About: Austria Archives

In the fight against illegal online content, the Austrian government wants to make platforms more accountable. Many details are still missing, but the German NetzDG seems to be a model. Critics fear over-blocking and collateral damage but also see opportunities. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Austria's EU Minister Karoline Edtstadler does not expect an agreement to be reached at the EU's budget summit on Friday and Saturday. In an interview with EURACTIV Germany, she explains where Austria wants to renegotiate and pleads for a stricter link to the rule of law.

Austria and Turkey accused each other on Monday (29 June) of responding inappropriately to clashes between Kurdish and Turkish protesters in Vienna last week, further straining relations.

Almost €2 billion are missing from the balance sheets of Wirecard, a German financial services provider. Markus Braun, CEO of the company until last week, was released on bail on Tuesday afternoon (23 June) after a night in custody. EURACTIV Germany reports.

The European Council summit ended on Friday (19 June) without agreement on the EU recovery fund. However, German Chancellor Angela Merkel made it clear that she wants to act quickly, and the next round of negotiations is scheduled for mid-July. EURACTIV Germany reports.

After weeks of negotiations, it is now set: Austrian Airlines (AUA) is saved from insolvency by the Black-Green government. For the Greens, who are in a governing coalition in Austria for the first time, it was a difficult litmus test. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Austria is lifting coronavirus-related border restrictions including quarantines for all neighbouring countries except Italy as of Thursday (4 June), the foreign minister said on Wednesday.

Austria opposes Europe's current €750 billion plan to help economies recover from the coronavirus pandemic and wants to negotiate changes to the proposal, the country's finance minister said on Saturday (30 May).

On Thursday (28 May), German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) testified before the investigative committee tasking with deciding on the responsibility for the government's 'toll debacle,' which could cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of euros.

The European Commission has presented its proposal for a recovery fund as part of the draft EU budget. Now the member states must be convinced, a task that will fall on Berlin when Germany takes over the EU Council Presidency in July, EURACTIV Germany reports.

In an open letter, online privacy activist Max Schrems has criticised the Irish data protection commission's handling of a complaint against social media giant Facebook and called on the European Union to step in. EURACTIV Germany reports.

The "Frugal Four" (Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden) presented their own draft for an EU recovery fund in a 'non-paper' sent to the EU capitals on Saturday (23 May). The most important point: aid money must be repaid. EURACTIV Germany reports.

The €500 billion Franco-German EU recovery plan, presented on Monday (18 May), is too generous, according to the "Frugal Four" countries, who are working on a counter-proposal insisting on loans instead of grants and subsidies, diplomatic circles confirmed to EURACTIV Germany.

The European Commission opened an infringement procedure against Austria in January 2019, and now a lawsuit is following after the government failed to allay Commission concerns that the indexation of family benefits are discriminatory. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Austrians' personal data has been publicly accessible on the Ministry of Economy's website since 2009. The liberal party NEOS and NGO epicenter.works call it the "biggest data protection scandal of the Second Republic." NEOS is considering legal action and a GDPR expert told EURACTIV Germany it could be successful.

Austria aims to ease some border controls with Switzerland within days and to end all controls by June, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz told Swiss broadcaster SRF on Tuesday (12 May), as countries push ahead with loosening COVID-19 restrictions.

Two groups of seasonal workers arriving in France by plane from Bulgaria have been sent back home by the French airport authorities, despite the European Commission's calls to ensure the freedom of movement of such “critical” personnel.

A state aid request by Austrian Airlines could be an opportunity to make the carrier more sustainable. But climate conditioning bailouts was recently given short shrift by the EU's transport Commissioner, who is "undermining the Green Deal", according to Austria's Greens. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Austria, now easing its coronavirus lockdown, will ensure key workers pay less tax while multinationals should pay more as it seeks to accelerate the revival of its economy, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said in a televised address on Monday (27 April).

While EU member states are hardly allowed to support their companies financially in normal times, the coronavirus crisis has made state aid essential for the survival of most businesses. In a letter to Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, Austria's government called for the suspension of state aid law in sensitive areas. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Austria officially closed its last coal-fired power plant on Friday (17 April), becoming the second EU country to exit coal after Belgium in 2016.

Coronavirus state aid for Austrian Airlines should support efforts to cut aviation’s carbon footprint, the Alpine republic’s environment minister said on Thursday (16 April), as the government negotiates with the firm’s parent company, Lufthansa.

After the Hungarian parliament adopted an emergency law that gave Prime Minister Viktor Orbán extensive powers on 30 March, 13 EU member states issued a joint statement on the need to protect rule of law. Austria, however, did not join as it prefers to seek dialogue, the country's EU minister, Karoline Edtstadler, told EURACTIV Germany.

While small shops in Austria will be allowed to reopen on 14 April and all trade will be permitted from 1 May onwards, gastronomy and hotels will follow in mid-May at the earliest, with current initial restrictions extended until the end of April. According to Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, the aim is "to get out of the crisis faster than others".