Today in Austria: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday
Austria's foreign minister predicts EU oil embargo in a few days, Red Cross criticises Austria for not meeting UN aid targets, horse-drawn carriages could disappear from Vienna and more news on Tuesday.
Austria’s foreign minister expects EU oil embargo decision ‘in next few days’
The EU has put its oil embargo of Russia on hold due to Hungary requesting billions of euros in exchange for its support. Austria’s Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) has said he expects an agreement “in the next few days”.
A “certain need for discussion” is “very clear”, and not all states are equally badly affected, said Schallenberg, according to broadcaster ORF. He said the EU should appear united as “Russia is watching us”.
Red Cross criticises Austria for not meeting UN targets for development spending
The Red Cross has criticised Austria’s federal government for not spending more on development aid. In addition, Austria has not decided its development programme for 2022-24, although this should have been in place by the end of 2021, broadcaster ORF reports.
Despite emergency aid to Ukraine of 42 million euros and the increase in the foreign disaster fund to 60 million euros, Austria is "still far away" from the UN target of spending 0.7 percent of its economic power on development cooperation. According to the Red Cross’s Secretary General Michael Opriesnig, Austria is currently at 0.31 percent of gross national income (GNI).
'Out of date': Possible ban on Vienna’s horse drawn carriages
The debate over Vienna’s ‘fiaker’ or horse drawn carriages, has begun again as temperatures in the capital have started to head above 30 degrees. Currently the horses are not allowed to work when the temperatures rise over 35 degrees, and there are plans to lower the upper temperature requirement to 30 degrees.
Animal protection minister Johannes Rauch (Greens), wants to ban the horse drawn carriages from the city, and told ORF’s Vienna Today programme that he thought the horse-drawn carriages in the city were “a bit out of date”.
Violence protection centres ask for right to exchange data without consent of client
A violence prevention centre in Salzburg, called “Jugend am Werk” is calling for the rules on data sharing to be changed after a 41-year-old stabbed his ex wife on Friday in Piesendorf (Pinzgau).
The man had been in contact with Jugend am Werk after his victim reported him, and he was banned from entering her home. The ban required him to take part in a mandatory six-hour violence prevention consultation and the 41-year-old had an initial interview at the advice centre in Zell am See on May 4th.
The consultant had suggested the centre should take part in a a security police case conference to discuss the 41-year-old and had talked about it with the local police, however, as he did not consent to his data being released, it was not possible for the victim protection institutions to meet to discuss his case, broadcaster ORF reports.
Scheme to provide free period products is in high demand
A pilot scheme called Rote Box (red box) providing free tampons and pads in four locations in the Vienna Brigittenau district has reported much greater demand than expected for the sanitary products. The district of Vienna is one in which around 20 percent of girls are at risk of poverty.
A total of 80,604 tampons and 94,960 pads were distributed via the boxes after being donated by a drugstore chain. The city is now examining whether and how the “Red Box” project can be continued, broadcaster ORF reports.
Work starts on Vienna’s controversial new city highway
After long protests, at which protestors camped out for months, the construction of the controversial city highway in the Donaustadt district of Vienna has finally begun, broadcaster ORF reports. One protest camp still remains behind the Hirschstetten Gardens.
Excavators have started driving along the future route, while environmental activists are planning even more protests in the aim of stalling construction. The Lobau Bleibt protest website says further action is planned on May 25th.
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Austria’s foreign minister expects EU oil embargo decision ‘in next few days’
The EU has put its oil embargo of Russia on hold due to Hungary requesting billions of euros in exchange for its support. Austria’s Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) has said he expects an agreement “in the next few days”.
A “certain need for discussion” is “very clear”, and not all states are equally badly affected, said Schallenberg, according to broadcaster ORF. He said the EU should appear united as “Russia is watching us”.
Red Cross criticises Austria for not meeting UN targets for development spending
The Red Cross has criticised Austria’s federal government for not spending more on development aid. In addition, Austria has not decided its development programme for 2022-24, although this should have been in place by the end of 2021, broadcaster ORF reports.
Despite emergency aid to Ukraine of 42 million euros and the increase in the foreign disaster fund to 60 million euros, Austria is "still far away" from the UN target of spending 0.7 percent of its economic power on development cooperation. According to the Red Cross’s Secretary General Michael Opriesnig, Austria is currently at 0.31 percent of gross national income (GNI).
'Out of date': Possible ban on Vienna’s horse drawn carriages
The debate over Vienna’s ‘fiaker’ or horse drawn carriages, has begun again as temperatures in the capital have started to head above 30 degrees. Currently the horses are not allowed to work when the temperatures rise over 35 degrees, and there are plans to lower the upper temperature requirement to 30 degrees.
Animal protection minister Johannes Rauch (Greens), wants to ban the horse drawn carriages from the city, and told ORF’s Vienna Today programme that he thought the horse-drawn carriages in the city were “a bit out of date”.
Violence protection centres ask for right to exchange data without consent of client
A violence prevention centre in Salzburg, called “Jugend am Werk” is calling for the rules on data sharing to be changed after a 41-year-old stabbed his ex wife on Friday in Piesendorf (Pinzgau).
The man had been in contact with Jugend am Werk after his victim reported him, and he was banned from entering her home. The ban required him to take part in a mandatory six-hour violence prevention consultation and the 41-year-old had an initial interview at the advice centre in Zell am See on May 4th.
The consultant had suggested the centre should take part in a a security police case conference to discuss the 41-year-old and had talked about it with the local police, however, as he did not consent to his data being released, it was not possible for the victim protection institutions to meet to discuss his case, broadcaster ORF reports.
Scheme to provide free period products is in high demand
A pilot scheme called Rote Box (red box) providing free tampons and pads in four locations in the Vienna Brigittenau district has reported much greater demand than expected for the sanitary products. The district of Vienna is one in which around 20 percent of girls are at risk of poverty.
A total of 80,604 tampons and 94,960 pads were distributed via the boxes after being donated by a drugstore chain. The city is now examining whether and how the “Red Box” project can be continued, broadcaster ORF reports.
Work starts on Vienna’s controversial new city highway
After long protests, at which protestors camped out for months, the construction of the controversial city highway in the Donaustadt district of Vienna has finally begun, broadcaster ORF reports. One protest camp still remains behind the Hirschstetten Gardens.
Excavators have started driving along the future route, while environmental activists are planning even more protests in the aim of stalling construction. The Lobau Bleibt protest website says further action is planned on May 25th.
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