Today in Austria: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday
Cell phone signatures to phase out, Innsbruck mulls an e-scooter ban, and other news from around Austria this Wednesday.
Cell phone signature on ID Austria to get the chop
Austria’s ‘Handy-Signatur’ – which was in place before ID Austria, the country’s digital ID card – is being phased out in December.
From December 5th, ID Austria will completely replace the Handy-Signatur. Right now both can be used to sign into almost all official government websites, allowing people in Austria to look at their tax assessments online or to log into their public health insurance site.
If you don’t have ID Austria yet, you can sign up for the Handy-Signatur and switch over easily using the Digitales Amt app – something you’ll need to do before December 5th.
Around 2.8 million people are currently using the cell phone signature, while 1.5 million have already switched over to ID Austria.
EXPLAINED: How to get the essential Handy-Signatur and ID Austria
Innsbruck’s Social Democrats push for e-scooter ban
The Tyrol capital’s SPÖ is planning to submit an application to city council Thursday to ban e-scooter rentals there.
Councillor Elisabeth Mayr is filing the application due to complaints from the city’s disabled advocacy groups, who point out that carelessly parked scooters have already injured a blind woman in the city when she tripped over one, and they pose many other risks especially to the disabled.
Other parties on the city council advocate stricter rules but not an outright ban. The Social Democrats hold only three seats on the city’s 40-member council, so a full ban is unlikely without other parties coming around to the idea.
Stricter rules could include fixed parking spaces and immediate removal of scooters that aren’t parked away.
READ ALSO: Austria’s Innsbruck cracks down on illegal Airbnb offers
Five surprising Austrian citizenship rules
Austria citizenship is particularly hard to acquire, and highly restrictive.
But there are some exceptions to certain rules like dual nationality or the ten-year wait to get it.
Check out the link below for a fuller rundown on surprising Austrian citizenship facts.
READ ALSO: Five surprising Austrian citizenship rules you should know about
Wednesday weather
It’ll be unseasonably warm Wednesday with sunny weather and highs of between 23C in Innsbruck and 26C in Vienna.
High pressure systems are forecast to remove any remaining fog and cloud cover, with the warm weather lasting into Thursday and the weekend.
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].
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Cell phone signature on ID Austria to get the chop
Austria’s ‘Handy-Signatur’ – which was in place before ID Austria, the country’s digital ID card – is being phased out in December.
From December 5th, ID Austria will completely replace the Handy-Signatur. Right now both can be used to sign into almost all official government websites, allowing people in Austria to look at their tax assessments online or to log into their public health insurance site.
If you don’t have ID Austria yet, you can sign up for the Handy-Signatur and switch over easily using the Digitales Amt app – something you’ll need to do before December 5th.
Around 2.8 million people are currently using the cell phone signature, while 1.5 million have already switched over to ID Austria.
EXPLAINED: How to get the essential Handy-Signatur and ID Austria
Innsbruck’s Social Democrats push for e-scooter ban
The Tyrol capital’s SPÖ is planning to submit an application to city council Thursday to ban e-scooter rentals there.
Councillor Elisabeth Mayr is filing the application due to complaints from the city’s disabled advocacy groups, who point out that carelessly parked scooters have already injured a blind woman in the city when she tripped over one, and they pose many other risks especially to the disabled.
Other parties on the city council advocate stricter rules but not an outright ban. The Social Democrats hold only three seats on the city’s 40-member council, so a full ban is unlikely without other parties coming around to the idea.
Stricter rules could include fixed parking spaces and immediate removal of scooters that aren’t parked away.
READ ALSO: Austria’s Innsbruck cracks down on illegal Airbnb offers
Five surprising Austrian citizenship rules
Austria citizenship is particularly hard to acquire, and highly restrictive.
But there are some exceptions to certain rules like dual nationality or the ten-year wait to get it.
Check out the link below for a fuller rundown on surprising Austrian citizenship facts.
READ ALSO: Five surprising Austrian citizenship rules you should know about
Wednesday weather
It’ll be unseasonably warm Wednesday with sunny weather and highs of between 23C in Innsbruck and 26C in Vienna.
High pressure systems are forecast to remove any remaining fog and cloud cover, with the warm weather lasting into Thursday and the weekend.
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].
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