Today in Austria: A roundup of the latest news on Thursday
Preparations for deposit system underway, increase in bicycle theft, 13-old chased by wolves in Upper Austria and more news from Austria on Thursday.
Preparations for the deposit system underway
From January 1, 2025, disposable drinks packaging in Austria will require a deposit. Bottles and cans will cost 25 cents more to buy. Returns are still uncertain, especially in Vienna, and product range reductions are also a threat.
By 2027, 90% of all cans and PET bottles sold will be returned to the recycling loop. The buyers are being asked to do something to ensure that the packaging makes it there and does not end up in nature: They pay a surcharge of 25 cents, which they get back when they exchange the empty packaging. All containers except milk drinks can be returned. The deposit system also excludes beverage bottles made of glass or metal with plastic caps.
Returns are possible in all stores where packaging of the same size is also sold. "This means that if the retailer only sells 0.33-litre cans, they only have to take back 0.33-litre cans. But of any brand," says Margarete Gumprecht, Chairwoman of the Retail Division of the Vienna Chamber of Commerce (WKW). It is irrelevant whether the store sells the brand of packaging it takes back. So that small retailers, in particular, do not have to take back vast quantities of packaging, they can accept as much as they sell each day.
There are two different ways to return packaging. On the one hand, return machines can be set up, and on the other hand, retailers are also free to take back the packaging manually. Larger retail chains such as Rewe, Hofer and Spar have opted for the vending machine version and are implementing the new system. According to the supermarket chains, Where the machines are to be located depends on the store. Hofer, for example, highlights its intention to install return stations near the entrance areas.
Who are the 370,000 jobseekers in Austria, and where are they all?
Austria's unemployment numbers have risen sharply, but who are the people currently looking for jobs in the country?
Increase in bicycle thefts across Austria
The Austrian Transport Club (VCÖ) reports a concerning trend: bicycle thefts in Austria have risen for the first time since 2014. In 2023, there was a ten percent increase in stolen bikes compared to the previous year, with 18,566 officially reported cases.
The majority of these thefts, approximately 60 percent, occurred in provincial capitals, although Vienna experienced a decrease of almost seven percent in stolen bikes.
This uptick ends an eight-year streak of declining bicycle thefts, which dropped from 28,274 in 2014 to 16,824 in 2022. Despite this recent increase, residents of Linz face an exceptionally high risk of bike theft. Apart from Vienna, thefts surged in all provincial capitals in 2023. Lower Austria saw 2,747 thefts (up 28.1 percent), while Upper Austria recorded 2,682 thefts (up 27.2 percent).
The chances of recovering a stolen bike remain slim, with a detection rate of only 9.3 percent, though this marks a slight improvement from previous years. To increase the chances of recovery, the VCÖ recommends recording the bike's frame number and investing in theft insurance for high-quality or newer bikes.
In response to these findings, the VCÖ urges authorities to provide more secure bicycle parking spaces at leisure facilities, shopping streets, and public transport hubs like train stations and bus stops.
Owners must secure their bikes with sturdy locks and attach them to designated bike racks whenever possible.
READ ALSO: What are the rules for electric bikes in Austria?
Lower Austrian governor calls for 'quick solution' to Austrian Airlines worker's dispute
Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) calls for a "swift solution" to the AUA-KV dispute in an interview with "NÖ-heute" on the occasion of the governors' conference in St. Pölten.
Governor Mikl-Leitner speaks of a "sensitive situation" concerning the AUA-KV dispute. According to Mikl-Leitner, Austrian Airlines (AUA), with 6,000 employees and Vienna Airport in Schwechat (Bruck an der Leitha district), with around 23,000 employees on the entire site, are among the largest and most important employers in the province. "This success story must be continued", said the governor.
Mikl-Leitner does not blame anyone for the fact that no agreement or solution has yet been reached. "I can only hope that this situation will be brought to an end quickly and, above all, appeal to everyone involved to find a solution soon.
"In the spirit of social partnership, we challenge each other, but not to overburden each other, to find a fair solution, both for the employees and for the company, but above all for Lower Austria as a business location," she said.
The company and workers have failed to agree on pay raises and benefits for crew members, and the dispute has escalated to strikes, as The Local reported.
READ ALSO: Austrian Airlines strikes: Are the two sides closer to a deal?
Wolves chased a 13-year-old girl in Upper Austria
In a wooded area near Windhaag, near Freistadt, a 13-year-old girl had a startling encounter with two wolves on Easter Sunday around 6 p.m. The incident occurred just a few hundred metres from the girl's parents' house, leaving the young jogger in shock.
According to the girl's mother, Anita Affenzeller, the girl was on her usual jog when she heard rustling in the undergrowth. Suddenly, she found herself face to face with two wolves, one of which started approaching her. Reacting swiftly, the girl turned and ran as fast as she could, with at least one wolf giving chase. Only when she reached a nearby field the wolves disappeared into the forest.
The authorities in Upper Austria have classified the wolves' behaviour as atypical and dangerous. However, given their curious behaviour, they also consider the possibility that the animals may have been young wolves. The girl's mother described her daughter as brave but deeply shaken by the incident.
Following the encounter, the father reported the incident to the authorities, who will monitor the situation closely. If there are further incidents in the area within the next four weeks, authorities may consider issuing a shooting permit. Since the implementation of the wolf management ordinance, two wolves have already been shot in Upper Austria, and several others have been authorised for shooting.
Cab industry struggles with e-charging stations
Starting January 2024, new cab licences in Vienna will only be issued for electric cars. However, the cab industry believes the city is unprepared for this. Charging the batteries, in particular, is causing problems.
There are currently around 7,000 cabs in Vienna, 4,500 hybrid vehicles, and around 150 electric cars. According to Leopold Kautzner, Taxi Chairman of the Vienna Chamber of Commerce, the number of hybrid vehicles steadily increases as they save fuel and last extremely long. Hybrid vehicles are powered by a combination of combustion engines and electric motors.
Kautzner has mixed feelings about the operation of more and more electric cars. Charging cabs, in particular, would slow down business considerably: "In Vienna, we mostly have 11 kW charging stations, where they stand for up to six hours before the car is fully charged again." However, you can't pay a driver to wait for hours. More charging points for cabs and shorter charging times would solve the problem.
Shorter charging times could be achieved with more powerful charging stations, with around 300 KW already possible today, according to Kautzner. But in contrast to petrol stations, where the prices are signposted, this would not be the case with charging stations from different providers. We only know that other providers have different prices: "So we already have massive problems or need to catch up for us in the cab because logically we want to charge cheaply."
Many cab operators are, therefore, not prepared to replace their petrol- or diesel-powered cabs with electric ones. The most common reason is that long charging times are practically unfeasible in chauffeur-driven operations. In two-shift operations, for example, the question arises about who can fit the charging time into their driving time.
Child filmed in Vienna not missing girl from Serbia
Vienna police have confirmed that a child filmed by a witness in the city centre was not the missing girl from Serbia.
The police announced Thursday morning that the identities of the people featured in the cellphone footage had been established, and contact had been made with them. The women have nothing to do with the Serbian girl's disappearance but will be questioned by the State Criminal Police Office later today, said police spokesman Mattias Schuster on request.
A week ago, it was reported that a toddler in the village of Banjsko Polje near the town of Bor disappeared from the garden of her parent's house during an unsupervised moment. Despite extensive searches and investigations, there have been no results so far. The search for the missing girl can now be found on the Interpol website.
Over the Easter weekend, a video recorded by a Serbian resident in Vienna on Saturday at 8 p.m. was published in Serbian online media. The man reported that the women accompanying the girl spoke Romanian. He found out about the case of a missing person via social networks.
After the witness had made his observations, he first contacted the Serbian authorities as he had noticed a resemblance to the missing girl.
The Serbian authorities then sent a request for an investigation to the police in Vienna. The Vienna State Criminal Police Office took over the investigation into the suspected abduction of a child.
If you have any questions about life in Austria, ideas for articles, or news tips for The Local, please contact us at [email protected] or leave a comment below.
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Preparations for the deposit system underway
From January 1, 2025, disposable drinks packaging in Austria will require a deposit. Bottles and cans will cost 25 cents more to buy. Returns are still uncertain, especially in Vienna, and product range reductions are also a threat.
By 2027, 90% of all cans and PET bottles sold will be returned to the recycling loop. The buyers are being asked to do something to ensure that the packaging makes it there and does not end up in nature: They pay a surcharge of 25 cents, which they get back when they exchange the empty packaging. All containers except milk drinks can be returned. The deposit system also excludes beverage bottles made of glass or metal with plastic caps.
Returns are possible in all stores where packaging of the same size is also sold. "This means that if the retailer only sells 0.33-litre cans, they only have to take back 0.33-litre cans. But of any brand," says Margarete Gumprecht, Chairwoman of the Retail Division of the Vienna Chamber of Commerce (WKW). It is irrelevant whether the store sells the brand of packaging it takes back. So that small retailers, in particular, do not have to take back vast quantities of packaging, they can accept as much as they sell each day.
There are two different ways to return packaging. On the one hand, return machines can be set up, and on the other hand, retailers are also free to take back the packaging manually. Larger retail chains such as Rewe, Hofer and Spar have opted for the vending machine version and are implementing the new system. According to the supermarket chains, Where the machines are to be located depends on the store. Hofer, for example, highlights its intention to install return stations near the entrance areas.
Who are the 370,000 jobseekers in Austria, and where are they all?
Austria's unemployment numbers have risen sharply, but who are the people currently looking for jobs in the country?
Increase in bicycle thefts across Austria
The Austrian Transport Club (VCÖ) reports a concerning trend: bicycle thefts in Austria have risen for the first time since 2014. In 2023, there was a ten percent increase in stolen bikes compared to the previous year, with 18,566 officially reported cases.
The majority of these thefts, approximately 60 percent, occurred in provincial capitals, although Vienna experienced a decrease of almost seven percent in stolen bikes.
This uptick ends an eight-year streak of declining bicycle thefts, which dropped from 28,274 in 2014 to 16,824 in 2022. Despite this recent increase, residents of Linz face an exceptionally high risk of bike theft. Apart from Vienna, thefts surged in all provincial capitals in 2023. Lower Austria saw 2,747 thefts (up 28.1 percent), while Upper Austria recorded 2,682 thefts (up 27.2 percent).
The chances of recovering a stolen bike remain slim, with a detection rate of only 9.3 percent, though this marks a slight improvement from previous years. To increase the chances of recovery, the VCÖ recommends recording the bike's frame number and investing in theft insurance for high-quality or newer bikes.
In response to these findings, the VCÖ urges authorities to provide more secure bicycle parking spaces at leisure facilities, shopping streets, and public transport hubs like train stations and bus stops.
Owners must secure their bikes with sturdy locks and attach them to designated bike racks whenever possible.
READ ALSO: What are the rules for electric bikes in Austria?
Lower Austrian governor calls for 'quick solution' to Austrian Airlines worker's dispute
Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) calls for a "swift solution" to the AUA-KV dispute in an interview with "NÖ-heute" on the occasion of the governors' conference in St. Pölten.
Governor Mikl-Leitner speaks of a "sensitive situation" concerning the AUA-KV dispute. According to Mikl-Leitner, Austrian Airlines (AUA), with 6,000 employees and Vienna Airport in Schwechat (Bruck an der Leitha district), with around 23,000 employees on the entire site, are among the largest and most important employers in the province. "This success story must be continued", said the governor.
Mikl-Leitner does not blame anyone for the fact that no agreement or solution has yet been reached. "I can only hope that this situation will be brought to an end quickly and, above all, appeal to everyone involved to find a solution soon.
"In the spirit of social partnership, we challenge each other, but not to overburden each other, to find a fair solution, both for the employees and for the company, but above all for Lower Austria as a business location," she said.
The company and workers have failed to agree on pay raises and benefits for crew members, and the dispute has escalated to strikes, as The Local reported.
READ ALSO: Austrian Airlines strikes: Are the two sides closer to a deal?
Wolves chased a 13-year-old girl in Upper Austria
In a wooded area near Windhaag, near Freistadt, a 13-year-old girl had a startling encounter with two wolves on Easter Sunday around 6 p.m. The incident occurred just a few hundred metres from the girl's parents' house, leaving the young jogger in shock.
According to the girl's mother, Anita Affenzeller, the girl was on her usual jog when she heard rustling in the undergrowth. Suddenly, she found herself face to face with two wolves, one of which started approaching her. Reacting swiftly, the girl turned and ran as fast as she could, with at least one wolf giving chase. Only when she reached a nearby field the wolves disappeared into the forest.
The authorities in Upper Austria have classified the wolves' behaviour as atypical and dangerous. However, given their curious behaviour, they also consider the possibility that the animals may have been young wolves. The girl's mother described her daughter as brave but deeply shaken by the incident.
Following the encounter, the father reported the incident to the authorities, who will monitor the situation closely. If there are further incidents in the area within the next four weeks, authorities may consider issuing a shooting permit. Since the implementation of the wolf management ordinance, two wolves have already been shot in Upper Austria, and several others have been authorised for shooting.
Cab industry struggles with e-charging stations
Starting January 2024, new cab licences in Vienna will only be issued for electric cars. However, the cab industry believes the city is unprepared for this. Charging the batteries, in particular, is causing problems.
There are currently around 7,000 cabs in Vienna, 4,500 hybrid vehicles, and around 150 electric cars. According to Leopold Kautzner, Taxi Chairman of the Vienna Chamber of Commerce, the number of hybrid vehicles steadily increases as they save fuel and last extremely long. Hybrid vehicles are powered by a combination of combustion engines and electric motors.
Kautzner has mixed feelings about the operation of more and more electric cars. Charging cabs, in particular, would slow down business considerably: "In Vienna, we mostly have 11 kW charging stations, where they stand for up to six hours before the car is fully charged again." However, you can't pay a driver to wait for hours. More charging points for cabs and shorter charging times would solve the problem.
Shorter charging times could be achieved with more powerful charging stations, with around 300 KW already possible today, according to Kautzner. But in contrast to petrol stations, where the prices are signposted, this would not be the case with charging stations from different providers. We only know that other providers have different prices: "So we already have massive problems or need to catch up for us in the cab because logically we want to charge cheaply."
Many cab operators are, therefore, not prepared to replace their petrol- or diesel-powered cabs with electric ones. The most common reason is that long charging times are practically unfeasible in chauffeur-driven operations. In two-shift operations, for example, the question arises about who can fit the charging time into their driving time.
Child filmed in Vienna not missing girl from Serbia
Vienna police have confirmed that a child filmed by a witness in the city centre was not the missing girl from Serbia.
The police announced Thursday morning that the identities of the people featured in the cellphone footage had been established, and contact had been made with them. The women have nothing to do with the Serbian girl's disappearance but will be questioned by the State Criminal Police Office later today, said police spokesman Mattias Schuster on request.
A week ago, it was reported that a toddler in the village of Banjsko Polje near the town of Bor disappeared from the garden of her parent's house during an unsupervised moment. Despite extensive searches and investigations, there have been no results so far. The search for the missing girl can now be found on the Interpol website.
Over the Easter weekend, a video recorded by a Serbian resident in Vienna on Saturday at 8 p.m. was published in Serbian online media. The man reported that the women accompanying the girl spoke Romanian. He found out about the case of a missing person via social networks.
After the witness had made his observations, he first contacted the Serbian authorities as he had noticed a resemblance to the missing girl.
The Serbian authorities then sent a request for an investigation to the police in Vienna. The Vienna State Criminal Police Office took over the investigation into the suspected abduction of a child.
If you have any questions about life in Austria, ideas for articles, or news tips for The Local, please contact us at [email protected] or leave a comment below.
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