Austrian ruling coalition agrees to new government program

The Austrian coalition government has emerged from crisis talks on Monday to reveal a new four-billion euro (4.3 billion U.S. dollar) largely economic program to the public.

The joint government program is the result of days of "very intensive" negotiations and would be a positive step forward for the coalition, Chancellor Christian Kern of the Social Democrats and Vice-Chancellor Reinhold Mitterlehner of the People's Party told a press conference in Vienna.

They did not refer to the outcome of their talks, that appear to have averted an early election for the time being, as a "new start", however.

Details of the program, that is to run until 2021, emerged throughout the day, in particular that it will have a strong focus on employment, including the creation of jobs for older persons and more funding for housing construction. It is also to make write-offs and payroll taxes easier.

Kern said the goal of the negotiations had been to establish a new program that would lead the two parties through the full span of the present electoral cycle, that ends in the latter half of 2018.

Projects to be tackled by the government are to increasingly have firmer timelines and also perspectives concerning their implementation.

In addition, it was important the measures needed in the new program also had a firm budget, and would not create new debts.

Mitterlehner spoke of a "program that will really bring Austria further".

He also noted the importance of the state governments and various social partners in giving their input to the negotiations. Endit