Austria’s long-delayed overhaul of the private security sector is back on the government’s agenda, with ministers under pressure to finalise new rules before the Eurovision Song Contest takes place in Vienna in May.
Attempts to reform the laws around private security companies in Austria have stalled for decades.
The most recent push came in 2024, when authorities discovered that one of the terrorism suspects linked to a foiled plot against a Taylor Swift concert had been working in private security.
According to Die Presse, the responsible SPÖ state secretary, Jörg Leichtfried, is pushing for a “timely” decision that would combine the sector reform with the introduction of a central administrative penalties register.
The aim is to tighten oversight of a sector that is currently regulated only loosely, and to make it harder for security staff with a history of relevant offences to evade checks by moving between provinces or employers.
Why is the security sector being reformed now?
Currently, Austria's trade law covers the industry only to a limited extent. There is no mandatory training requirement for security staff, and companies can decide for themselves whether and how to train employees.
While larger companies often invest in training, Die Presse reported that problems repeatedly arise among smaller operators.
The legal requirement that staff must be “suitable” exists, but what this means in practice is unclear. Another weak point is the current “reliability” check process. Employers must register workers with the relevant administrative authority 14 days before they start work so their “reliability” (also unclear what this means) can be checked. In practice, Die Presse reported that data often arrives late or incomplete, and staff can be swapped at short notice.
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What is the central administrative penalties register meant to do?
A key element of the reform package is a planned central administrative penalties register, intended to give authorities nationwide access to relevant administrative penalties and a more complete record of prior offences.
The register was announced in September 2025 as “very timely” by state secretary Alexander Pröll with the text described as essentially finished. The government has since pointed to ongoing talks aimed at finalising the package.
Leichtfried’s office argued that the register would stop people from avoiding checks by moving to another province or working under new company structures after receiving administrative penalties. It would also make it harder for workers to remain employed despite repeated breaches.
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Will the new rules be in place for Eurovision in May?
The “basic framework” of the security reform was finished and the draft was in final coordination between the interior and economy ministries. The interior ministry is expected to be responsible for enforcement.
The plan is to send the draft into government coordination in the first quarter of 2026, allowing parliamentary approval before the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, according to Die Presse.
However, the trade union Vida is sceptical that the changes will have a practical impact in time.
Gernot Kopp, who chairs Vida’s building management division, questioned whether a new security law could “arrive in practice” before the contest.
He said new mandatory training would need to start immediately, and noted that the first tender deadline for security firms had already passed on January 8th, meaning new criteria could not have been reflected in that process.
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Key vocabulary
Sicherheitsdienstleistergesetz – planned law to regulate private security service providers
Gewerbeordnung – trade regulation framework that currently covers the sector
Verwaltungsstrafregister – central register of administrative penalties
Verwaltungsstrafe – administrative penalty imposed by an authority
Zuverlässigkeitsprüfung – reliability check carried out by an administrative authority
Organmandat – on-the-spot penalty notice (for example, for minor offences)
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