Glock fears that she could catch the corona virus in Vienna and her husband as a result, reported the “Kronen Zeitung” on Thursday, citing her lawyer. However, she held out the prospect of a video interview by the committee of inquiry. This is already legally possible, but only in a room provided for this purpose, according to the APA’s request from the Parliamentary Directorate. All that is needed is a decision in the committee.
There is currently no legal basis for video surveys in which the respondents are outside the parliamentary premises. A corresponding change in the rules of procedure is currently trying to reach the FPÖ, a corresponding request has already been dealt with in the National Council and assigned to the responsible committee. The SPÖ and NEOS show open sympathy for this, the ÖVP finds the proposal at least “interesting”.
If the request does not find a majority, the FPÖ will also think out loud about suspending the committee, i.e. suspending it until the situation has calmed down. Christian Hafenecker, liberal parliamentary group leader in the U-Committee, wants to prevent a possible lockdown due to the corona crisis from being “politically and tactically” abused by informants. The start of the U-Committee had also been postponed due to the Corona crisis.
SPÖ parliamentary group leader Jan Krainer can also imagine a corona-related break in the committee of inquiry, should the situation worsen significantly and interviews become increasingly difficult. Likewise the ÖVP, which does not actively pursue such a procedure and would rather wait for a majority first, as a spokesman responsible for the committee of inquiry said. The ruling party does not want to be accused of wanting to block the committee.
Suspending the meetings for NEOS is out of the question. For parliamentary group leader Stephanie Krisper, parliamentary operations must be maintained even in times of crisis. However, due to the “unacceptable” situation for parliamentary staff and journalists, she wants the meetings to be moved to the large plenary hall in the Hofburg. Nina Tomaselli from the Greens will argue in a moment. She also wants to move the surveys to a larger room.
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