 December. The FPÖ and ÖVP want to have completed their talks by Friday, 13 December. Sticking points are likely to be found in the health sector, for example the upper Styrian flagship hospital Liezen, vehemently opposed by the FPÖ, passionately defended by the ÖVP.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article .