In the political talk 𝘡𝘶𝘳 𝘚𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦: 𝘞𝘪𝘦 𝘬𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘶𝘱𝘵 𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘬?" ("To the point: How corrupt is politics?") of the national television ORF III on 24 September 2025, Bettina Knoetzl set out what is urgently needed in Austria's important fight against corruption. She emphasized that 𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙮 𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙨 (Kronzeugenregelung) must be strengthened so that cases of corruption can be uncovered faster, that the new 𝙁𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙤𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝙄𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝘼𝙘𝙩 must not remain a formality but, rather, be put into practice, and that transparency and integrity need to be actively demonstrated. Politicians, she underlined, must be prepared for the 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙚, and 𝙟𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 must be conducted without unnecessary delay so that justice remains visible and trust in the rule of law is maintained.
Bettina also drew attention to the scope of the damage corruption causes: beyond the billions in material losses to the Austrian State, it inflicts an even more serious, insidious, harm on democracy itself.
Her conclusion could not have been clearer: real progress in the fight against corruption will only be possible if transparency and integrity are a part of everyday practice and when there is a genuine change of mindset within politics and administration. This is not only a task for institutions, but a responsibility for society as a whole. Only if we all demand and live by these standards can democracy be safeguarded for the future.
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