Weekly Briefing: Austria Prepares for a "Summer Like Back Then"
Austria is getting ready for a summer with (hopefully) little Covid-19 impact. Night life will be celebrating its full return in a week from now and travel with the Green Passport should become easier as of July 1 as well. The Find out more about this week's developments.
Take five minutes to catch up on this week’s essential news! / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons / Filip Nohe [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/deed.de)], modified and edited
Covid-19: Travel Eases and Immunizations Focus on Youth
The Austrian Green Passport is fully operational and no problems should arise with the implementation into the European solution as of July 1.
Austria has achieved the milestone of administering vaccines to over 50 percent of the total Austrian population. Vienna has declared the month of July as "Immunization Month for the Young".
Due to lower infection rates around the world, Austria has eased travel restricitions for some countries. Citizens from the U.S., Serbia and nine other countries can now enter Austria with the 3-G proof (tested, vaccinated, recovered).
As night life has already returned and will significantly increase in July when the night gastronomy is allowed to reopen, Vienna has decided to bring back the night subway on weekends and holidays.
Another type of transportation has resumed its operation after a Covid-19 break. The Twin City Liner is now once again traveling from Vienna to Bratislava and vice versa.
EU Affairs
During her meeting with Austrian Chancellor Kurz in Vienna, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has delivered the good news that Austria is to receive EUR 3.5 billion worth of EU grants for investments and reforms in the areas of environmental and digital transformation.
Relations with Western Balkans
Vienna has hosted the Western Balkan conference. Austrian Chancellor Kurz has invited political leaders from various Western Balkan countries to Vienna to discuss current issues on an European as well as on a bilateral level.
The EU has hosted the first accession conference with Serbia and Montenegro. Austrian Minister for European Affairs Karoline Edtstadler has once again spoken out in favor of including the Western Balkan countries in the EU.
Kosovo's President Osmani-Sadriu met with her Austrian counterpart Van der Bellen in Vienna to discuss the progress in the EU accession process and bilateral cooperation in various fields.
What Else Happened This Week?
The Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah Al Saud and his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg have agreed on expanding trade relations and other economic cooperations.
Vienna is introducing a new parking system as of March 2022. The new regulations will apply to all 23 districts and will additionally standardize prices.
In the recently published Sustainable Development Report 2021 by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Austria makes the 6th place.
Three new permanent representatives to the international organizations in Vienna have presented their credentials. The representatives are from the Dominican Republic, Nigeria and Syria.