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Today in Austria For Members

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

Amanda Previdelli
Amanda Previdelli - [email protected]
Today in Austria: A roundup of the latest news on Friday
Electricity prices mightt be somewhat more moderate electricity prices this winter. (Photo by Krišjānis Kazaks / Unsplash)

Austria fails to agree on gambling reform, Austria blocks Bulgaria and Romania from Schengen, energy prices at record levels and more news from Austria on Friday.

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  • Austria's governing coalition fails to agree on gambling reform

In the government programme of 2020, the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) and the Greens had agreed on a project that has been considered highly necessary for years: a reform of the gambling sector. 

Among other things, an "efficient authority structure" was to be created, according to the programme. Since then, however, it has become clear that the ideas of the ÖVP and the Greens are irreconcilably far apart, the newspaper Der Standard reported.

They wanted to create an authority that could award gambling licenses. Currently, the Ministry of Finance has that prerogative, but since it also earns tax returns from the operators, there is a conflict of interest, the report said. 

Where do the coalition partners disagree, then? In player protection rules. The main point of contention is the question of how high the maximum possible losses, winnings or stakes in gambling may be in the future.

The Greens want to be far more restrictive than the ÖVP. Those familiar with the negotiations report that the Greens would demand a maximum stake of €0.20 for vending machines - far less than the ÖVP is prepared to concede. 

Currently, the maximum stake is €10. However, sources close to the ÖVP say that excessively strict rules would lead to gambling being pushed into illegality - which would in no way serve to protect gamblers.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: What are the rules around gambling in Austria?

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  • What to expect from the ski season in Austria this winter

Skiers in Austria should expect to pay higher prices this winter as rising costs hit resorts. Many ski operators are also considering energy-saving actions. Here's how expensive it could get and which Covid measures could return.

  • Austria vetoes Bulgaria and Romania joining Europe’s Schengen area

Austria vetoed EU members Romania and Bulgaria joining the passport-free Schengen area during a meeting of EU colleagues in Brussels on Thursday, as The Local reported.

“I think it is wrong that a system that does not work in many places should be enlarged”, he said.

Decisions on Schengen enlargement have to be taken unanimously.

Austria, which is experiencing a strong increase in asylum requests, fears that admitting Bulgaria and Romania would increase irregular immigration.

The meeting of EU interior ministers did approve Croatia joining Schengen, which currently encompasses 22 of the EU’s 27 member countries plus Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland.

READ ALSO: ‘A stupid prank’?: Why has Austria vetoed enlargement of Schengen area?

  • Germany expects more arrests after coup plot operation

German prosecutors on Thursday ordered that 23 people be held for questioning concerning the operation into a far-right group that allegedly wanted to overthrow the state and install a member of the former German royal family as the new national leader, as The Local Germany reported.

The group wanted to install Heinrich XIII Prinz Reuss as the leader of a new state. The 71-year-old real estate developer is a descendant of the royal House of Reuss in Thuringia. The head of the aristocratic house is Heinrich XIV, who lives in Austria and disowned the alleged plot.

"Of course, this reflects catastrophically on the family," Heinrich XIV told broadcaster MDR, speaking about his distant relative with whom he said he had not had contact for ten years.

"For 850 years, we were, I think, a tolerant, cosmopolitan royal house in East Thuringia, and now we are seen as terrorists and reactionaries all over the world, all the way to America. That's quite terrible," the Austrian resident added.

Among the 25 suspects arrested on Wednesday, there was a German citizen staying in Austria. Local media reported that he was detained in the Tyrolean ski resort of Kitzbühel. According to Krone, the suspect is a Munich celebrity chef. "He is the father-in-law of an even more famous Austrian sports star", the website said.

READ ALSO: Five books to read to understand Austria

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  • Energy prices at record level in October

Prices for household energy were 50 percent higher in October than a year earlier, according to the energy price index calculated by the Austrian Energy Agency. 

Compared to the previous month of September, energy for households was 1.6 percent more expensive. The inflation rate in October was eleven percent, compared to September this year, the consumer price index rose by one percent. 

The energy agency said that some calm has returned to the wholesale electricity and gas markets after a turbulent summer.

At the same time, many suppliers still announced further price increases. "Here, it seems that the price distortions of the last few months have not yet been fully passed on to all customers," said Energy Agency Managing Director Franz Angerer, according to the press release. 

"In any case, the energy prices remain extremely high across all energy sources."

READ ALSO: How much do you need to earn for a good life in Austria?

  • Weather

Screenshot from ZAMG

Clouds will be widespread and intermittent rain and snow will spread from the south and east, Austria's meteorologic institute ZAMG said.

In the south, the snow line will initially often be at low altitudes but rises to 500 to 1500m above sea level during the day. 

However, there will be hardly any precipitation on the northern side of the Alps, from Vorarlberg to the Tyrolean lowlands. Daytime highs are between 0C and 6C.

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