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Austrian prosecutors to audit all advertisements placed by the Ministry of Finance

A request has been made for the Ministries of Finance to provide all relevant files and emails related to advertisements as corruption investigations expand in Austria

Published: 3 April 2023 17:34 CEST
Austrian prosecutors to audit all advertisements placed by the Ministry of Finance
A demonstrator wearing a mask with the face of Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and dressed as a prisoner in handcuffs is seen during a protest in front of the headquarters of the Austrian People's Party OeVP in Vienna on October 7, 2021, a day after Kurz was implicated in a media corruption scandal. (Photo by ALEX HALADA / AFP)

After the execution of house searches and the discovery of evidence concerning the newspapers “Heute” and “Krone”, the investigating Economic and Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (WKStA) has taken further action, broadcaster Ö1 and newspaper Der Standard have reported. 

Specifically, requests for legal assistance have been sent to the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Justice, asking that they provide all data, files, and correspondence pertaining related to advertising and marketing. These requests cover the period from 2015 to 2022 and apply to all media. 

BACKGROUND: Austria’s Sebastian Kurz implicated by former ally in corruption scandal

Following remarks and statements made by former Secretary General of the Ministry of Finance, Thomas Schmid, investigations into allegations of bribery and corruption have been reignited, as The Local reported. Schmid has reportedly sought the status of state witness in the case, prompting some under investigation to accuse him of providing false information to gain personal advantages.

The Ministry of Finance has been requested to promptly provide all electronic files, including emails, of the public relations department responsible for allocating advertisements during the eight years, particularly during the coalitions with the FPÖ and the Greens under the leadership of former Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. 

This request encompasses not only data related to “Heute”, “Kronen Zeitung”, and “Österreich” but also includes all of the ministry’s advertising spending, which increased exponentially between 2016 and 2018.

READ ALSO: ‘Reforms needed urgently’: Is Austria becoming more corrupt?

As reported by Der Standard, the Economic and Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (WKStA) has requested information on all advertisements, not just those related to “Heute”, “Kronen Zeitung”, and “Österreich”, from the Ministry of Finance. This is because the WKStA itself found incriminating transactions, rather than the ministry’s internal audit department. The scope of the investigation has, therefore, also expanded to other media outlets. 

The WKStA aims to gain a comprehensive overview of the ministry’s practices in awarding paid publications to identify any suspicious patterns.

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AUSTRIAN HABITS

What issues do Austrians care about the most?

It is election year, and a new survey reveals which topics Austrians care about the most. Here we tell you what lies closest to their hearts and what does not.

Published: 15 May 2024 12:39 CEST
What issues do Austrians care about the most?

On October 23rd, Austria’s will hold its parliamentary elections for the National Council. This election determines the 183 members of the National Council, which is the primary legislative body in the country.

The election to the National Council takes place every five years and it is the country’s most important election. Austrian citizens who are at least 16 years old on election day are entitled to vote.

With the upcoming election in mind, a recent survey conducted by Linz-based Market Institute on behalf of Der Standard, revealed which topics eligible voters in Austria consider the most important, and what actions they are willing to take to see changes taking place.

Better healthcare is top priority

The survey showed that Austrians prioritise improvements in the healthcare system the most. Around 82 percent believe that improving the healthcare system was an important political concern. This belief remains consistent across different age groups and political beliefs. However, the level of interest in healthcare improvements tends to increase with age. 

Concerns surrounding the state of the ountry’s healthcare system have mounted in recent years. Austria is currently dealing with a serious staff shortage in the healthcare sector, meaning fewer available medical staff for patients. Additionally, the system faces new challenges arising from changes in doctors preferences and the limited number of contracts for practices with public healthcare funds. Many doctors prefer to work as private sector doctors, known as “Wahlarzt” in German, rather than having contracts with insurance-funded practices, where the doctors are referred to as “Alle Kassenarzt” in German.

In addition to healthcare, Austrians also prioritise a better education system (78 percent), fighting corruption (76 percent), fighting high prices and inflation (75 percent), maintaining neutrality (72 percent), reducing energy costs (70 percent), and better paid jobs (67 percent). Legalising cannabis ranks lowest in importance among respondents, with only 19 percent in favour.

But even if voters highlighted these issues as important, many revealed. they did not want to get involved politically themselves to make things better. Only about 35 percent of those who want to improve healthcare are ready to join efforts such as demonstrating, collecting signatures, or networking with others to make changes happen.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How the Austrian healthcare system works

Niche topics create more motivation for mobilisation

The survey showed the level of public engagement varied depending on the issue.

From the subjects mentioned above, only two – neutrality and energy costs, have the potential to persuade people to get involved in politics. Since those are niched topics they have potential to garner greater public support and engagement.

David Pfarrhofer, political researcher at Market Institute, suggested that niche topics often mobilise members of the public more than broader issues due to their specific focus and great relevance to smaller groups of people.

Political views influence opinions

Political party connections affect how Austrians view different social issues. While many supporters from different parties agree on protesting against right-wing extremism and supporting rights to free abortion, opinions on other matters such as reducing working hours, improving the military, climate change activism and immigration differ a lot among different political groups.

For example, while half of The Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) and a third of the The Green Party voters (Die Grünen) like the idea of working less, it is not popular among supporters of other parties, especially among those who support the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP).

Another example is that two-thirds of respondents believe that protests against discrimination against women are justified. However, supporters of ÖVP and The Freedom Party (FPÖ) agree less with this statement than the other parties. “This is probably because many of them no longer consider such a disadvantage to exist,” says Pfarrhofer.

When it comes to protests against immigration, 84 percent of FPÖ supporters view protests against immigration as justified, meanwhile 52 percent of The Green Party supporters and 40 percent of SPÖ supporters reject such protests.

READ MORE: Healthcare in Austria: Why are there fewer ‘public’ doctors?

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