- Title: 99 Austria COVID-19 Kurz aid
- Date: 14th March 2020
- Description:Austria announces coronavirus aid package, ditches deficit target The Austrian government presented to journalists the first set of measures to support the economy in the coronavirus crisis on Saturday. The government will provide four billion Euros in a specially set up fund. The “zero” finance deficit has thus been cancelled for this year - a key election promise. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said that the use of funds should pursue three goals when the measures were presented. It is about ensuring liquidity for companies, securing jobs and supporting hardship cases. Kurz mentioned tourism and catering businesses, but also the cultural sector. Shotlist Participants of presser arriving at presser SOUNDBITE (GERMAN) Sebastian Kurz, Austrian Chancellor: “It has become necessary overnight to quarantine another community, namely the community of Heiligenblut in Carinthia. In addition to the towns of Ischgl, Kappl, See, Galtür and Sankt Anton am Arlberg, Heiligenblut is also isolated. This crisis will mean illness, suffering and even death for many people and so we have to do everything necessary to curb or at least slow down the spread as much as possible. In addition, of course, there are also massive economic impacts. There are many people who are right to be worried about their jobs. There are many companies that are losing their business base at least temporarily. Today we can tell you that there will be a 4 billion crisis management package from now on. There will be a first Corona crisis fund with 4 billion euros, which has three main goals, firstly to ensure solvency in companies, secondly to secure jobs and thirdly to provide special help in cases of hardship.” TC 01:56 SOUNDBITE (GERMAN) Gernot Blümel, Austrian minister for finance: “Italy is a restricted area, measures are being taken throughout Europe, and social life in Austria is gradually coming to a standstill. The 2020 budget will therefore not be one where I will speak of a balanced budget. It will not be one where I will talk about saving in the system or setting political priorities according to the government program. It will be a budget that will pour the bitter truth of the crisis into numbers, and above all it will be a budget where we will ensure that we give the best possible help to those affected by and through this crisis. And we will show a way how we can make it through this crisis together.” TC 02:45 SOUNDBITE (GERMAN) Margarete Schramboeck, Austrian minister for economy: “We are faced with a situation in Austria that we have never known before and how we have never had any experience of how to react to such a situation. What is clear, however, is that we have to react quickly and unbureaucratically. And the funds of this 4 billion hardship fund should be quickly available for our companies. We are not talking about three weeks, we are not talking about a month, but about support that will be available within just a few days.” TC 03:27 SOUNDBITE (GERMAN) Harald Mahrer, president of Wirtschaftskammer Österreich (German for Austrian Economic Chamber): „We said a few weeks ago that we are dealing with an exceptional situation for our country, a situation that probably only our grandparents and great-grandparents experienced during the Second World War and at the end of the Second World War and in the reconstruction phase.”
- Collection: ORF
- Genre:News
- Producer:ORF
- Transmission Date:14/03/2020
- Decade: 2020s