VIENNA: Austria’s conservative People’s Party (ÖVP) is demanding a sweeping reform of Vienna’s minimum social assistance, arguing that current rules reward dependency and fuel rising public debt. The party says savings should come through stricter sanctions and controls, plus a “multi-child” benefit scale that reduces payments as family size grows.
“Vienna must finally become the capital of merit and fairness again and must no longer be a magnet for social welfare,” said ÖVP Vienna leader Markus Figl and parliamentary group head Harald Zierfuß.
The ÖVP also rejected the Social Democrats’ (SPÖ) draft federal social-assistance reform, dubbed “Lex Hacker,” as too loose. “Vienna needs clear and strict rules, not more room for manoeuvre in Austria’s most expensive welfare system,” Figl said. The party wants benefits to act once again as a safety net for those truly in need.
Alongside tighter welfare rules, the ÖVP is pushing a major expansion of German-language support in schools. It proposes raising the number of dedicated language teachers from about 300 to 1,000, creating 700 new posts.
The party cites its own data showing roughly half of first-graders lack sufficient German, even though most were born in Vienna and 80 per cent spent at least two years in kindergarten. “German is the key to a successful education. Yet far too many children in Vienna cannot follow lessons properly,” Zierfuß said. More support staff, he argued, would ease pressure on teachers and improve children’s chances in training and work.
The issue will be debated in the next session of the Vienna State Parliament. For Figl and Zierfuß, welfare reform and language investment go hand in hand: fewer false incentives in the social system, and more opportunities for children through education.
