Sponsored Content
Vienna International Community - Top Politicians - Latest Headlines
Read updated news about key politicians in Vienna's international community
Austria's Connection to Pegasus Spyware
Governments of EU member states have used spyware against their citizens for political purposes, according to a draft report by the European Parliament's Committee of Inquiry (PEGA) published today in Brussels. European Union member states are widely using the controversial Pegasus spy software. Corresponding indications exist for Poland, Hungary, Greece, Cyprus and Spain, it said. There are also links to Austria.
November 10, 2022
Austria Plans to Increase Climate Aid
A significant increase in Austria's international climate financing budget is planned. The climate protection ministry will provide an additional 220 million euros by 2026, according to Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen at the UN World Climate Conference in Egypt.
November 9, 2022
The 84th Anniversary of the November Pogroms in Austria
On the 84th anniversary of the November pogroms, representatives of the Republic commemorated the victims with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Shoah Name Wall Memorial in Ostarrichipark. In addition to Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen and the head of government, almost all members of the government took part.
November 9, 2022
Austria and European Security: Extended Mandate for EU Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The UN Security Council has renewed the mandate of the EU-led stabilization mission EUFOR Althea in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Austria currently provides 167 soldiers and Major General Anton Wessely an Austrian is in command of the EUFOR force in Bosnia. In recent months, however, Moscow has expressed reservations about the EU mission.
November 9, 2022
Austrian Think Tank Identifies Need for Improvements to Ukraine's Reconstruction Plan
Together with the GROWFORD Institute in Kyiv, the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies has investigated how the Ukrainian government's reconstruction plan, presented in July, should be evaluated. How much will Ukraine's reconstruction cost and where will the money come from?
November 8, 2022
Austrian President Van der Bellen at the UN Climate Summit in Egypt
Austria's Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen is going into the COP27 world climate conference with mixed feelings. Given the insufficient or inadequately implemented results of previous climate summits, optimism is "not easy - but necessary," said Alexander Van der Bellen at the conference venue in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.
November 7, 2022
Vienna Conference on Journalist Safety 2022
On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists, the Austrian Foreign Ministry, together with the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, hosted the Vienna Conference on the Safety of Journalists. The conference, entitled "Safety of Journalists: Protecting media to protect democracy" was attended by more than 400 representatives of governments, international organizations, media and civil society.
November 6, 2022
Austria at Western Balkans Conference in Berlin
Austrian Federal Minister Susanne Raab represented Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg at the Western Balkans Conference in Berlin, as the Austrian Foreign Minister had to cancel his participation due to a positive Corona test. Minister Raab declared at the Western Balkans Conference "that we as the EU must finally get going when it comes to the integration of the six states of the Western Balkans."
November 4, 2022
OSCE Operations in Ukraine and Russian Opposition in Vienna
Russia represents an increasingly tough opposition in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, while the organization is trying to support Ukraine by all means. Despite a veto from Moscow, the OSCE has resumed its work on a limited basis in support of Ukraine despite the closure of the Special Monitoring Mission.
November 3, 2022
Delegation of Iranian Nuclear Negotiators Will Arrive in Vienna
An Iranian delegation will travel to Vienna in the coming days to try to resolve differences with the International Atomic Energy Agency. This was stated by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
November 3, 2022
Vienna Gets 70 Zero-Emission Buses
As part of its climate protection efforts, Vienna achieves a new small milestone. A total of 60 e-buses and 10 H2 buses are being purchased by Wiener Linien. The plan is to convert ten lines to zero-emission drives by 2025.
November 2, 2022
Austria Commemorates Victims of Vienna Terror Attack on Two Year Anniversary
In memory of the terrorist attack on November 2, 2020, a wreath-laying ceremony was held today at Desider-Friedmann-Platz in Vienna. It is now two years since the terrorist rampage in Vienna's city center killed four people and injured 23 others, some seriously.
November 2, 2022
Wien Energie Brings Special Energy Tariff for Small Businesses
Given the high energy costs, companies are also coming under pressure. In Vienna, a new tariff for small businesses will start in November, which offers a 12-month price guarantee and a discount for commitment. This new tariff is now officially promoted by City Councillor for Economic Affairs Peter Hanke.
November 1, 2022
Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto Visits Vienna
Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto is visiting Vienna and met with various dignitaries in Vienna. Bilateral talks with Austria's Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, Secretary-General of the OSCE Helga Maria Schmid and IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi focused on European security, energy security and the Russian war in Ukraine.
November 1, 2022
Celebration of the 99th Foundation Day of Türkiye in Vienna
The invitation of the Turkish Embassy in Austria was accepted by numerous representatives of the diplomatic corps, representatives of Austrian state institutions as well as prominent members of the large Turkish diaspora in Vienna. The reception on the occasion of the celebration of the 99th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey took place in the Strauss Hall of the Vienna Kursalon.
October 30, 2022
New Museum for the Vienna Prater
Construction work has begun on May First Street. A sustainable wooden building, the Prater Museum, will be built there by 2024. The museum, which will do justice to the presentation of the more than 250-year history of the Viennese amusement park, will be one of the first public wooden buildings in Vienna and a model for the integration of ecological and social sustainability.
October 30, 2022
Gas Supply Security: Austrian Chancellor Travels to the United Arab Emirates
In order to secure gas supplies for the next few years, an Austrian delegation, led by Chancellor Karl Nehammer, travelled to Saudi Arabia to negotiate future gas supplies. How much liquefied natural gas could be delivered to Austria in the coming years can be read in the following article.
October 29, 2022
President of Hungary Katalin Novák Visits Austria
The Hungarian President, Katalin Novák, is the first head of state to visit the re-elected President of Austria, Alexander Van der Bellen. The conversation between the two heads of state focused on the fight against illegal migration, climate change and the war in Ukraine.
October 27, 2022
Interpol to Hold its Anniversary General Assembly in Vienna in 2023
Next year, Vienna will have the special honour of hosting the General Assembly of the International Criminal Police Organisation, or Interpol. The Assembly is particularly special because the international organisation will be celebrating its centenary next year.
October 27, 2022
Austria Celebrates Its National Day Again in Old Normality
The Austrian National Day (Nationalfeiertag) is celebrated annually on 26 October, the anniversary of the announcement of Austrian neutrality in 1955 and the departure of the last allied occupying forces from Austria. On this October 26, the national holiday will return to normality after two years of coronavirus mode. As the Austrian Armed Forces return in full force to their performance on Vienna's Heldenplatz, the doors of government and parliament reopen to the public.
October 26, 2022
Horizon Europe Awards Synergy Grants to Four Austrian Researchers
The European Research Council (ERC) has announced the research groups that will be awarded the prestigious Synergy Grant in the first call for proposals in the new Horizon Europe research framework program. Among them are four groups in which scientists from Austrian research institutions are involved with their teams and will collaborate with top researchers from other countries in the coming years.
October 25, 2022
Ministry of the Interior and Israeli Embassy Hold Symposium on Countering Terrorism
At a recent event in Vienna, the focus was on preventing and combating terrorism. "Current challenges in the fight against terrorism - What Austria can learn from it" was organised by the Austrian Ministry of the Interior, the Israeli Embassy and the University of Continuing Education Krems.
October 25, 2022
UNICEF Austria and the Directorate of Education for Vienna Launch UNICEF Children's Rights Schools in Vienna
UNICEF Austria and the Directorate of Education for Vienna jointly launched the UNICEF Children's Rights Schools program in Vienna. According to the initiators, young people in particular need to be empowered in times of crisis. The first schools will start the program in October 2022.
October 24, 2022
UNESCO Celebrates "50 years of World Heritage - 30 Years of Ratification by the Republic of Austria".
At the invitation of the Austrian Commission for UNESCO, the celebrations of this year's double World Heritage anniversary took place. The motto of the event was "50 years of World Heritage - 30 years of ratification by the Republic of Austria" and took place in the historic Kursaal of the town of Baden near Vienna, itself part of the transnational World Heritage site "Great Spa Towns of Europe".
October 24, 2022
South Korean Prime Minister Receives Austrian Foreign Minister
To celebrate 130 years of bilateral relations between South Korea and Austria, the South Korean Prime Minister received Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg. On the agenda are topics such as the security situation in the region, a visit to the Demilitarised Zone, business visits and the opening of an exhibition at the Museum of Art History.
October 24, 2022
Western Balkans Summit in Berlin: "Need Unity in Tackling Illegal Migration"
Austria has been trying to curb illegal migration and smuggling of migrants for a long time. At this year's so-called "Berlin Process", the situation in the Wet Balkans was discussed, especially with regard to the issue of migration, where Austria's Interior Minister Gerhard Karner was also present.
October 21, 2022
Austria's Government Under New Challenge: Are New Elections Coming?
With his statements, Thomas Schmid, ex-Secretary General at the Ministry of Finance, has incriminated many former and current top politicians of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), some of them heavily. Although much was already relatively well known in the investigations by the Public Prosecutor's Office for Economic Affairs and Corruption (WKSta) triggered by the Ibiza affair, Schmid has provided a great deal of new material in the cases surrounding appointments to posts, tax and advertising deals in the Austrian government. In Austrian politics, a new crisis is now brewing for the ÖVP-Green coalition government.
October 20, 2022
Corruption in Austria: Thomas Schmid Wants to Become a State Witness and Incriminates Kurz Government Heavily
The former head of ÖBAG and Secretary General in the Ministry of Finance, Thomas Schmid, has heavily incriminated ex-Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP), his former close companion, in the Casag proceedings triggered by the Ibiza video and wants to become a state witness in the proceedings against Kurz. This was announced by the Economic and Corruption Prosecutor's Office (WKStA). Schmid had approached the investigators with the request, but a formal application had not yet been made.
October 19, 2022
Ankara and Vienna Sign Cooperation Agreement
The capitals of Austria and Turkey, Vienna and Ankara, will intensify their cooperation in the future. Vienna's Mayor Michael Ludwig received the Mayor of Ankara, Mansur Yavas, in the City Hall. Both mayors signed a cooperation agreement to this effect in Vienna City Hall.
October 19, 2022
Foreign Policy Report 2021 Puts Security in Europe in the Spotlight
The recently presented Europe and Foreign Policy Report 2021 outlines the foreign policy problems and challenges that Austria, but also Europe, had to deal with in the past year.
October 19, 2022
Intercultural Achievement Awards 2022 Awarded by Austria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
For the 9th time, the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs presents the Intercultural Achievement Awards (IAA) to international and national projects. The award ceremony was opened by Secretary General for Foreign Affairs, Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, at the Vienna Jazz Club Porgy & Bess.
October 18, 2022
Austria and Greece Cooperate Against Illegal Migration and Announced "Closing ranks in the joint fight against trafficking mafia"
Austria's Interior Minister Gerhard Karner and Greece's Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi announced the joint fight against the "trafficking mafia" at a working meeting in Vienna's Herrengasse. The protection of the EU's external border against illegal migration is a top priority.
October 18, 2022
Austrian Foreign Minister Criticises Iran at the Foreign Affairs Council
At the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg, the Austrian Foreign Minister criticised Iran's behaviour, which has always been "part of the circumvention constructions" surrounding the EU sanctions against Russia. Other topics discussed at the Council were the ongoing missile attacks in Ukraine and the EU enlargement around Bosnia and Herzegovina.
October 18, 2022
City of Vienna Establishes Energy Crisis Unit
The City of Vienna established an advisory committee on energy supply, which will work as a crisis unit on energy supply issues. Together with the crisis unit that has existed since the Covid pandemic, it is to accompany the preparations for the winter and make proposals for measures to secure energy supplies.
October 17, 2022
German and Austrian Interior Ministers Discuss Migration Issues
The German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and her Austrian counterpart Gerhard Karner recently discussed the current migration issue on the sidelines of the EU Council of Interior Ministers. Karner insisted on a joint approach. Furthermore, the two discussed the preparations for the upcoming "Berlin Process".
October 17, 2022
Austria Increases Contribution to World Food Program to 60 Million Euros
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought the issue of food supply into global focus. Therefore, the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry budget will be increased to 20 million euros annually from 2023-2025. A strategic partnership between Austria and the World Food Programme (WFP) is also in the works.
October 16, 2022
Slovak Foreign Minister Káčer Visits Vienna
Slovakia's new Foreign Minister Rastislav Káčer paid an inaugural visit to Vienna in one of his first official acts. The exchange with Austria's Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg focused on joint action in response to the Russian war on Ukraine and the resulting energy crisis, as well as the European integration of the Western Balkan states.
October 16, 2022
Van der Bellen's First Trip After Reelection
Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen's first trip abroad after his re-election will be to the World Climate Conference in Egypt. The President will participate in COP 27 from November 7 to 8, 2022 in Sharm El Sheikh and sees this as a conscious sign to strengthen the fight against the climate crisis.
October 12, 2022
Austrian Politicians Condemn Russia's Attacks in Ukraine's Civilian Centres
Following the recent devastating attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine, Austrian politicians condemned the Russian leadership and called for an immediate halt to the airstrikes. The OSCE also issued a statement strongly criticising Russia's attacks.
October 12, 2022
Austria Calls for Common European Gas Price Cap at EU Summit in Prague
At the first meeting of the "European Political Community", the informal summit of EU heads of state and government in Prague, Austria attracted particular attention by wanting to define a common EU gas price cap. For Austria's Chancellor Karl Nehammer it was clear in Prague that there would be "no embargo via the back door" when it comes to Russian gas.
October 11, 2022
Foreign Minister of Kosovo Donika Gërvalla-Schwarz Visits Vienna
The Foreign Minister of Kosovo Donika Gërvalla-Schwarz was on a working visit to Vienna. The Kosovar Foreign Minister met with Austria's Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg. The talks focused on the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on the Western Balkans, the advancement of EU visa liberalization for Kosovo and the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.
October 11, 2022
International Conference in Vienna Draws Attention to Rising Numbers of Asylum Seekers
An international conference on migration is taking place in Vienna this week. The conference was attended, among others, by the Vice-President of the EU Commission, Margaritas Schinas, as well as the Minister of the Interior of the Republic of Moldova and his counterpart from Albania.
October 11, 2022
Second SDG Dialogue Forum in Austria
The Austrian Federal Administration, SDG Watch Austria and the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens 2022 organized the second SDG Dialogue Forum in Vienna. Against the backdrop of the current crises in the world, the second SDG Dialogue Forum focused on cooperation between politics, civil society, media and NGOs.
October 10, 2022
International Community Congratulates Van der Bellen on Election Success
The international community in Vienna and around the world, as well as numerous top politicians, have congratulated Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen on his re-election. The congratulations came from heads of state of different political camps, diplomats of various countries and other dignitaries.
October 10, 2022
Austrian Presidential Election: Van der Bellen Gets Re-Elected
Austria has voted! Last weekend, Austrians turned out at their respective polling stations to elect a new Federal President or to give the incumbent another term in office. Read about the outcome of the election here in this article!
October 10, 2022
Austria Boosts its Defense Budget
As many European countries increase their defense budgets in the wake of the war in Ukraine, Austria is no exception. The Austrian army will receive more money in the coming years, a total of 16 billion euros until 2026, the federal government of Austria announced.
October 9, 2022
What is the Role of the Office of the Federal President in the Austrian Political System?
This Sunday, eligible voters in Austria will elect the head of state of their country, the Federal President. But how exactly is the political role of the Federal President expressed in the Austrian political system? What is the story behind the office? Where exactly can the Republic of Austria be placed on the axis between Parliamentarism and Presidentialism? Read on to find out the answers!
October 6, 2022
Everything you Need to Know About the Austrian Federal Presidential Election
This Sunday, Austria will hold its federal presidential elections. The current incumbent, Alexander Van der Bellen, has to face his rivals after his six-year term. Read on to find out who the six opposing candidates are!
October 6, 2022
Austria's Minister for Europe Edtstadler met Olena Zelenska in Warsaw
Austria's Minister for Europe Karoline Edtstadler participated in the Warsaw Security Forum. In Warsaw, the Minister met with Olena Zelenska and the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister. The minister announced the preparations for a trip to Kyiv with EU counterparts and said the war should not be perceived primarily from a "male perspective".
October 5, 2022
Vienna Conference against Human Trafficking in October
The Vienna Conference against Human Trafficking will be held on October 13, 2022. The event will be held under the title „No Future for Trafficking“, in cooperation between the Vienna Institute for International Dialogue and Cooperation (VIDC), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the OSCE, and again with the Principality of Liechtenstein at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna and online.
October 4, 2022
Fast News Search
This category only
