The Austrian ministry side-stepped POLITICO’s question on whether the country supports the use of foreign carbon credits, merely noting that “Wopke Hoekstra has already signaled a pragmatic approach” to the 2040 target.
The spokesperson insisted that the new government was nevertheless “committed” to the EU’s and Austria’s existing climate neutrality targets as well as “the implementation of the EU legal requirements adopted to date.”
But there’s no question that the new government — which consists of the conservative Peoples’ Party (ÖVP), the center-left Social Democrats and the liberal NEOS party — is treating climate policy as less of a priority than the previous ÖVP-Greens coalition.
Upon taking office, the government took apart Gewessler’s green super-ministry — which gave her responsibility for climate, environment, energy, mobility and tech policy — and integrated climate issues into the country’s conservative-led agriculture ministry. The coalition also agreed to scrap the country’s pioneering climate bonus, which redistributed revenues from CO2 taxation to all Austrians.
Asked whether the new government’s position on 2040 represents a reversal of the previous coalition’s stance, the ministry declined to comment, saying that consultations within the government and with Austria’s federal states were needed to reach an official position.
Gewessler occasionally forged ahead with decisions without the backing of her conservative coalition partners, notably when she voted in favor of the EU’s Nature Restoration Law against the ÖVP’s wishes. But her support for the 2040 target was not challenged at the time.