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Austria - European Union Political News
Read the latest headlines about developments in Austrian - European Union (Brussels) politics with reference to the international interest
European Year of Rail: Austria's Gewessler Attends Kick-Off Event
The Portuguese Council of the EU Presidency has a strong focus on railroads with the European Year of Rail. At the kick-off event, which was attended by the EU Transport Ministers, Austria's Leonore Gewessler looked forward to the investments into the railway system and hoped for promotion of the mobility revolution.
March 30, 2021
EU Council: Kurz Demands Fairer Covid-19 Vaccine Distribution
At the recent EU Council, Austria's Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and the other EU heads of government discussed the Covid-19 vaccine supply and distribution with the European Union. Kurz once again emphasized the need for a fairer distribution among member countries and is full of hope that Austria will soon receive more doses.
March 26, 2021
Austrian Companies Join Largest European Technology Initiative
Austrian companies AT&S, Infineon Austria and NXP Semiconductors Austria are joining the IPCEI Microelectronics. The total investment volume of the Europe-wide project amount to no less than EUR 8.4 billion. Federal Ministers Gewessler and Schramböck are excited about the opportunity for Austria to make an impact in European digitalization.
March 25, 2021
Austrian Government Gives Starting Signal for "Horizon Europe"
The Austrian government has set its political, social and economic goals for the new EU’s research and innovation framework programme "Horizon Europe". Several ministers and experts have met in order to discuss Austrian expectations from the EU's new program, which will be running from 2021 until 2027.
March 25, 2021
Schallenberg at FAC: "Turkey Keeps Taking Steps to Cause Trouble"
Austria's Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg and the other EU Foreign Ministers have met in Brussels for the Foreign Affairs Council. Sanctions against China for human rights violations, the EU relations with Turkey as well as the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic were on the agenda.
March 24, 2021
European Union Digital Day: Schramböck Demands Digital Growth
At the European Union Digital Day, Austria's Minister for Digitalization Margarete Schramböck signed two declarations that create better framework conditions for start-ups and promote green and digital transformation. Schramböck demanded the use of more digital technologies in order to "secure European jobs and value creation."
March 24, 2021
Border Controls Between Germany and Austria "Could Stop Soon"
The German Interior Minister Seehofer and Austria's Chancellor Kurz have met in Berlin to discuss the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The two politicians agree on the fact that due to a decrease of the South African variant of Covid-19 in Tyrol, border controls between Germany and Austria can be suspended in the near future.
March 19, 2021
Italian Secretary of State for Europe and Edtstadler Support "Green Passport"
Austria's Minister for European Affairs Karoline Edtstadler travelled to Rome to meet with some representatives of the Italian government. With her counterpart, the Italian Secretary of State for Europe Vincenzo Amendola, Edtstadler discussed the Europe-wide "Green Passport" for Covid-19 vaccinated, tested and recovered people.
March 19, 2021
Austria's Labor Minister Demands More Education and Training Opportunities
At an informal Employment and Social Affairs Council, Austria's Labor Minister Martin Kocher and his EU counterparts were discussing employment and social policies that address the recovery from the current crisis. Kocher emphasizes the need for education and training opportunities, which will proof to be useful for getting back to economic strength.
March 17, 2021
High-Level Exchange on the "European Battery Alliance" with Austrian Participation
Austria's State Secretary at the Ministry of Technology, Magnus Brunner, participated in a high-level discussion on the "European Battery Alliance", which focused on the goal of making Europe an important and global player for battery innovation. Austria will be investing EUR 45 million in the project, while Austrian companies add another EUR 110 million.
March 17, 2021
Prime Ministers from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Latvia and Croatia Meet Kurz
In order to discuss the EU vaccine distribution, the Prime Ministers from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Latvia, Croatia met Austria's Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. The country representatives demand a correction mechanism, which would erase differences in the vaccination progress between member countries.
March 17, 2021
Austria's Schallenberg and Nehammer at EU Foreign and Interior Ministers' Meeting
For the first time ever, EU Foreign and Interior Ministers met jointly to discuss migration issues. Austria's Foreign Minister Schallenberg and Interior Minister Nehammer demand a better system for the repatriation process of migrants who have not been granted asylum.
March 16, 2021
AstraZeneca Vaccine: Anschober Demands Clarity from EMA
Some of the biggest European countries, including Germany, Italy and France, have suspended the use of the Covid-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca after reports of possible adverse health effects. Austria's Health Minister Rudolf Anschober does not see any evidence for causality between the vaccine and the health events and demands clarity from the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
March 16, 2021
Covid-19: Austria Will Receive Additional EU Aid
Austria and 20 other EU member states or accession countries will be receiving financial aid to relief and to protect public health during the Covid-19 pandemic. The funding, which comes from the EU Solidarity Fund, comprises almost EU 32 million for Austria, which would be invested in medical equipment, emergency assistance, contact tracing and other pandemic-related obligations.
March 15, 2021
Spanish Foreign Minister Visits Schallenberg
The Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha González Laya and Austria's Alexander Schallenberg met in Vienna to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic, relations with the EU neighborhood as well as EU enlargement in the Western Balkans. Both countries support the European Commission's suggestion of a "Green Passport" for vaccinated Europeans.
March 15, 2021
Edtstadler: Eurobarometer Confirms Need to "Actively Engage" EU Population
The EU Conference on the Future of Europe will be starting on May 9. The EU Council, European Parliament and European Commission have now signed a joint declaration, which sets the path for a series of citizen-led debates. Austria's Minister for European Affairs Edtstadler welcomes the step and sees it as a necessity to listen to the European population.
March 11, 2021
Czech, Slovakian, Portuguese, and Austrian Foreign Minister Demand EU Accession of Western Balkans
In a meeting of the Slavkov Trio, namely Foreign Minister from Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Austria, and the Portuguese Foreign Minister, EU accession of the Western Balkans were discussed. Additionally, Portugal is currently heading the EU Council and the Portuguese Foreign Minister was therefore able to inform the three others about current issues.
March 10, 2021
EU Commissioner Breton and Kurz Discuss Vaccine Production
In a meeting in Vienna, EU Commissioner Thierry Breton, who is responsible for vaccine production, Austria's Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and Minister for Economic Affairs Margarete Schramböck discussed the possibilities of Covid-19 vaccine production in the EU and talked about other issues evolving around the different Coronavirus vaccines.
March 9, 2021
Israel, Denmark and Austria Agree on Covid-19 Cooperation
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Austria's Chancellor Sebastian Kurz agreed on establishing a joint research and development foundation as well as on vaccine production. Chancellor Kurz stressed the importance of global cooperation in the fight against Covid-19.
March 5, 2021
EC Supports 7 Austrian Projects to Boost Economic Growth
The European Commission (EC) will support seven Austrian projects under the Technical Support Instrument (TSI). In total 226 projects in all of the 27 EU Member States were approved to receive funding, which will attempt to design and implement national reforms to boost economic growth in the respective countries.
March 5, 2021
Swiss President Visits Austria
The new Swiss President Guy Parmelin conducted his first trip abroad to meet with Austria's Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen and National Council President Wolfgang Sobotka in Vienna. The politicians discussed the Covid-19 situation in Europe, the Swiss relations with the EU and bilateral cooperation between Switzerland and Austria.
March 4, 2021
Schallenberg at Central 5 Meeting in Slovenia
The Foreign Minister from Slovenia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria met in Brdo, Slovenia, to discuss the continuous cooperation in the Covid-19 pandemic, the he upcoming Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2021, and EU accession of the Western Balkan states.
March 2, 2021
Schallenberg at FAC: First Meeting With New U.S. Secretary of State
At the EU's Foreign Affairs Council, Austria's Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg and his colleagues had the chance to confer with the new U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Besides that, the agenda of the Council included targeted sanction against Russian officials and the difficult situations in Myanmar and Hong Kong.
February 23, 2021
Čaputovà and Van der Bellen Demand Sustainable Relaunch After Covid-19
The Slovak President Zuzana Čaputovà met Austria's Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen virtually in order to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic, Austrian aid to Slovakia and the climate crisis. Both head of states demand that the "relaunch of the economy in the EU must be sustainable" after the Covid-19 crisis.
February 19, 2021
New EU Trade Strategy: Schramböck Welcomes Proposal
Austria's Minister of Economics Margarete Schramböck welcomes the European Commission's document on a new EU trade strategy. The proposal incorporates various topics that will determine the EU's trade strategy for the next few years. Lessons learned from the Covid-19 crisis with regard to inner-European policy as well as international trade is accounted for in the proposition.
February 18, 2021
Austrians Show Decreased Approval for EU
In a recent survey published by the European Parliament, the EU loses approval in Austria. Almost half of the Austrians survey believe that the European Union moves in a completely wrong direction, while only 35 percent believe the opposite. Compared to the numbers from 2019, the EU is losing support in Austria.
February 18, 2021
Austria's Economy Is Far Behind EU Average
According to the latest numbers issued by the EU's statistics office Eurostat, the gross domestic product of the EU fell by 0.6 percent in Q4 2020 compared to the third quarter of the same year. Austria, however, has performed the worst out of all EU member states and saw a GDP decline of 4.3 percent.
February 17, 2021
Austrian Initiative Receives Civil Society Solidarity Award
The Austrian initiative #EUROPAgegenCOVID19 has received the European Economic and Social Committee's (EESC) Civil Society Solidarity Award for its effort in the Covid-19 crisis. The non-profit organization focuses on debunking false theories and myths with regard to the Covid-19 pandemic.
February 16, 2021
Germany Extends Entry Ban for Tyrol
The German government has decided to extend its entry ban for Tyrol until March 3, 2021. The German Health Minister Spahn sees this step as "necessary" in order to prevent the South African Covid-19 mutation from spreading in Germany. Austria's government and the EU Commission demand more coordination and dicussion.
February 16, 2021
Austria's and EU's GDP Forecast Gives Hope
In the EU winter forecast for the level of economic output in the near future, Austria's and the whole Euro area's GDPs are said to grow by almost 4 percent in 2021 and 2022. Although the economies declined in the fourth quarter of 2020 and first quarter of 2021 due to the impact of the second wave, the economic outlook is still promising for the remainder of 2021 and 2022.
February 12, 2021
Greek Foreign Minister Meets Edtstadler in Vienna
The Greek Foreign Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis and Austria's Minister for European Affairs Karoline Edtstadler met in Vienna to discuss the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. Both ministers agreed that a uniform EU-wide vaccination certificate would be the key to mobility and travel within the European Union.
February 11, 2021
European Year of Rail: Inauguration of EU Locomotive in Vienna
The European Year of Rail wants to highlight the advantages of rail as as safe and sustainable means of transportation. For this occasion, a specially branded EU locomotive was inaugurated at the Vienna Central Station by Austria's Climate Protection Minister Gewessler, representative of the European Commission in Austria Selmayr, and Austrian Railways CEO Matthä.
February 11, 2021
How the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement Benefits Austria
The EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) celebrates its second anniversary by adding 28 protected geographical indications, one of them important for Austria, and facilitating trade in wine and vehicles. The agreement does not only benefit the EU as a whole, but has also immediate impact on Austria's economy.
February 8, 2021
Slovenia's Foreign Minister and State Secretary Met Edtstadler
Slovenia's Foreign Minister Anže Logar and State Secretary Gasper Dovžan met with Austria's Minister for European Affairs Karoline Edtstadler in Ljubljana to discuss about a possible European vaccination certificate, EU enlargement and about the future of the European Union.
February 8, 2021
Austrian "Stopp Corona" App Connected to Other EU Countries
The "Stopp Corona" app by the Austrian Red Cross goes international. The app has been connected to EU-wide data matching and will thus communicate with currently 11 other warning apps. This allows for an interconnected warning system that is important for travel abroad within the European Union.
February 5, 2021
Edtstadler in Paris: Meetings with Secretaries of State and Chief Rabbi
In order to discuss Covid-19 coordination and the fight against terrorism and anti-Semitism, Austria's Minister for European Affairs Karoline Edtstadler has traveled to Paris, France and met with, among others, Secretary of State for Europe Clément Beaune and Chief Rabbi of France Haim Korsia.
February 2, 2021
President of European Parliament and Sobotka Exchanged Views
David Sassoli, President of the European Parliament, and Wolfgang Sobotka, Austria's National Council President, met virtually to discuss the current situation regarding the Covid-19 vaccines. The agenda of the meeting also comprised discussions about an EU-wide Holocaust commemoration and the future of the EU.
February 1, 2021
Third Covid-19 Vaccine: Only Approval for 18 to 64 Years Olds in Austria
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has approved a third Covid-19 vaccine - produced by Astra Zeneca. However, Austria's National Immunization Panel has recommended the use of the newest of the three vaccines only for the age groups below 65 due to a lack of sufficient data for older generations.
February 1, 2021
Blümel: EU's Raise of State Aid is Necessary Step
The European Commission has extended its framework for state aid to support companies that are affected by Covid-19. In addition to the extension, the current thresholds have been raised, which was a highly necessary decision according to Austria's Finance Minister Gernot Blümel.
January 29, 2021
European Battery Initiative Launches With Austrian Participation
The European Commission has approved a EUR 11.9 billion large-scale battery project. Austria will play a decisive role in this initiative having involved six companies. The aim of the project is to create a competitive, innovative and sustainable value chain for batteries and thus working towards achieving the European Green Deal.
January 28, 2021
Covid-19 Vaccine: Austria Awaits Approval for AstraZeneca
The European Union's third Covid-19 vaccine might be approved very soon. A decision by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is expected by January 25, 2021. Austria's vaccination plan relies heavily on this third vaccine, although delivery shortages in the first months after approval have already been announced.
January 25, 2021
EU Future Conference: Edtstadler Demands Action
At an an informal video conference of the EU's Ministers for European Affairs, Austria's responsible Minister, Karoline Edtstadler, once again demanded an early start of the EU Future Conference. Although the Covid-19 pandemic might have shown some strengths and weaknesses of the current EU, Edtstadler demands a clear path into the future of the Union.
January 25, 2021
New US Presidency: Austria and EU Welcome New Chapter
Joe Biden, as new President of the United States, and Kamala Harris, as new Vice President, were inaugurated on January 20, 2021. The reactions from politicians throughout the European Union and Austria to the inauguration and the President's first acts were filled with hope and positivity.
January 22, 2021
Brexit: Austria to Receive EUR 16.8 Million to Cushion Impact
To alleviate the likely negative effects of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union, the European Commission has set up a reserve, from which EU member states will receive funding. Austria is entitled to EUR 16.8 million, while other member states, which have closer trade links to the leaving party, will receive more.
January 15, 2021
Brexit Has Lasting Impact on Erasmus
The Brexit has a huge impact on the European economy and its people. One of the most discussed effects among the younger population is the end of the United Kingdom's participation in the Erasmus+ program. Thousands of European and British students are affected and will now need to seek other opportunities to further their studies abroad.
January 13, 2021
Additional 6 Million Doses of Covid-19 Vaccine for Austria
Due to the recent order activity of the European Union at BioNTech/Pfizer, Austria will receive an additional 6 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine - 1.5 million already in the second quarter of 2021. In total, the EU has secured itself the right for additional 300 million doses from BioNTech/Pfizer.
January 8, 2021
EMA Approves Second Covid-19 Vaccine: Austria Receives 890,000 Doses
The European Medical Agency (EMA) and the European Commission have approved the second Covid-19 vaccine for EU member states. The vaccine from the producer Moderna will provide Austria with another 890,000 doses in the first half of 2021. Austria's Health Minister expects approval for the vaccine from AstraZeneca by February.
January 7, 2021
Schramböck: "UK Will Remain Important Partner in Europe"
Although the United Kingdom will be leaving the European Union's customs union and single market at the end of 2020, Austria's Economics Minister Schramböck assures that "Austria's companies will continue to play a significant role in the UK markets" in the future. The newly negotiated agreement between the UK and the EU will provide a proper framework for these business relations.
December 30, 2020
Selmayr and Beste Meet to Discuss German EU Council Presidency
Ralf Beste, Germany's ambassador to Austria, and his fellow countryman Martin Selmayr, representative of the European Commission in Austria, met to discuss the year of 2020 and the German Presidency of the EU Council, which will be ending on December 31. Both politicians underlined the importance of the European Union in finding solutions for international problems.
December 29, 2020
Vienna's Air As Good As Never Before
Even without the lockdown, Vienna would have had a decent year with regard to air quality. Due to the city's investment into climate protective measures in the recent years, the pollution level has decreased and has lead to the best air quality since measurements began 50 years ago.
December 29, 2020
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