Have political support organizations received Corona aid that was actually intended for associations such as NGOs and fire brigades? This is currently being hotly debated in domestic politics. Thousands of euros also went to the student union and the Leoben action group in Styria.
Corona aid for political organizations recently caused a stir throughout Austria. The Upper Austrian Seniors’ Association received almost two million euros in corona aid. A parliamentary request from the Neos to Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler (Greens) revealed similar conditions in other federal states. This also includes Styrian political organizations: the Aktionsgemeinschaft (AG) Leoben, a fraction of the student body at the Montanuniversität, received 4454.01 euros in 2020 and 2021. At the Styrian student union it was 9191.32 euros. The so-called NPO fund was intended for organizations affected by Corona, especially in the non-profit sector. Political parties were explicitly excluded. “Are an independent association” Now the AG is an officially non-party organization, but it is close to the ÖVP. The same applies to the student union. The involvement with the party is historically close. Johann Hubmann, state chairman of the student union, says: “We are an independent association and not a sub-organization of a party. We finance ourselves and could not hold our events because of Corona. Everything was legal.” The Aktionsgemeinschaft Leoben did not respond to a request.
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