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- Apr 25, 2019
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Not to worry, for the Austrian government is about to file a plea for annulment to strike the Restoration Act down.Very nice, European nature restorations per capita (copied from another site)
So fair, so balanced.
If you don't know, these Einsteins took 1950 or some other year as a starting point to determine start year. Hence Finland that developed late and has highest forest and wetland percentages, pays most.
Meanwhile countries that were fast enough to turn their countries to agricultural land early, pay little. Logic
BTW, if you open the pdf, take a look at the claimed benefits. Best investment in the world with 10x return.
It's led a full-blown government crisis down there.
See, the Viennese government – a coalition of the centre-right ÖVP and the Greens – had decided to abstain in the Council of Ministers' vote. It's a political decision, but also a constitutional one; Austria being a federation, the Austrian states have to give consent as well. Here, they didn't. But Austria will go the polls later this year, both parties are in for a major blood-letting and already in campaigning mode.
As one might imagine, the Restoration Act is a heartfelt matter for the Greens. Their minister for the environment (one Leonore Gewessler) apparently thought her ÖVP boss (Chancellor Karl Nehammer) would not dare leave the coalition with a national election coming up, so she simply flipped him and her entire cabinet the bird and voted in favour.
This she did even though Nehammer (who'd had a hunch) informed the Council in a letter that Gewessler was not authorised to vote in favour.
What a colossal humiliation!
And what a good example that if in doubt, the Greens will prioritise ideology over democracy or rule of law!
Interestingly enough, Gewessler's gamble paid off. She's not been asked to resign yet, much less fired. The ÖVP is much too scared to leave the coalition, which Austrian newspapers say is because they need Green votes to get their own candidate a seat in the European Commission.
However, some ÖVP functionaries have reported Gewessler to the police for abuse of authority and violation of the constitution.
What a poor showing of Nehammer. He's already on track to lose his bid for a second term, so what is he waiting for? If I were him, I'd have embraced the chaos and left the coalition over this downright criminal betrayal. His official reasoning (it'd be irresponsible to let the administration fall apart in times like these) won't do him any favours. No one likes a traitor.