Mikl-Leitner presses SPÖ to end drought aid blockade

Lower Austria Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner has urged the SPÖ to end what she called its “blockade” of financial aid for farmers affected by extreme drought, ORF reported on Thursday. The coalition government has yet to agree on the aid package.

The ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS say they want to support agriculture, but disagree over the package’s design and financing. A long-discussed climate law remains a key obstacle, with the SPÖ and NEOS linking emergency support for farmers to the legislation.

Another attempt to reach an agreement was planned for Thursday.

Mikl-Leitner accused the SPÖ of limiting solidarity to Vienna and said farmers’ families facing an existential crisis should not be ignored. She called on Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler and Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer, both of the SPÖ, to end their “blockade”.

“While arguments continue in Vienna, many farming families do not know what will happen next,” Mikl-Leitner said. The time for “political haggling” was over, she added, calling for action.

Paul Nemecek, director of the Lower Austrian Farmers’ Association, also criticised the Finance Ministry, saying it had still failed to recognise the seriousness of the situation. The association had presented a “concrete and budget-neutral solution”, he said, adding that there was no excuse for further delays or for shifting responsibility.

Nemecek called for 30 million euros in interest subsidies to maintain liquidity on farms and a 250 million-euro waiver of social insurance contributions to ease the burden on businesses during the crisis.