Today in Austria: A roundup of the latest news on Monday
New debate on access to specialist doctors, arrests made after climate protest, and more news from Austria on Monday.
New debate on access to specialist doctors
Over the weekend, a discussion arose about access to specialists. The Vice Chairman of the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK), Andreas Huss, repeated earlier statements to the ORF that access to specialists should be restricted by making GPs responsible for referrals to specialists, as was previously the case in Austria.
According to Huss, talks are underway to make changes to the current guidelines. He said he could imagine exceptions for gynaecologists and paediatricians so people could get an appointment with them without a referral.
Austria's medical association criticised the plans, saying the change would lead to a "collapse due to the sudden overload in general practice".
100 environmental activists arrested this week
One hundred climate activists have been arrested in Vienna this week. This was published by the Ministry of the Interior on Sunday, ORF reported. The individuals are now facing fines, the most recent of which was confirmed for the first time by the regional court.
"Between February 26 and March 3, 2024, 100 arrests were made during various unlawful actions by a climate movement in Vienna," the Ministry of the Interior stated in a press release. The "Last Generation" climate movement stepped up its actions again this week, including blocking the south-east bypass and access to parliament.
"The Vienna police are not only taking consistent and decisive action against climate stickers on the streets, but are also imposing severe penalties. This course of action will be continued consistently", Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) is quoted as saying. Those arrested and others involved in the actions now face heavy fines.
The police had also previously imposed fines of over €1,000 in some cases, but the activists had always successfully contested the amounts in court. A few weeks ago, the regional court confirmed a fine of €1,200 for the first time, the report added.
Nehammer considers reducing age of criminal responsibility
Following the abuse of a twelve-year-old with a total of 17 suspects, Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) has called for measures to be taken, Der Standard reported.
Constitutional Minister Karoline Edtstadler and Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (both ÖVP) have been asked by the head of government to draw up a corresponding package. The Chancellor suggests lowering the age of criminal responsibility.
Green Party justice spokeswoman Agnes Sirkka Prammer called the case of the twelve-year-old "shocking" and said that everything must be done to find out how this could have happened. Even if young people or even children commit crimes, there must be consequences. There are laws for this: "But we don't believe in legislating in the justified shock of this crime." The aim must be to prevent something like this from happening in the first place.
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] or leave a comment below.
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New debate on access to specialist doctors
Over the weekend, a discussion arose about access to specialists. The Vice Chairman of the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK), Andreas Huss, repeated earlier statements to the ORF that access to specialists should be restricted by making GPs responsible for referrals to specialists, as was previously the case in Austria.
According to Huss, talks are underway to make changes to the current guidelines. He said he could imagine exceptions for gynaecologists and paediatricians so people could get an appointment with them without a referral.
Austria's medical association criticised the plans, saying the change would lead to a "collapse due to the sudden overload in general practice".
100 environmental activists arrested this week
One hundred climate activists have been arrested in Vienna this week. This was published by the Ministry of the Interior on Sunday, ORF reported. The individuals are now facing fines, the most recent of which was confirmed for the first time by the regional court.
"Between February 26 and March 3, 2024, 100 arrests were made during various unlawful actions by a climate movement in Vienna," the Ministry of the Interior stated in a press release. The "Last Generation" climate movement stepped up its actions again this week, including blocking the south-east bypass and access to parliament.
"The Vienna police are not only taking consistent and decisive action against climate stickers on the streets, but are also imposing severe penalties. This course of action will be continued consistently", Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) is quoted as saying. Those arrested and others involved in the actions now face heavy fines.
The police had also previously imposed fines of over €1,000 in some cases, but the activists had always successfully contested the amounts in court. A few weeks ago, the regional court confirmed a fine of €1,200 for the first time, the report added.
Nehammer considers reducing age of criminal responsibility
Following the abuse of a twelve-year-old with a total of 17 suspects, Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) has called for measures to be taken, Der Standard reported.
Constitutional Minister Karoline Edtstadler and Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (both ÖVP) have been asked by the head of government to draw up a corresponding package. The Chancellor suggests lowering the age of criminal responsibility.
Green Party justice spokeswoman Agnes Sirkka Prammer called the case of the twelve-year-old "shocking" and said that everything must be done to find out how this could have happened. Even if young people or even children commit crimes, there must be consequences. There are laws for this: "But we don't believe in legislating in the justified shock of this crime." The aim must be to prevent something like this from happening in the first place.
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] or leave a comment below.
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