Austria is facing the worst crisis since World War II, said Finance Minister Magnus Brunner, reports Aussiedlerbote.

According to him, the current crisis is the worst since World War II. In addition, he stressed that the crisis is far from over.

The minister named COVID-19 pandemic, hostilities in Ukraine and rising inflation as factors of the crisis. He also said that the fighting that has broken out in Europe is leading to a sense of insecurity among Austrians.

Commenting on the adopted budget, Brunner said that through it the government is taking responsibility for the country's future.

He stressed that the government has spent 46 billion euros to fight the consequences of the pandemic. Until 2026 another 36 billion will be spent on fighting inflation. Austria has an annual budget of 100 billion euros.

He noted that excessive debt in some EU countries hinders the fight against inflation. "Europe's debts constrain all of us, constrain us as a whole in the fight against inflation. And member states have an obligation to get their budgets in order in the medium and long term," Brunner said.