Vienna International Community - People in the News - Latest Headlines

Read updated news about key players in Vienna's international community, such as expats, executives, politicians, diplomats, investors, artists and others.

Amerika Haus: Rushan Abbas About Concentration Camps in Xinjiang, China

Rushan Abbas, a Uighur American whose family members have been detained in China, spoke at the Amerika Haus Wien about various human rights violations against Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang province. In her presentation "China’s Concentration Camps in a Muted World" she pointed out, that far West China’s Uyghur people, a minority Muslim group, face a high-tech police state, cultural genocide, and mass detainment in modern concentration camps.

May 29, 2019

EU Election Preferential Votes - Edtstadler ahead of Karas

Although Austrian People's Party top candidate Othmar Karas received more preferential votes than in the last EU election, after counting most of the preferential votes he is still behind the list second candidate Karoline Edtstadler (also Austrian People's Party).

May 28, 2019

Transitional Government Following the Dismissal of Cabinet Kurz - What's Next?

After Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's cabinet had been expressed no-confidence in a special session of the National Council, the government was removed from office today by Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen. In a speech last night, Van der Bellen outlined the next steps towards a transitional government until the National Council elections in September as follows.

May 28, 2019

Head of China's Top Legislative Body in Vienna

Li Zhanshu, one of China's most powerful politicians was in Vienna and was received by Austria's central institutions despite the domestic political turbulences.

May 28, 2019

Song Duet with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Andreas Gabalier

The Styrian-American film star Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Styrian singer Andreas Gabalier have recorded together the motivation song "Pump it Up", a mixture of English rap singing performances. The song is about motivation and achieving your goals. The video also shows the two Styrians at sports.

May 28, 2019

European Elections 2019: Austrian Preliminary Final Results

The preliminary result of the 2019 European elections (without absentee ballot) has been announced. The Austrian People's Party won clearly ahead of the Austrian Socialist Party (SPÖ) and the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ). The Greens and NEOS followed in places 4 to 5. Votes cast by absentee ballot are not yet included in this result. The turnout without postal votes was 50.6%. In Vienna, the turnout including postal votes was 58.71%.

May 27, 2019

Austrian Government Dismissed: National Council Denies Government Confidence

The parliamentary motion of no confidence of the Social Democrats (SPÖ) was supported by the right-wing populist Freedom Party (FPÖ) and the Liste Jetzt. The majority of the members of the National Council thus expressed their distrust of Chancellor Kurz's government and removed it from office.

May 27, 2019

Austria's Government Faces Expected Motion of No Confidence

After the victory in the election to the European Parliament, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and his government are threatened with an abrupt end. The Social Democrats (SPÖ) will table their own motion of censure against the entire Kurz cabinet. A clear decision by the Freedom Party (FPÖ) is still pending.

May 27, 2019

European Elections - Who Stands for Election and How Can a Non-Austrian EU Citizen Vote in Austria?

After the political earthquake in Austria and the end of the turquoise-blue government, the EU election on Sunday is eagerly awaited. A decision will be made on 18 EU mandates from Austria. In European elections, EU citizens are entitled to vote in Austria as long as they are registered in the European electoral register.

May 24, 2019

Ibiza Affair: Austria Has a New Minister of the Interior

Eckart Ratz took over from Herbert Kickl - in the context of an expert government formed by Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz as a result of the Ibiza Affair - the official duties and the office of the Federal Minister of the Interior until the inauguration of a new government after the early National Council election in September 2019. Like his predecessor Herbert Kickl, Eckart Ratz also does not mince his words.

May 23, 2019

Austrian Transitional Government Takes Office

President Van der Bellen has sworn in the new ministers Valerie Hackl, Walter Pöltner, Eckart Ratz and Johann Luif.

May 22, 2019

Apostolic Nuncio Pedro Lopéz Quintana Arrived in Vienna

H.E. Archbishop Dr. Lopéz Quintana became the 92nd Apostolic Nuncio in Vienna after the first accreditation of a Pontifical Nuncio in 1529.

May 22, 2019

Jewish Museum: "Café As. The Survival of Simon Wiesenthal"

Simon Wiesenthal is known today as the man who dedicated his life to justice for the victims of the Shoah. But his profession as an architect, which he pursued until his persecution by the Nazi regime, has fallen into oblivion. The exhibition "Café As. Das Überleben des Simon Wiesenthal" shows 80 detailed designs by Wiesenthal for the "Café As", which he made for the Polish prisoner Edmund Staniszewski, who repeatedly gave him food and thus saved his life.

May 22, 2019

Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl to Remain in Transitional Government

While President Van der Bellen has removed Interior Minister Kickl from office, Foreign Minister Kneissl will remain in a transitional government at her own request.

May 21, 2019

Chancellor Sticks to Dismissal of Interior Minister - FPÖ Ministers Exit Government

Government crisis. Chancellor Kurz sticks to dismissal of interior minister. Right-wing populist FPÖ ministers leave government.

May 20, 2019

Ibiza-Video - New Elections in Austria after Vice Chancellor Resignation

After the release of the incriminating video of "foreign secret services" and the resulting resignation of Vice-Chancellor Heinz Christian Strache, the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) headed by Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz calls for early elections as soon as possible. He had also informed the Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen. "Enough is enough", Kurz said in a press statement on Saturday evening.

May 18, 2019

Russia Expands Network in Upper Austria

Wolfgang Mayer of the company Backaldrin was elected Honorary Consul of the Russian Federation for Upper Austria in Asten/Upper Austria by the Russian Ambassador in Austria, H.E. Dmitrij Ljubinskij. After the already established Honorary Consulates in Innsbruck and Bludenz, he thus takes over the third Russian Honorary Consulate in Austria. His task is to look after the 3000 Russians in Upper Austria and to promote culture and education.

May 16, 2019

ALPS 2019: How Diplomacy and Commerce Fit Together

As part of the 11th ALPS round in May 2019, 21 international company and start-up founders from 13 non-EU countries had the opportunity to make contact with Austrian decision-makers, explore ways of working together and develop new ideas.

May 16, 2019

New Nuncio Lopez to Be Bridge between Rome and Austria

The new Apostolic Nuncio in Austria sees itself as an instrument of unity and communication between the Pope and the Church in Austria. This was underlined by Archbishop Pedro Lopez Quintana (65) at his first official meeting with the Austrian Bishops' Conference in Vienna.

May 15, 2019

Putin and Van der Bellen Open Sochi Dialogue Forum

The Sochi Dialogue Russian Austrian Forum was opened in the Black Sea port city as part of a working discussion between Russian and Austrian representatives from politics, business, science, education, art and culture.

May 15, 2019

Chinese Whispers - 中国私语

Don't miss the Chinese contemporary art exhibition "Chinese Whispers: Recent Art from the Sigg Collection", which shows 100 objects from the collection of the Swiss collector Uli Sigg until 26 May in the MAK - Museum of Applied Arts. Among other artists, works by internationally renowned artists such as Ai Weiwei, Cao Fei, Feng Mengbo, He Xiangyu, Liu Ding, and Song Dong are on display.

May 15, 2019

The Ambassadors of the Four Allied Powers in the Austrian Federal Chancellery

On the occasion of the "Liberation" Day of Austria from National Socialism by the Allies in 1945 and the end of the Second World War (Victory in Europe Day), Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz received the four ambassadors of the USA (Trevor Traina), Great Britain (Leigh Turner), France (representative of Francois Marcel Michel Saint-Paul) and Russia (Dmitrij Ljubinskij) at the Federal Chancellery.

May 13, 2019

Hermann Nitsch - Rooms Made of Colour

On the occasion of the 80th birthday of the Austrian painter and action artist Hermann Nitsch, his works can be seen and experienced in the Albertina as monumental colour spaces and rubble installations. The exhibition "NITSCH. Räume aus Farbe" shows Nitsch's pictures for the first time as painting for themselves: it bursts the dimensions of the panel painting, conquers the wall across the entire surface and intervenes in the room as a comprehensive installation.

May 10, 2019

Meet Thailand's New Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna: H.E. Ms. Morakot Sriswasdi

The new Permanent Representative of Thailand to the International Organizations in Vienna, Morakot Sriswasdi, presented her credentials to the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV) and to Yukiya Amano, IAEA Director General.

May 6, 2019

Antisemitism in Austria - Initiative to Reverse Worrying Trends

As the Jewish community in Austria reports growing concerns about the rise of antisemitism, at the invitation of the FRA - EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, local and EU policymakers, Jewish community organisations and civil society met to discuss how to combat this worrying trend.

May 3, 2019

Meet the Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Austria: Ms. Robin Dunnigan

Robin Dunnigan assumed the duties of Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Austria in July 2018.

May 2, 2019

Foreign Minister of Albania Gent Cakaj Visits Vienna

Austria emphasises its continued support for the commencement of EU accession negotiations with Albania.

April 26, 2019

Belt and Road Initiative - China's Reconquest of the World

Many heads of state did refrain from appearing at the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing this year, or are increasingly expressing themselves critically. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz also expressed his caution after meeting President Xi and Prime Minister Li Keqiang for talks.

April 26, 2019

Alibaba's Jack Ma Hosted Lower Austrian Business Delegation

In order to improve bilateral relations and exports between Lower Austria and the Chinese partner province Zhejiang near Shanghai, a large delegation from Lower Austria headed by Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner was touring East China this week. The plan is to increase goods exports by 100 million euros within four years.

April 26, 2019

WeWork Cooperation to Facilitate Internationalization of Austrian Start-ups in the USA

The aim of the cooperation between shared workspace provider WeWork and AWS - Austria Wirtschaftsservice is to support innovative Austrian start-ups in their internationalisation in New York and on the US market.

April 26, 2019

Mobile Bank N26 Invests in Tech Centre in Vienna

Germany's mobile bank N26 plans to hire more than 300 software engineers, product managers and IT specialists in Vienna in the long term and up to 100 in the medium term. The office is scheduled to open in autumn 2019, and specialists will be recruited with immediate effect.

April 26, 2019

National Council: Against Nuclear Power and Nuclear Waste Repositories at Austria's Borders

The Austrian National Council unanimously expressed its opposition both to nuclear waste disposal at Austria's borders and to the commissioning of the Mochovce 3 reactor, as well as to the obligations under the Nagoya Protocol on Biological Diversity.

April 26, 2019

Exclusive Mini-Davos Conference in Austria's Most Beautiful Ski Resort

European Commissioner Günther Oettinger invited for two days leading politicians, bankers and industrialists to his Europe Forum 2019 in Lech am Arlberg in the Austrian Alps.

April 26, 2019

Former Finance Minister Schelling to Be Appointed to OMV Supervisory Board

Former ÖVP finance minister Hans Jörg Schelling is to move into the supervisory board of the partly state-owned OMV. Various media report that this is being done at the request of senior government officials.

April 25, 2019

The Oeuvre of Multitalented Jewish-Austrian Artist Arik Brauer

Arik Brauer, son of a Lithuanian Jewish shoemaker, is an Austrian-born painter, printmaker, poet, dancer, singer, and stage designer. The Jewish Museum Vienna celebrates him as a man and artist on his 90th birthday and presents the different facets of his work.

April 19, 2019

Austrian Volker Türk Appointed Top UN Official

The Austrian lawyer and UN official Volker Türk was appointed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres as one of his deputies with the title Assistant Secretary-General for Strategic Coordination.

April 19, 2019

Silk Road Initiative in Mutual Interest - Chinese Delegation at Austrian Parliament

During a working visit by Ma Biao, former member of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and current Vice-Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Austrian parliamentarians show interest in the trade partnership with China.

April 19, 2019

Vienna Based OSCE Concerned about Freedom of the Media in Crimea and Uzbekistan

Following reports about the recent arrest of several citizen journalists in Crimea, the continued deterioration of freedom of expression and the safety of journalists on the peninsula, and about blocking of media outlets in Uzbekistan, the OSCE condems the arrest of citizen journalists in Crimea and calls for their immediate release, and also urges reform to media laws and regulations in Uzbekistan. Similarities to the case of the Austrian journalist Wehrschütz become apparent.

April 18, 2019

Vienna's Jewish Square and Europe

The US historian Timothy Snyder will give a lecture on the topic "Judenplatz 1010 - A speech to Europe 2019". The place and time chosen for the lecture are no coincidence: European history is presented at Vienna’s Judenplatz like in no other place.

April 18, 2019

Montenegro and Austria Emphasise Good Relations

The Prime Minister of the Western Balkan country Montenegro, Duško Marković, and Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz stressed in Vienna the good relations and the potential for further cooperation in the economic field.

April 12, 2019

Forty Tax Offices Become One Tax Office Austria

The structures will be flattened and work processes made more efficient in such a way that 40 authorities will become a single authority with 33 departments at the 79 existing facilities.

April 10, 2019

Austria Welcomes 6 New Ambassadors from Armenia, Mali, Namibia, North Macedonia, Trinidad and Tobago and Turkey

On March 19, 2019, Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen welcomed six newly accredited Ambassadors to Austria to the Presidential Chancellery of the Vienna Imperial Palace for the presentation of their letters of accreditation.

March 20, 2019 · Updated: April 8, 2019; 12:00

Meet the New Ambassador of the Republic of Mali to Austria: H.E. Ms. Oumou Sall-Seck

The new Ambassador of the Republic of Mali (République du Mali) to Austria, H.E. Ms. Oumou Sall-Seck presented Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen with her letter of accreditation at the Vienna Hofburg.

March 20, 2019 · Updated: April 8, 2019; 11:00

Czech-Austrian Economic Relations: President of the Czech Republic Miloš Zeman Visits Vienna

During the visit of the President of the Czech Republic, Miloš Zeman, bilateral economic relations were the focus of talks with Federal President Van der Bellen as well as at the Austrian-Czech Economic Forum in the Austrian Chamber of Commerce.

April 6, 2019

Casinos Austria Appoints Bettina Glatz-Kremsner as New CEO

Ms Bettina Glatz-Kremsner succeeds Mr Alexander Labak as Director of the Management Board of Casinos Austria AG.

April 6, 2019

New Working Holiday Program Enables Young Argentinians to Experience Living in Austria

Austria includes the largest Spanish-speaking nation, Argentina, in its range of working holiday programmes, so that in the future young people between 18 and 30 years of age from both countries will be able to travel more easily to the other country and gain new valuable experience on the labour market during a given period.

April 5, 2019

Leaders Discuss Azerbaijani-Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict in Vienna

The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan met in Vienna for the first time under the auspices of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group to discuss the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The two heads of state also met with Austrian President Van der Bellen and Austrian Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.

April 5, 2019

International Mine Awareness Day: By 2025 We Want to Make the World Minefree

Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl stresses Austria's commitment to the International Mine Awareness Day. In the last 20 years Austria has provided more than 33 million euros for mine action and supported projects in Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Mozambique, Ukraine and other countries.

April 4, 2019

Silvana Meixner Receives Ari Rath Prize for Critical Journalism 2019

ORF journalist and presenter Silvana Meixner will be awarded the second Ari-Rath Prize for Critical Journalism on May 6th, 2019, the Day of Freedom of the Press. This prize was established to honour journalists who have rendered outstanding services to critical reporting on immigration, expulsion and asylum, committed to respect for human rights, in the spirit of the former editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post, Ari Rath (pictured) who died in January 2017.

April 4, 2019

Economic Mission to Cambodia and Laos

The Vienna Chamber of Commerce visited the Southeast Asian countries Cambodia and Laos in the context of an economic mission with 15 participants to meet ministers and establish contacts for future participation in tenders for infrastructure projects.

April 4, 2019