EU visit to Salzburg – captured the mood by bike

Martin Selmayr, representative of the EU Commission in Vienna, has had 630 discussions since the summer across Austria as part of a bike tour. This led him and Paul Schmidt from the Society for European Politics to graduate in Salzburg. In the state capital there was also time for a “Krone” visit.

For two years, as part of its future process, the EU wants to catch up with the confederation of states down to the last corner of the Union. The representative of the Commission in Austria, the German Martin Selmayr, got on his bike for a tour across the country to talk to the Austrians.

A stop on the Salzburg stage led Selmayr and his companion Paul Schmidt from the Society for European Politics to the “Krone” editorial team. The “EU cyclist duo” reported on 1900 kilometers covered so far with many moods. “We try to get to the people who are otherwise not actively involved with the EU,” explains Selmayr.

There is no such thing as absolute protection for the wolf
The mood towards the EU is generally positive across the population, says Selmayr. In Salzburg and Tyrol in particular, however, there was one dominant topic in the talks: the wolf. In doing so, Selmayr cleared up a misunderstanding. Despite the strict protection, the EU does not prohibit interference with the wolf population. “There is no such thing as absolute protection. The Commission only gives guidelines, ”explains the EU representative. The respective regulation would then have to be found at regional level. That is why Selmayr also welcomes the latest Salzburg Wolf Ordinance. “I’m proud of the politicians that they came to an agreement,” he says.

Because whoever only points to the EU is making it too easy for himself. “If you can’t agree to refer to the next level, that’s too cheap,” agrees Schmidt.

That still happens too often, especially in politics. “Successes are nationalized, failures are Europeanized,” says Selmayr. The conversations had also shown that: the population is not interested in the question of guilt. “People want to see results,” says Schmidt.

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