However, there was some friction right at the start: The FPÖ withdrew for internal consultations shortly after the start of the "Media" subgroup due to disagreements, as FPÖ Secretary General Christian Hafenecker told APA in parliament.

The FPÖ is annoyed that Kurt Egger, media spokesman for the ÖVP, had invited the media associations for a "personal conversation" on Thursday, this probably not coincidentally directly after the end of the first round of negotiations, as it was said from the FPÖ. Egger had already stated on Monday that in view of the "current challenges for the Austrian media landscape", the ÖVP reaffirms its support for democracy and media freedom. He referred to a letter from the media associations in which the domestic private media associations emphasized on Monday that press and communication freedom is a "constitutionally guaranteed basic right".

"Doorstep" in Parliament

Before the start of negotiations on Thursday, Hafenecker and Chamber of Commerce President Harald Mahrer (ÖVP) held a "doorstep" in front of journalists in the "Plenary Lounge" in parliament, where the substantive concerns of the negotiating partners were reaffirmed.

Scheduled for Thursday were talks between Hafenecker and ÖVP Minister Susanne Raab on the areas of culture and media - with media kicking off. FPÖ man Hubert Fuchs and Mahrer are addressing the topic of finance and taxes. Economy and national defense are also on the agenda.

Coalition Negotiations: Subgroups Since Monday

The first round of thematic discussions is expected to conclude on Friday. The topics of discussion will be education, pensions, health, foreign and European politics. It is very likely that the subgroups will need several more discussions and then the steering groups of FPÖ and ÖVP with party leaders Herbert Kickl and Christian Stocker will take their turn. There is no fixed timeframe for the formation of a possible government.

Negotiations in the subgroups had already begun on Monday of this week. The areas discussed in the first few days included infrastructure and transport, internal security, agriculture, climate and family. Possible agreements and compromises have not yet been made public. "Hot topics", such as the Sky Shield issue and EU politics, could reportedly only be handled by the party leaders.

FPÖ Expects Movement

The FPÖ reportedly expects movement from the ÖVP, especially regarding their central election promises, such as the "processing" of the measures and the abolition of the ORF household fee. The ÖVP has already openly communicated some demands via their economic wing. For example, Chamber of Commerce President Harald Mahrer has proposed a "performance flat tax".

(APA/Red)

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