Newsletter: Austria's Government Seizing Economic and Political Power

Telekom Austria: Strategic Restructuring of Management and Supervisory Board

At Telekom Austria's Supervisory Board meeting, not only the change at the top of the company's Supervisory Board was sealed, but also the restructuring of the Management Board. Thomas Arnoldner (40), previously responsible for Sales & Services on the T-Systems Board of Management, replaces Alejandro Plater as Telekom Austria CEO. Economics lawyer Edith Hlawati takes over as Chairman of the Supervisory Board from Wolfgang Ruttenstorfer.

Austrian Minister of Education Demands Clarification from Islamic Community

In connection with the affair over children as soldiers playing war games in a Viennese mosque, Minister Blümel demands further information and clarification of the incidents from the Islamic Religious Community in Austria (IGGÖ - Islamische Glaubensgemeinschaft in Österreich).

Soros's Central European University is to Remain in Budapest

The Central European University (CEU) donated by US billionaire George Soros does not plan to move to Berlin or Vienna, but expects the Hungarian government to sign the agreement with the State of New York as soon as possible so that the CEU can remain in Budapest.

The New Balkans in the Year of Hope for EU Enlargement

2018 has been frequently described as the „year of hope“ for EU enlargement and for the Balkans. In February 2018, a new Enlargement Strategy was presented in Strasbourg by the EU Commission. Bulgaria, currently having the Presidency of the Council of the EU, will organize a major Balkan’s Summit in May 2018. Austria, for a long time one of the most prominent promoters of the EU Enlargement for the Western Balkans and a country deeply intertwined with the region, will assume the EU presidency in the second half of 2018. 2018 represents one of the crucial moments for enlargement as major steps need to be undertaken to reach the goal of making enlargement perspective realistic for 2025.

Austria Center Vienna Unveils Largest Modernization Concept in Its History

Austria's largest congress centre, the Austria Center Vienna, recently presented its modernisation concept until 2022. This will make completely new event formats possible and at the same time make the space around the house more attractive to the public. This is the largest construction project in the company's 30-year history.

Top Energy Events Put Vienna in the Focus of the Global Clean Energy Economy

The Vienna Energy Forum 2018 in May in Vienna brings together a multitude of people and institutions to discuss and solve the key questions of the present on the topic of energy. Among them are heads of state, ministers, energy experts, representatives of international and non-governmental organizations, academia, civil society and the private sector. The PFAN Climate and Clean Energy Investment Forum and the R20 Austria World Summit are also part of this huge event. This event, sponsored by Arnold Schwarzenegger, is a high-level summit about leadership on implementing the Paris Climate Agreement and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Tourism: Vienna Achieves New Record Number of Overnight Stays

Vienna recorded a new tourist record in March with an increase of 8.5% compared to the previous year. The number of guest overnight stays rose to 1,169,000. Most of the tourists came from Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain, the UK and Switzerland.

Austrian Financial Market Authority Is Pleased With Whistle-Blowing System

In 2017 whistleblowers made 158 tip-offs regarding misconduct in the Austrian financial market. The FMA has been operating a special IT-based whistleblowing system since 1 February 2014 that allows the anonymous receipt of confidential information about possible instances of malpractice in supervised entities. FMA Executive Board: “Our whistle-blowing system is an important source of information for the FMA.”

A Competitive Classical Summer Stage for the World's Capital of Opera

The Danube Arena, a huge summer stage for classical concerts, opera and operetta, is reportedly to be built on the banks of the Danube in the middle of Vienna. The aim is to compete with the big summer venues Bregenz, Mörbisch and Salzburg and to give tourists and locals the chance to enjoy classical music even in summer (during the summer breaks of the established venues).