Burgenland’s deputy governor Astrid Eisenkopf, 38 years old, about advancement, fear of failure, strokes of fate and a future that you can’t plan.
When Astrid Eisenkopf was just 31 years young, her cell phone rang on a Sunday afternoon in Steinbrunn. The phone call was to shake up the life of the Magistra for Economics and Law, specializing in investment banking. “Krone”: So: who was it? Astrid Eisenkopf: Governor Hans Niessl. He asked me if I could imagine becoming a state councillor. He gave me three hours to decide.What were your first thoughts?Someone is kidding! I would have thought winning the lottery more likely. And then thoughts came to me: Do I dare to do this? Can I even speak in front of so many people? If I had to give a presentation at school, I was completely exhausted three days beforehand. That’s why the first six months as a state councilor was a daily step out of your comfort zone. What was the reason that you agreed? My father said: If you didn’t do it, you’ll never know what it would have been like. And my husband Simon also encouraged me. He said: This is exactly yours! A few months earlier, he had received his first cancer diagnosis, which made us feel optimistic. A feeling somewhere between euphoria and fear of the future? Yes, you can put it that way. Here’s the big challenge of getting started again. There is great uncertainty. Simon struggled incredibly for three years until he passed away in 2017 at the age of 45. I was 33 at the time. How can you imagine this parallel world? As a regional councillor, I had to function. On the other hand, the great responsibility also distracted me and gave me strength. In that time there was hardly an I anymore. In the last year and a half I’ve been pushed to my limits. I’ve heard allegations that you don’t take enough care of your husband. As I said, Simon wanted me to keep doing the work with full energy. What people didn’t know: Of course I spent every free minute with him, including the entire last month of his life – mostly I slept with him in the hospital. When were you able to find your way back to relative normality? Of course, you sink into a world of thoughts . There are so many people who share a similar fate who are dealing with grief. It might have been a little easier for me. I had a long time to deal with his illness. It’s different when someone gets in the car and doesn’t come home. What has the slow farewell to your husband taught you? That it’s worth fighting for every day. That man can endure a lot more than you think. And that my life is full of improbabilities, in every respect. As deputy governor, you rose to become the second most important political figure in Burgenland in 2020. Where will the path still lead? Life has taught me: You can’t plan anything. Especially not in politics. Astrid Eisenkopf, born in 1984 in Eisenstadt and living in Steinbrunn, was proposed and elected in 2015 by Hans Niessl as the then SPÖ local women chair and deputy SPÖ local party chair in Steinbrunn. In 2020, Eisenkopf was promoted to Deputy Governor Hans Peter Doskozil. Your greatest strength is?I am very decisive. I have to make about 30 decisions a day and be able to justify them. The first one in the morning is probably: What am I going to wear, right? Of course I am! And that is always one of the most difficult (laughs). Have the various lockdowns hit you badly? The opposite was the case. I had a lot of time for myself, I often cooked and consciously nourished myself. The fact that I lost a few pounds in the process didn’t bother me either. And after the first lockdown I found a new partner who I am very happy with.
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