Innsbruck - The abolition of the parliamentary South Tyrol sub-committee by the ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS has met with massive resistance from the FPÖ. As FPÖ South Tyrol spokesperson Christofer Ranzmaier emphasized, the governing parties are thus burying a practice that has been in place for decades. Instead, the issue is to be dealt with directly in the Foreign Affairs Committee in future. However, Ranzmaier does not see this as an upgrade, but rather a massive political dismantling. He accuses the governing parties of treating Austria's historical protective function as a mere side issue.
Contradictions and empty promises
The FPÖ politician is particularly critical of the justification given by the so-called "traffic light" parties. While they want to sell the abolition of the subcommittee as an upgrade, they also concede that the Foreign Affairs Committee often lacks the time for in-depth debates. Moreover, it is not without a certain irony that the South Tyrol spokespersons of the parliamentary groups propagating this new model were demonstratively absent from the most recent meeting. According to Ranzmaier himself, he was the only South Tyrolean spokesperson to speak in the committee. Furthermore, none of the nominated spokespersons from the other parliamentary groups were even members of the Foreign Affairs Committee, which underlines the structural weakness of this project.
Historical responsibility instead of a side note
For the FPÖ, South Tyrol is not an ordinary foreign policy issue that, according to Ranzmaier, can be dealt with in passing between topics such as Afghanistan, Iran or Ukraine. The government is thus demonstrating a completely distorted sense of Austria's responsibility as a protecting power.
In addition to the structural upheaval, the FPÖ criticizes an „orgy of adjournments“ in the committee. Three specific motions - concerning the right to self-determination, the protection of the German school and justice for South Tyrolean freedom fighters - were postponed, thus blocking a discussion in the plenary session of the National Council. Ranzmaier accuses the government of not wanting a real debate and has already announced further parliamentary steps. The FPÖ will not stand idly by and watch the issue being pushed out of its special parliamentary role.
