The boots produced in Romania for the Austrian army arouse a wave of criticism Photo

The Austrian soldiers received new boots, a model developed locally but produced in Romania, provoking a wave of criticism on social networks, notes the tabloid publication Express.

Austrian Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner presented Austrian soldiers with the new boots that will “increase the performance and operational readiness of the army”.

In total, the Bundesheer (Federal Army) will receive 35,000 boots between 2023 and 2025, a contract that amounts to 4.8 million euros.

The boots have a new look, being beige in color to match the uniform and are suitable for both cold and warm seasons.

The boots were developed by an Austrian company, but are manufactured in Romania due to lower costs, according to Servus TV. A pair costs about 137 euros.

Austrian Armed Forces spokesman Michael Bauer said there had been an EU-wide tender, but no company would have produced the boots at that price.

Austrian netizens criticized the decision to buy military products made in another country.

“Some of our “footwear experts” criticize the fact that the new boots of the Federal Army are produced in Romania. Can you please name a company that would have produced boots in this quantity and at this price in Austria?”, said Michael Bauer.

Bauer published a picture of the boots used by the Austrian Armed Forces for the past 50 years. The beige one, on the left, is the one produced in Romania.

“Believe in Austria!”

Two months ago, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer launched a public relations campaign with upbeat messages aimed at boosting public confidence in his governing coalition, a year before elections and while his conservative party is under fire, according to DPA and Agerpres.

Karl Nehammer, who leads the Austrian People’s Party (OeVP), thus presented the campaign he titled “Believe in Austria!”.

He admitted that the population is suffering as a result of the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and inflation, but “at the same time, we saw that the Austrian people are much stronger than many believed and we ourselves believed,” said the head of the Austrian government.

Nehammer did not announce any new projects in his campaign, but mentioned anti-inflation measures, subsidies for renewable energy and combating illegal migration among the successes of his government, which is a coalition of the OeVP and the Greens.

The campaign was launched a year before the legislative elections, at a time when the Austrian People’s Party is in second place in voting intentions, with a percentage of 24%, behind the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe), rated by 30%, according to a survey published earlier this month.