Chancellor Kurz blames the EU for the fact that Austria does not receive enough corona vaccine.
But in the Alpine republic there is a violent dispute about misconduct in procurement.
Vienna - There is currently too little vaccine in the European Union.
The problem was also a topic at the EU summit.
What is more, it even caused an hour-long dispute among the heads of government.
Although EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen promised 100 million vaccine doses for the states by March 31 and 360 million for the months April to June to combat the corona pandemic, Austria's Chancellor Sebastian Kurz * still complained about the uneven distribution of vaccines.
This results from the fact that not all EU countries have bought the quantities to which they are entitled according to their population.
In short, the Easter holiday for Germans in Austria was most recently excluded, blames the EU for it.
But there may have been mistakes in your own country.
A dispute about vaccine procurement has been raging in the Alpine republic for a long time - which is now threatening to escalate.
The opposition SPÖ speaks in the person of Vice Jörg Leichtfried of the "greatest scandal in Austrian history" for which Kurz 'ÖVP colleague and finance minister Gernot Blümel is responsible.
Not enough money made available for corona vaccine?
Austrian Ministry of Finance under fire
In the meantime, a small committee of inquiry is not open to the public.
According to the
Kronen Zeitung,
the Ministry of Health
is said to have delivered
an email communication between the green department and the Ministry of Finance from the summer of 2020.
In it, the health department is said to have called for "more than 200 million euros" for corona vaccine * to be factored in.
The Ministry of Finance then changed the wording to “up to 200 million euros”.
The opposition spoke of a "prescribed upper limit" for vaccines and "vaccine stingy".
But the Ministry of Finance is resisting.
The health department never asked for more money.
In addition, more money would be given if necessary.
The same thing happened with short-time work.
A spokesman for the finance ministry told the
Kronen Zeitung
that the phrase “'more than' is unfortunately not a correct budget estimate”.
Vaccine dispute in Austria: Ministry of Finance defends itself against allegations of the opposition
The opposition is so outraged that they called for Blümel's resignation.
Leichtfried accused the finance minister of lying.
Blümel claimed several times that there was no spending cap on the purchase of vaccinations, but "that is untrue," he said at a press conference.
Officials were not able to order sufficient vaccine against the coronavirus * because of the cost cap.
Leichtfried went on to speak of the attempt to “cover up” and called Blümel “unequivocally ready to withdraw”.
The FPÖ wanted to apply for a real committee of inquiry on this cause as soon as the current Ibiza-U-Committee had ended, said the MP Dagmar Belakowitsch.
Cost cap for vaccines?
Medical Association in Austria is upset
But the corona vaccination dispute is not only causing waves in politics, the medical association is also upset.
"It is scandalous that coordination problems with the budget for vaccine procurement within the government have meant that we in Austria have fewer vaccine doses than we would have received," said Vice President Harald Mayer.
The report of a deceased woman is currently causing a stir in Austria.
The nurse had previously received the Astrazeneca vaccine.
Now there is obviously a connection.
*
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