Emmerling plans to cut social assistance for large families!

Emmerling plans to cut social assistance for large families!

Wien, Österreich - A fresh wind blows through the Vienna city government, and the focus is on current measures for social assistance. The Neos Vice Mayor Bettina Emmerling recently presented a proposal that brings social assistance to the crossfire for families with several children. At the moment, all families in Vienna receive the same financial amount regardless of the number of their children. Emmerling argues that the costs per child are very different and requires an increase in the effectiveness of social benefits through cuts for larger families. However, their considerations encounter strong resistance, in particular by the Social Democrats (SPÖ), which in the past have always been against such measures as the platform my district

The Mayor of Vienna Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) sums it up: "All children are worth the same." This fundamental conviction is in direct contradiction to Emmerling's plans. Before the National Council election in 2024, the topic of minimum security caused a stir for larger families when a family of nine in Vienna received almost 4,600 euros in social welfare. According to the current statistics of the Statistics Austria, the social welfare statistics include several federal states.

tensions in the coalition

The coalition between SPÖ and Neos in Vienna already shows the first tensions, although they recently presented their coalition pact. The pact, which was presented by Vice Mayor Emmerling and Mayor Ludwig, relies on reforms in minimum security and a traffic calming of the city center. Negotiations on this city government program, which is designed until 2030, have taken place since the beginning of May and focus on topics such as work, business and digitization, such as the Kurier stands out.

Emmerling's proposal to reduce social assistance not only experienced loud support from the SPÖ, but also sharp criticism of opposition and other party comrades. Judith Pühringer, chair of the Vienna Greens, described the plans as "unscrupulous". The ÖVP Vienna boss Harald Zierfuß also called for the NEOS to convince their coalition partner of more comprehensive reforms.

A look at the challenges

The need for structural reforms is given by the tense budget situation in Vienna. The government not only has to master the balancing act between the different interests within the coalition, but also meet the expectations of the population, which hopes for an improvement in quality of life and affordability. In addition, Vienna has ambitious plans for digitization and the expansion of renewable energies, with the aim of becoming climate -neutral by 2040. However, these reform efforts must be in accordance with social policy to ensure sustainable solutions.

In the coming days, it will be shown how the SPÖ reacts to Emmerling's proposal and whether the coalition is able to work together in a way that meets the different requirements. The tension remains high and the Viennese population is eagerly awaiting further developments.