Today in Austria: A roundup of the latest news on Friday
Fines for climate protection failures, Doskozil presents 'election program', investigation into abuse at Vienna youth care facility and more news from Austria on Friday.
- Austria faces multi-million fine for lack of energy efficiency law
Austria still needs to catch up when it comes to climate protection. The fact that the country is late in implementing the Energy Efficiency Act could lead to a penalty payment of €7 million as early as April, the newspaper Der Standard reported.
The EU directive on which the law is based was already adopted in 2018, and implementation at the national level would have been due by 2020.
The government's bill was passed in the Council of Ministers on February 1, 2023; the next step is for the proposal to pass the National Council. This requires a two-thirds majority, so the governing parties ÖVP and Greens, also need the approval of one of the opposition parties, centre-left SPÖ or far-right FPÖ.
Federal government representatives say they are still negotiating, trying to reach an agreement with the SPÖ.
READ ALSO: Is Austria doing enough to protect children from the climate crisis?
- Feature de ontem
Moving to Austria usually involves applying for a residence permit, but what are the chances of it being denied? Here are some common reasons to be aware of and how to avoid them.
- High temperatures and high prices caused energy consumption to fall in winter
Wien Energie recorded significantly lower district heating consumption last winter than in the previous season. An average Viennese household saved around €80 as a result, the city-owned company announced.
The municipal utility attributes the decline primarily to unusually mild temperatures in the fall. From October 2022 to the end of March 2023, consumption fell by 10.5 percent. In October alone, 23.5 percent less district heating was produced. The highest heating demand this winter was recorded in February - although it was also unusually warm then.
A total of 440,000 households and 7800 large customers in the Austrian capital use district heating.
READ ALSO: Austria to offer extra €400 for heating costs to low-income households
- Doskozil presents 'election program'
On Thursday, the governor of Burgenland, Hans Peter Doskozil (SPÖ), presented his program for the member referendum for the SPÖ national party chairmanship, Der Standard reported.
The politician, who is challenging party leader Pamela Rendi-Wagner for the top position in the centre-left party, focused on projects already implemented in the eastern state, including a minimum wage of €2,000, the restructuring of care facilities and free kindergarten.
Doskozil's migration policy is based on the principle of "integration before new arrivals and rapid assistance on the ground", the report added.
READ ALSO: Five reasons not to trust ChatGPT about Austrian politics
- Investigation into abuse at Vienna youth care facility
The Vienna Public Prosecutor's Office is investigating possible sexual abuse at a care facility for young people with intellectual-cognitive disabilities, the Austrian newspaper Die Presse reported.
A caregiver allegedly repeatedly abused an initially 17-year-old girl between 2016 and 2019 at the facility, which offers young people assistance and care.
The investigations for sexual abuse of a mentally impaired person and violation of sexual self-determination had started with an anonymous complaint filed with the prosecuting authority in mid-March.
According to the report, the investigations are focusing not only on the caregiver, who is said to have repeatedly had sexual intercourse with the teenager over a period of years and even to have allegedly impregnated her, but also on the director of the facility. After the abuse became known, the employee was terminated - but without a criminal complaint being filed against the suspect and the suspicious situation being reported to the relevant authorities - such as the youth welfare office.
- Austria’s City of Innsbruck announces rental control system
After an agreement on an Austria-wide rent brake for guideline rents failed in the federal government, the Innsbruck city senate decided to apply it to apartments owned by Innsbruck's real estate company (IIG), according to a government press release.
The Tyrolean capital followed the model of the city of Graz after the federal government had opted for housing cost assistance as a one-off payment instead of the rent brake.
In Innsbruck, the City said the rent is set to increase by two percent per year. The first increase will occur on May 1st, 2023, and the city will partially compensate IIG for the resulting revenue shortfall. According to an ORF Tirol report, the IIG will receive a subsidy of €615,000, with one-third of the sum paid out to the city-owned IIG in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
READ MORE: Austria's City of Innsbruck announces rental control system
If you have any questions about life in Austria, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected].
Comments
See Also
- Austria faces multi-million fine for lack of energy efficiency law
Austria still needs to catch up when it comes to climate protection. The fact that the country is late in implementing the Energy Efficiency Act could lead to a penalty payment of €7 million as early as April, the newspaper Der Standard reported.
The EU directive on which the law is based was already adopted in 2018, and implementation at the national level would have been due by 2020.
The government's bill was passed in the Council of Ministers on February 1, 2023; the next step is for the proposal to pass the National Council. This requires a two-thirds majority, so the governing parties ÖVP and Greens, also need the approval of one of the opposition parties, centre-left SPÖ or far-right FPÖ.
Federal government representatives say they are still negotiating, trying to reach an agreement with the SPÖ.
READ ALSO: Is Austria doing enough to protect children from the climate crisis?
- Feature de ontem
Moving to Austria usually involves applying for a residence permit, but what are the chances of it being denied? Here are some common reasons to be aware of and how to avoid them.
- High temperatures and high prices caused energy consumption to fall in winter
Wien Energie recorded significantly lower district heating consumption last winter than in the previous season. An average Viennese household saved around €80 as a result, the city-owned company announced.
The municipal utility attributes the decline primarily to unusually mild temperatures in the fall. From October 2022 to the end of March 2023, consumption fell by 10.5 percent. In October alone, 23.5 percent less district heating was produced. The highest heating demand this winter was recorded in February - although it was also unusually warm then.
A total of 440,000 households and 7800 large customers in the Austrian capital use district heating.
READ ALSO: Austria to offer extra €400 for heating costs to low-income households
- Doskozil presents 'election program'
On Thursday, the governor of Burgenland, Hans Peter Doskozil (SPÖ), presented his program for the member referendum for the SPÖ national party chairmanship, Der Standard reported.
The politician, who is challenging party leader Pamela Rendi-Wagner for the top position in the centre-left party, focused on projects already implemented in the eastern state, including a minimum wage of €2,000, the restructuring of care facilities and free kindergarten.
Doskozil's migration policy is based on the principle of "integration before new arrivals and rapid assistance on the ground", the report added.
READ ALSO: Five reasons not to trust ChatGPT about Austrian politics
- Investigation into abuse at Vienna youth care facility
The Vienna Public Prosecutor's Office is investigating possible sexual abuse at a care facility for young people with intellectual-cognitive disabilities, the Austrian newspaper Die Presse reported.
A caregiver allegedly repeatedly abused an initially 17-year-old girl between 2016 and 2019 at the facility, which offers young people assistance and care.
The investigations for sexual abuse of a mentally impaired person and violation of sexual self-determination had started with an anonymous complaint filed with the prosecuting authority in mid-March.
According to the report, the investigations are focusing not only on the caregiver, who is said to have repeatedly had sexual intercourse with the teenager over a period of years and even to have allegedly impregnated her, but also on the director of the facility. After the abuse became known, the employee was terminated - but without a criminal complaint being filed against the suspect and the suspicious situation being reported to the relevant authorities - such as the youth welfare office.
- Austria’s City of Innsbruck announces rental control system
After an agreement on an Austria-wide rent brake for guideline rents failed in the federal government, the Innsbruck city senate decided to apply it to apartments owned by Innsbruck's real estate company (IIG), according to a government press release.
The Tyrolean capital followed the model of the city of Graz after the federal government had opted for housing cost assistance as a one-off payment instead of the rent brake.
In Innsbruck, the City said the rent is set to increase by two percent per year. The first increase will occur on May 1st, 2023, and the city will partially compensate IIG for the resulting revenue shortfall. According to an ORF Tirol report, the IIG will receive a subsidy of €615,000, with one-third of the sum paid out to the city-owned IIG in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
READ MORE: Austria's City of Innsbruck announces rental control system
If you have any questions about life in Austria, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected].
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.