Three parties unite to oppose Ardo plant closure

ÖVP, FPÖ and SPÖ have jointly called for a debate in Lower Austria’s state parliament opposing the closure of Ardo’s frozen vegetable plant in Groß Enzersdorf, ORF reports. The planned shutdown has raised concerns about jobs, farming families and the Austrian production chain.

ÖVP parliamentary group leader Kurt Hackl accused the company of seeking to abandon the plant quickly, putting jobs at risk and threatening the livelihoods of farming families. SPÖ leader Rene Zonschitz said the decision also put the futures of workers and their families at stake.

The state parliament is also expected to consider an amendment to the Municipal Associations Act, intended to make cooperation between municipalities easier and reduce bureaucracy. Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner said the state would provide municipalities with an additional 20 million euros a year in needs-based grants. Hackl also cited a report showing that the number of people receiving basic welfare support in 2025 was 18 percent lower than a year earlier. On the health plan 2040+, he said existing services would not be changed until replacements were ready.

The FPÖ has called for a separate debate on pensions, arguing that a planned 2.95 percent increase in 2027 would fall short of inflation at 3.6 percent. The party’s senior citizens spokesperson, Edith Mühlberghuber, said this would mean a loss of income. She also rejected raising the retirement age to 67, calling it “pension theft”.

The SPÖ accused the ÖVP and FPÖ of using a procedural manoeuvre to override its proposals to retain emergency doctor bases in Retz, Waidhofen an der Ybbs and Ybbs-Persenbeug. Zonschitz said no existing base should close until an equivalent replacement was available. The party has also proposed a statewide restoration initiative and one free public transport day each year.

The Greens are calling for interdisciplinary women’s health centres to be included in the health plan. Their proposal includes a pilot centre at a state hospital, bringing together specialties such as gynaecology, internal medicine and rheumatology. The party’s parliamentary leader, Helga Krismer, said the governing parties had weakened the proposal through a procedural motion.

NEOS has criticised the municipal cooperation bill, saying it could create costly parallel structures, and called instead for municipal mergers. The party has also proposed that the state audit office be allowed to examine municipalities with fewer than 10,000 residents and municipal associations. A further motion urges the federal government to assess and implement the abolition of the aviation tax.