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Today in Austria: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday

Emma Midgley
Emma Midgley - [email protected]
Today in Austria: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday
It could reach 10 degrees today in Austria and it's expected to be sunny too. (Photo by JOE KLAMAR / AFP)

Every weekday, The Local brings you an English-language summary of the news you need to know in Austria.

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Compulsory vaccination decision today

Please note: The decision to suspend the vaccine mandate has been made. Click here for coverage. 

The law on compulsory vaccination is set to come into effect in Austria on March 16th – next Wednesday. In theory, unvaccinated people could be fined by police if they do not get a jab after this date.

However, the government has set up a  commission to evaluate compulsory vaccination in Austria.

This commission has now finished its report and sent it to the Federal Government and National Council. Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) and Constitutional Minister Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP) will announce the next steps later today.

The report will assess if the implementation of compulsory vaccination is justified from a legal and medical point of view. 

Speaking on Tuesday Rauch emphasised that he wanted to take: "as many measures as necessary and as few as possible".

He also wanted the support of the majority of the population.The Kronen Zeitung newspaper commented after the speech that “probably the pause button will be pressed on compulsory vaccination.”  

READ MORE: 

Petrol and diesel costs soar in Austria

The cost of diesel reached the cost of two euros a litre in Austria for the first time on Tuesday morning, putting the squeeze on millions of drivers in the Alpine state. According to the ÖAMTC motorists' club, on Tuesday morning at a petrol station in Tyrol diesel was on sale for €2.099.

Eurosuper also cost €2.099  and the premium brand Ultimate €2.219 euros per litre.By Tuesday afternoon it had slipped back down to between around €1.50 and €1.99 per litre. 

So-called tank tourism is on the rise once more. Hungary, which introduced a price cap on fuel in November, is cheaper for petrol than the nearby Austrian state of Burgenland.

However, Swiss and German drivers are crossing into Austria to take advantage of the cheaper petrol prices, broadcaster ORF reports. Eurosuper is also cheaper in Austria than in Slovakia and Italy, but more expensive than Slovenia and the Czech Republic. 

READ MORE: How to save money on fuel costs in Austria

Austria’s government discusses fuel, neutrality and increased military spending

Austria’s government met in a special council on Tuesday and re-affirmed Austria’s neutrality in the context of the war in Ukraine.

Both Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) and Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler (Greens) called for further sanctions against Russia and stressed the need for a faster energy transition to renewable energy.

However, while this is underway, Nehammer has been visiting the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to explore other energy options. The Chancellor also said Austria would spend more on security and military national defence. 

Nehammer on Russian sanctions: ‘Austria is and will remain neutral’

Chamber of Commerce demands apology from Vice Chancellor 

The Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ) boss Harald Mahrer has demanded an apology from Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler (Greens) after he criticised the chamber.

In Monday's ZIB2 programme, Kogler accused the Chamber of Commerce of being partly responsible for Austria's dependence on oil and gas from Russia and of having rolled out "a red carpet with a trail of slime" for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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No mobile phones in pensioner coffee house

The Vollpension coffee house in Wieden is opening up after closing for 105 days due to the Covid-19 outbreak, and will celebrate its opening by encouraging people to put away their mobile phones.

People who visit the cafe, which is famously staffed by Viennese grandmas and grandpas, must lock their phones in cages to receive a 10 percent discount. 

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