Stocker pushes for army reform and 'Austria plus' military service model

Regarding army reform, he emphasized his party's clear preference for the 'Austria plus' model, meaning an extension of mandatory military service. It is strongly oriented toward Scandinavian models and relies primarily on voluntariness, as initially reported by 'Kronen Zeitung' (online edition). Stocker expressed confidence that all proposals would be brought together by summer and that one would then arrive at 'einer gemeinsamen Lösung und Weichenstellung'.

Reform to be ready to launch at the start of the year. The chancellor also pointed to ongoing discussions with the expert commission. These were 'plausibel, durchdacht und praktikabel'. In a statement to APA, it stressed that it saw no merit in parties 'nun ihre eigenen Wehrdienstmodelle konstruieren'.

Funding gap in the buildup plan

At the same time, he emphasized that the Armed Forces as a whole would be funded with around ten billion euros – an amount 'der größer und höher ist, als es in der Vergangenheit vorgesehen war'. At the same time, however, 12.6 billion euros are missing in the federal financial framework through 2031 to fulfill the 2032+ buildup plan. Overall, one must take national defense more seriously, 'als wir das bisher getan haben', Stocker said.

Stocker became specific with regard to the changed security situation: 'Drohnen haben hier vieles verändert. Wir werden mit Abfangjägern nicht auf Drohnen schießen können', one will have to adapt. Nevertheless, it 'wird nicht gehen' without interceptors. With this, the chancellor took up two of the central procurement issues facing the Armed Forces.

Drones and interceptors

The chancellor announced a reform of ORF for the autumn. The planned 'Schlüsseltechnologien Beschleunigungsgesetz' is also to be sent for review. 'Daten die schon vorliegen sollen nicht immer neu gebracht werden müssen.' Stocker pointed to a 'Reformpartnerschaft' between the federal government and the states; negotiations would continue 'intensiv'.

On the international stage, Stocker sees Austria well positioned. A 'durchaus bemerkenswerter diplomatischer Erfolg' was achieved by winning a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the years 2027 and 2028. He described the EU Asylum Pact, which entered into force last week, as a contribution that bears 'ganz deutlich die Handschrift Österreichs' and represents 'eine massive Verschärfung der europäischen und damit auch österreichischen Asylregeln'.

International balance sheet and UN seat

The chancellor pointed to a 'zarten Hoffnungsschimmer am Horizont', for example when looking at the Middle East. At the same time, he acknowledged that the further development of the euro – said Stocker – depends on 'wie die internationale Entwicklung ist'. The Iran war had indeed brought a 'Trumpflation', the chancellor continued.

In budgetary terms, Stocker drew a positive interim balance: 'Wir haben es nicht nur eingehalten, sondern als Bund übererfüllt', and even undercut the planned deficit, the chancellor said. The goal of his '2-1-0' formula nevertheless remains in place. The aim is for Austria to be 'besser dasteht als zu Beginn der Legislaturperiode' at the end of the legislative period.

'Wir haben damit unter Beweis gestellt, dass die Bundesregierung in Österreich berechenbar, verlässlich und voll handlungsfähig ist – und auch in international und budgetär schwierigen Zeiten für Stabilität sorgt.' On the international stage, he summed up the approach with the words 'Dialog statt Konfrontation, Partnerschaft statt Festung und Verständigung statt Polarisierung'.

Opposition criticism

Reactions from the opposition were critical. 'Stocker und seine Mannschaft haben sich den Titel Ankündigungsweltmeister heute einmal mehr verdient', says the deputy parliamentary group leader of the Greens, Sigrid Maurer. Instead of solving pressing problems, the chancellor is fleeing into 'eine Welt der leeren Ankündigungen und der Selbstbeweihräucherung'.

While experts and economic research institutes were constantly revising their forecasts downward and warning that the double budget would not hold, 'lobt sich der Kanzler selbst und tätigt heute neue Ankündigungen im großen Stil', according to Maurer, who added that there is a lack of belief that this government will actually tackle real reforms any longer. While Stocker is raving about a 'großen Wurf beim Budget', ever more people no longer know how to pay their bills.

Outlook for summer and autumn

A similar sentiment was expressed by FPÖ Secretary General Michael Schnedlitz, who identified a 'skurrile Märchenstunde mit einer kompletten Realitätsverweigerung auf höchster Ebene'. He criticized that, despite the difficult economic situation, the chancellor is not presenting any concrete solutions.

The SPÖ recently proposed a compromise on military service reform. Stocker, by contrast, reaffirmed the ÖVP line of arriving at a 'gemeinsamen Lösung und Weichenstellung' at the end of the negotiations. The proposals are to be bundled by summer; a concrete start date for the reform remains open, but prospectively it should be ready to launch at the start of the year.

Overall, the government's security and budget policy line remains ambivalent: higher funding for the Armed Forces, but an unfunded gap in the 2032+ buildup plan, a UN Security Council seat and an EU Asylum Pact counted as a success on the international side, alongside criticism of 'leere Ankündigungen' and doubts about the coalition's capacity for reform.