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Vienna International Energy Industry News
Read the latest headlines about developments in the international energy industry in Vienna and Austria
Nehammer on First Trip to Brussels as Chancellor: "I'm an Ardent European"
Chancellor Nehammer made his first trip to Brussels for the European Council and the EU Eastern Partnership Summit. There he met with the other heads of state and government of the EU member states, as well as EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Read what Nehammer discussed on the trip.
December 16, 2021
After Pandemic Shock, Strong Upturn in Foreign Trade: China +26.4 %, USA +18 %
New data for January to September 2021 shows that Austria's foreign trade is returning to pre-pandemic levels. Read about Austria's improving trade figures.
December 10, 2021
Who Is the New Austrian Minister of Finance Dr. Magnus Brunner?
The new Austrian Minister of Finance, Dr. Magnus Brunner, has assumed his new position after being sworn in by President Van der Bellen. Learn more about Dr. Brunner and his career prior to becoming finance minister.
December 8, 2021
Western Balkans: Foreign Minister Linhart Visits Albania and North Macedonia
Foreign Minister Linhart, accompanied by an Austrian business delegation, visited the Western Balkan States of North Macedonia and Albania. Read about the foreign minister's meetings with various government officials, as well as his meetings with local business people as part of the ReFocus Austria initiative.
November 22, 2021
Budapest Office Property "BudaPart Gate" Acquired by S-Immo
S Immo AG has acquired the "BudaPart Gate" office building in Hungary's capital, Budapest. Read more about the transaction and BudaPart Gate.
November 15, 2021
Expo Dubai: Viennese Coffeehouse is Culinary Ambassador
The Viennese coffeehouse, Austrian Delight, is serving as the culinary ambassador for Austria at the World Expo in Dubai. Read about how the cafe is representing Austria and what else Vienna is offering at the World Expo.
November 11, 2021
Linhart's Round of Visits to Central Asian Autocrats Was All about Deepening Economic Relations
Foreign Minister Linhart visited the Central Asian countries of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan to strengthen economic relations. The foreign minister met various leaders and participated in multiple economic forums. Read about the details of his trip to Central Asia.
November 9, 2021
Climate Crisis: Vienna Joins "Race to Zero" Campaign
At the World Climate Conference (COP 26) in Glasgow, Vienna has announced that it is joining the "Race to Zero" campaign, which aims to cut emissions in half by 2030 and create a carbon-free world. Read about Vienna's new climate change commitment.
November 8, 2021
Schallenberg at UN Climate Conference: "We can only overcome a global crisis together"
Chancellor Schallenberg recently spoke at the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow. The Austrian chancellor stressed the need for international cooperation to fight climate change. Read some of Austria's climate goals, what steps it is taking to achieve these, and what the chancellor said still needs to be done.
November 2, 2021
Economic Diplomacy a la "ReFocus": Connecting Diplomatic Representatives with Austria's Business Community
Diplomatic representatives in Austria met with members of the Austrian business community as part of the "ReFocus Austria" government initiative aimed at promoting Austrian companies abroad and Austria as a business location. The main focus of this event was opportunities in the "green economy." Read more about this event and "ReFocus Austria."
October 27, 2021
Austria Opposes Further Expansion of Hungarian Nuclear Power Plant Paks II
All five Austrian parliamentary parties are opposed to the expansion of the Paks II Nuclear Power Plant in Hungary due to serious safety concerns. The Environment Committee in parliament has unanimously called on the government to take all possible actions to oppose its construction. Read why Austria considers the power plant's expansion dangerous.
October 25, 2021
Austria's Strategy for the Upcoming European Council Meeting
Ahead of the European Council meeting in Brussels, Austrian Chancellor Schallenberg, EU Minister Edtstadler, and members of parliament laid out Austria's strategy for the meeting. Read their stances on the key issues they plan to raise in Brussels.
October 22, 2021
Infineon Opened €1.6 Billion High-tech Chip Factory in Villach
After three years of planning and construction and a € 1.6 billion price tag, Infineon Technologies AG finally opened its new high-tech chip factory in Villach, Austria. Read more about the new factory, the chips produced there, and what Infineon does.
October 20, 2021
Austria Presents Financial Budget for 2022
Austrian Finance Minister Gernot Blümel presented Austria's draft financial budget for 2022 to the Austrian Parliament in the form of the annual budget speech. The plan includes tax reforms, budget increases for various ministries, estimates regarding the COViD-19 crisis, and more. Read some of the specific provisions in the budget outlined by the finance minister.
October 14, 2021
Polish-Austrian Relations: Official Visit and Business Forum in Warsaw
Polish President Andrzej Duda hosted Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen in Warsaw for the first official visit of an Austrian President in Poland since 2009. The two had a meeting and held a joint press conference in which they discussed various issues, including Poland's current issues with the EU. Van der Bellen also attended an economic forum and met with other Polish leaders. Read more about the details of the President's visit to Poland.
October 6, 2021
U.N. 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Latest Austrian Approaches
In furtherance of the U.N. 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Austria has created the SDG Dialogue Forum Austria. This new annual event is intended to promote partnerships as described in SDG 17 of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. Read about this new event and what Austrian EU Minister Karoline Edtstadler said at its first meeting at the Natural History Museum Vienna.
September 30, 2021
OPEC's World Oil Outlook 2021 Launched in Vienna
OPEC's flagship annual publication, the World Oil Outlook 2021, was launched via videoconference in Vienna. OPEC forecasts 6% increase in global oil demand in 2021. Learn about the specific highlights of this year's World Oil Outlook.
September 29, 2021
Iran Nuclear Talks to Continue in Vienna
Discussions regarding the future of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran Nuclear Deal, are set to continue in Vienna. This has been confirmed by Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. The Director General of the IAEA, Rafael Mariano Grossi, also announced to the IAEA Board of Governors that Iran has agreed to allow IAEA inspectors to service the agency’s monitoring and surveillance equipment in Iran and replace their storage media. These developments come as US President Joe Biden has publicly expressed interest in returning to the agreement that his predecessor unilaterally withdrew from.
September 24, 2021
Doing Business with the United Arab Emirates: World Expo 2020 Opens in Dubai
The World Expo 2020, which kept its name despite being delayed to 2021, is set to begin in Dubai on 1 October. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been a particularly sought-after market for many Austrian companies. Read about the upcoming Expo, the economic relationship between Austria and the UAE, and some of the many Austrian companies that have found success there.
September 23, 2021
Paris and Vienna Share Focus on Climate Protection
Paris and Vienna, two of the largest cities in Europe, now share a focus on protecting the environment. To see how Paris is working to deal with climate change and how Vienna can learn from it, a Viennese delegation visited Paris to view some projects aimed at countering climate change. Read more about the projects that Paris and Vienna are implementing to protect the cities from the harmful effects of the changing climate.
September 23, 2021
ÖBAG: Dr. Christine Catasta Appointed to the Supervisory Boards of Telekom Austria and OMV
ÖBAG CEO Dr. Christine Catasta was appointed to the Supervisory Boards of Telekom Austria (A1) and OMV. With her appointment, both companies have strengthened their women's quota, and OMV has reached parity between the number of male and female capital representatives. Read more about Dr. Catasta.
September 13, 2021
Austrian University Spin-offs at the World Expo in Dubai
The World Expo 2020, which retained its name despite being postponed to 2021, will begin in October in Dubai. Various Austrian university spin-offs will present their innovations that will have positive impacts on climate-conscious behavior. These spin-offs include GREENPASS, REEgain, WoodC.A.R., City Intelligence Lab (CIL), Mostly AI's Mostly GENERATE, and Incremental3D's myPot. Read more about Austria's contribution to the upcoming World Expo and what innovations these spin-offs will be presenting.
September 8, 2021 · Updated: September 8, 2021; 16:16
Austria Now Has Its Own Space Strategy
The Austrian Ministry of Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK) recently presented Austria’s space strategy. In the BMK's report to the National Council entitled "Austrian Space Strategy 2030+," Federal Minister Leonore Gewessler explained that sustainability will be central to the Austrian space strategy. Read about the space strategy and its six overarching goals.
September 6, 2021
Women on the Boards of Austrian Listed Companies: Only 14 out of 192
A study shows that women are still significantly underrepresented on the boards of Austrian companies on the Vienna Stock Exchange. The number of female board members in Austria's listed companies has decreased by one woman compared to the beginning of 2021, leaving the total at 14 out of 192. Read more about the details of the study.
September 6, 2021
Are "Green Bonds" also Coming to Austria?
At the European Forum Alpbach, Austrian Finance Minister Gernot Blümel announced that Austria wants to issue a so-called "green bond" in the first half of 2022. The Ministry of Finance and Federal Financing Agency (OeBFA) have already completed the necessary technical work to issue the bonds. Read more about "green bonds" and Austria's plans to begin issuing them.
September 1, 2021
Alfred Stern Takes Over from Rainer Seele as CEO of OMV
Effective September 1, 2021, Alfred Stern will assume the position as Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of OMV, the Austrian oil and gas group.
August 31, 2021
ÖBAG: Attorney Edith Hlawati to Succeed Thomas Schmid
The Supervisory Board of Österreichische Beteiligungs AG (ÖBAG) has appointed the internationally recognized business lawyer Dr. Edith Hlawati as the new Chief Executive Officer of ÖBAG. She will succeed Thomas Schmid and take over the management of the state holding on 1 February 2022. Learn more about her and the selection process.
August 30, 2021
Nuclear Concerns: Austria Expresses Reservations About Slovenian Nuclear Plant
Slovenian Foreign Minister Anže Logar and the Slovenian State Secretary for Infrastructure Blaž Košorok met with Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg and Styrian Governor Hermann Schützenhöfer in Ljubljana. Among other issues, the group discussed Austria's concerns with the nuclear energy industry and, more specifically, Austria's concerns with Slovenia's nuclear power plant in Krško.
August 24, 2021 · Updated: August 24, 2021; 12:22
Austrian Wholesale Prices: Largest Increase Since March 2011
In July 2021, wholesale prices saw their largest year-over-year increase since March 2011. The increases can be seen in the steel industry, gas industry, agricultural industry, and more. Read about which other industries the increases are affecting and just how significant the increases are.
August 6, 2021
Pioneering Hydrogen Alliance between the United Arab Emirates and Austria
On the occasion of the visit of the Ruler and Crown Prince of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan to Austria, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Austria agreed on a strategic partnership. The core of the agreement is closer international cooperation in the fields of hydrogen, renewable energy, youth exchange, green technologies, digital economy and research, according to the UAE Embassy in Vienna and Chancellor Kurz.
August 1, 2021
Von der Leyen Meets With Alexander Schallenberg and Karoline Edtstadler
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met with Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg and Austrian Federal Minister for the EU and the Constitution Karoline Edtstadler at the Salzburg Festival.
July 27, 2021
Von der Leyen and King Philippe Meet with Van der Bellen in Brussels
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Belgium's King Philippe each met with Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen on his latest trip to Brussels. Climate change was a key topic of discussion. Read what Van der Bellen had to say about it.
July 20, 2021
Kurz Visits USA and Meets with UN Secretary-General Guterres
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz traveled to the USA for a multi-day visit. One of his many meetings was with UN Secretary-General António Guterres in New York. Kurz discussed COVID-19, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and much more. Read more about his trip and his other meetings.
July 14, 2021
Arab Ambassadors in Vienna and Economic Relations between their Countries and Austria
The Ambassadors from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Tunisia, and the UAE to Austria provided an economic overview of their countries and their relationship with Austria in an online forum with the Austro-Arab Chamber of Commerce (AACC).
July 11, 2021
Qatar and Vienna Exchange Cooperation Ideas
Ambassador of Qatar to Vienna Salmeen Al-Mansouri and Mayor of Vienna Michael Ludwig express mutual interest in further cooperation between Qatar and Vienna with the full support of the Secretary-General of the AACC Mouddar Khouja.
July 6, 2021
Innovation is Key for Austria's Climate Neutrality by 2040
At the Mission Innovation Ministerial Summit in Chile, Austria's Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler and her international counterparts stressed the importance of innovation for achieving the Paris Agreement.
June 4, 2021
New CEO for OMV: "Beginning of a Major Transformation"
The Austrian multinational company OMV has appointed a new CEO. After the current and parting CEO Rainer Seele has been facing heavy public criticism, OMV will now try to rebuild its image.
June 2, 2021
China and Austria: Extension of Climate Neutrality Research Agreement
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Austria, the Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang and Austria's Climate Protection Minister Gewessler extend the agreement for cooperation in research and technology in the field of climate neutrality.
June 1, 2021
Austrian Multinational Company Loses Current CEO
The Austrian multinational corporation OMV has announced that its current CEO, Rainer Seele, will end his term in June 2022. Only recently, criticism against OMV and Seele have increased. Find out more about how his end at OMV and the criticism relate.
May 3, 2021
Austria Joins Global Renewable Energy Network
Austria has become a member of the REN21 Renewable Energy Network, an international community with actors from academia, governments, NGOs and industry. Austria's Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler hopes for a closer collaboration between international stakeholders with regard to the energy transition around the world.
April 27, 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
Austria Switches Completely to Renewable Energy Sources
By 2030, Austria's current government wants to achieve a total anergy transition. In the next nine years, the government plans for massive investments in the renewable energy sector in order for Austria to be able to produce 100 percent of its electricity with renewable energy sources by 2030.
March 12, 2021
Vienna Stock Exchange: EVN Replaces Telekom Austria in ATX
The semi-annual review of the Austrian leading index ATX has shown a change in the composition. EVN AG will replace Telekom Austria AG. Furthermore, voestalpine AG is included in the ATX five, which comprises the five largest listed companies, instead of Raiffeisen Bank International AG.
March 3, 2021
Vienna International Center Provides Heating for Viennese Households
With a new energy recycling plant, the Vienna International Center's (VIC) air conditioning system can now provide heat for around 2,400 households in the near proximity. Waste heat of the VIC's cooling system will flow into the district heating system, which can save around 3,400 tons of CO2 each year.
February 23, 2021 · Updated: February 23, 2021; 14:55
Influential OPEC Fund Celebrates 45th Anniversary
The Vienna-based OPEC Fund for International Development marks its 45th anniversary today. Since inception in 1976 by the Member States of OPEC, the multilateral development finance institution has approved more than US$25 billion in essential financing for 135 partner countries.
January 28, 2021
Austria Joins International Renewable Energy Agency
Since January 1, 2021, Austria is member of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). During the Agency's General Assembly, Austria's Climate Protection Minister demands a transformation of the world's energy system towards 100 percent renewables and is pleased that Austria will make a contribution to this change.
January 26, 2021
German Wind Farms Sold to Austrian Energy Provider
Austria's Wien Energie managed to acquire 49 percent of the wind farm portfolio of the German Encavis in Austria. This deal will further reduce the CO2 emissions of the energy company and adds an additional 37 gigawatt hours of renewable energy for households in Vienna and the surrounding area.
December 23, 2020
Austria Ranks Fifth in Share of Renewable Energy Sources
In a newly published report by the European statistics office Eurostat, Austria is one of the most environmental-friendly EU member countries with regard to energy sources. Austria ranks fifth in a statistics that gathers data about the share of renewable energy sources in the total gross energy consumption of a country.
December 21, 2020
New European Climate Target: Kurz and Gewessler Delilghted
The European Council has agreed on a new climate target for 2030. The member states want to decrease annual greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 percent and also take other steps on their path to climate neutrality until 2050. Austria's Chancellor Kurz and Minister Gewessler are pleased with the agreement.
December 11, 2020
WKO and IV: Need for "Climate Protection with Common Sense"
The heads of the Austrian Federal Chamber of Commerce (WKO) and the Federation of Austrian Industries (IV) demand appropriate framework conditions for climate-friendly behavior instead of the race for ever higher climate targets. Both Secretary Generals want "climate protection with common sense".
December 10, 2020