Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) is complying with a majority proposal by the Commission on Monday, according to the Chancellor’s Office in the evening. This may have preempted the resignations of some members who had been rumored in advance.
The “Kurier” had reported that the virologist Andreas Bergthaler, the simulation researcher Niki Popper and Major General Thomas Starlinger were about to leave in protest against the government’s line – and Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) had already announced in a statement “the resignations of the Gecko Commission”. After Monday’s meeting, however, the Gecko Commission said to the APA: “There is no official request to leave.”
Neither the members mentioned nor their chairman Rudolf Striedinger wanted to comment on the rumors of resignation. You don’t necessarily have to discuss it further, “because it didn’t come to that,” said Striedinger when leaving the Gecko session on Monday to “ZiB2”.
Protest against government line
The commission itself – it is formally a government advisory body based in the Federal Chancellery – had already proposed its dissolution at the end of March. The mandate would actually have run until the end of June. It has been seen that the government’s activity as a crisis communication tool is no longer necessary, explained Striedinger. Crisis coordination is now to be transferred to the regular operations of the departments.
According to the media information, Nehammer “expressly thanked the experts for their voluntary work, who accompanied the federal government during this difficult time, supported and advised them with their expertise”. Rauch also thanked the experts “who worked thousands of hours on a voluntary basis to advise the federal government in the best possible way”. The commission “did an excellent job in a difficult time and helped Austria get through the pandemic well,” he wrote on Twitter – and added, obviously with a view to Lower Austria: “I have always protected myself from science and will continue to do so. Vaccination saves lives. All democratic forces in Austria have a responsibility to say this clearly in the future.”
Politics “subject to experts”
Not only Nehammer’s statement that politicians were “listening to experts” in the corona pandemic is said to have been a reason for displeasure from Gecko members, but also the corona passages in the labor agreement of the ÖVP and FPÖ in Lower Austria. Striedinger did not feel disregarded by politicians: “The chancellor always listened to us,” he said – but now the time has come when the judgment has come that the advisory work is no longer necessary.
Vaccination expert Herwig Kollaritsch also judged it this way: Since December he has not been able to do any significant work for Gecko, which has been reflected in a political decision. From Kollaritsch’s point of view, however, it is wrong that the state of Lower Austria – according to the ÖVP-FPÖ pact – no longer wants to advertise the corona vaccination. There is a risk that many people will miss their optimal vaccination date and then become seriously ill. However, the virologist Dorothee von Laer does not fear any major effects – because the Ministry of Health is responsible for this and not the country.
