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Read the latest headlines about developments in Austrian politics with reference to the international interest

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

What is the Alps-Adriatic Economic Network?

Since 2007, the Network of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Crafts, Agriculture and Economy of the New Alpe Adria (NAAN) has been working to deepen economic relations. It now comprises - with the new addition of Bolzano - ten chambers from Austria, Italy, Slovenia and Croatia. According to the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, with one million member businesses, NAAN is making rapid progress toward becoming an EU Alps-Adriatic macroregion. Read more to find out about the project.

November 7, 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

Austrians Largely Rate Coexistence with Ukrainian Displaced Persons as Positive

Since the start of the Ukraine war in February, around 85,000 Ukrainian displaced persons have been registered in Austria. According to the Austrian Integration Fund, the integration barometer on the coexistence of people with and without a migration background explains that 64 percent see the coexistence of Austrians and Ukrainians as positive and, as a survey on the Ukraine war, provides information on attitudes and moods toward the integration of Ukrainian displaced persons in Austria.

November 6, 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

Austrian Federal Chamber of Commerce and EU-Mercosur Agreement

The Association Agreement between the European Union and MERCOSUR countries, such as Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, includes provisions on political dialogue, cooperation and trade. For the Austrian Federal Chamber of Commerce, the agreement is a fair trade deal that increases exports and jobs, and high social and environmental standards remain untouched. The EU would be the first region to conclude an agreement with Mercosur.

November 4, 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

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

Weekly Briefing: Austria Celebrates Its National Day

The Find out more about this week's developments. Austria celebrated its most important national holiday. Diplomacy and some international organizations celebrate their anniversaries. Read about the latest developments in diplomacy in Vienna and Austria.

October 27, 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

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

Russian Organization in Austria Criticizes "Anti-Russian" Posters

The Coordination Council of the Organization of Russian Compatriots in Austria (KSORS) has condemned the appearance of "anti-Russian posters with unacceptable content" in Austria. The poster was on a building of the Angewandte in Vienna, the Applied Arts University. Russia is called a "terrorist state" on the poster.

October 23, 2022

Meet the New Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna of the Republic of Korea

Ham Sang Wook, the Republic of Korea's new Ambassador in Austria and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna presented his credentials to the Austrian Secretary General for Foreign Affairs, Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, and to the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna, Ghada Waly. Meet Ambassador Ham Sang Wook, the new South Korean Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna.

October 21, 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

Weekly Briefing: Former Austrian Chancellor Kurz Incriminated

The Find out more about this week's developments. Former ÖBAG head Thomas Schmid incriminates former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz before public prosecutors for corruption. Austria forges new partnerships with other states against illegal migration. Read about the latest developments in diplomacy in Vienna and Austria.

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

New UN Human Rights Chief on his First Day in Office: "Human Rights are Humanity's Common Language"

As of today, the Austrian Volker Türk is in office as the new United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Already experienced, Türk has dedicated his life to championing human rights and will act as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights as of today.

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

Weekly Briefing: Reelection of President Van der Bellen

The Find out more about this week's developments. The Austrian president has been re-elected and diplomacy is in full swing in Vienna. Various diplomatic forums and conferences were held. Read about the latest developments in diplomacy in Vienna and Austria.

October 13, 2022

Meet the New Permanent Representative of Estonia to the United Nations in Vienna

Merle Pajula, Estonia's new permanent representative, presented her credentials to the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna, Ghada Waly. Meet Ambassador Merle Pajula, the new Ambassador to Austria and permanent representative of Estonia to the International Organizations in Vienna.

October 13, 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

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