Stocker takes citizen questions on summer tour in Salzburg

Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker visited the city of Salzburg on Thursday as part of his tour of Austria’s federal states, ORF reported. He said the tour was intended to bring him closer to citizens and answer their questions about the government’s work.

People who wanted to attend the discussion and ask Stocker questions had to answer numerous questions themselves during the selection process. The procedure was strongly criticised in advance by the Freedom Party of Austria, or FPÖ.

At the event in Salzburg’s Hotel Pitter, all questions were allowed without filtering, ORF reported. The 200 people in the audience raised their hands to speak, asking about a wide range of topics.

Salzburg was the sixth stop on Stocker’s summer discussion tour, meaning he has completed two thirds of the planned visits. He said the federal government would take up some of the issues in the autumn.

One example was training in the emergency medical services, including training for emergency medical technicians. Stocker said there was often a desire for a standardised training programme, but added that this was only one of the issues that should be addressed.

Whether Stocker’s effort to gather citizens’ concerns in person will have a political impact will become clear through the government’s work in the autumn.