Austrian investors who cooperated with Telekom Austria (TA) are facing fraud investigations. Magazine profil reported in its online edition yesterday (Thurs) that anti-corruption investigators started examining the actions of billionaire Martin Schlaff and former People’s Party (ÖVP) chief Josef Taus, one of Austria’s busiest investors. TA benefited from Schlaff’s engagements in Bulgaria where the Austrian […]
Fuel prices under close scrutiny
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The Austrian Competition Authority (BWB) has asked the country’s leading oil companies and petrol station managers to comment on the current price developments. The BWB announced yesterday (Weds) it had decided to take a closer look at the recent pricing occurrences due to an increasing number of complaints by citizens and car clubs. The authority […]
ÖVP rejects ORF relocation
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The People’s Party (ÖVP) has appealed to ORF bosses to rethink their intention to relocate the broadcaster’s headquarters. ORF general director Alexander Wrabetz is understood to be keen on building a new ORF head office in Vienna-Landstraße. The state-funded broadcasting corporation has its headquarters in the Viennese district of Hietzing at the moment. The building […]
WKO less optimistic than WIFO
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The Economy Chamber (WKO) has warned from overly positive economic forecasts. The Institute for Economic Research (WIFO) recently said Austrian enterprises might invest 5.6 billion Euros this year in the domestic economy, 12 per cent more than in 2011. The WKO’s industrial section announced yesterday (Weds) that firms’ spending might not rise as sharply. WKO […]
Women’s Minister Gabriele Heinisch-Hosek promised to keep fighting gender disparities on the labour market as a survey shows that men earn significantly more than women of the same social background. Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU) researchers compared the careers of 250 graduates to find out that the pay gap between the male and […]
The head of a cut-price petrol station company has revealed expansion plans. Free Energy Trading (FE) boss Markus Friesacher said today (Weds) his enterprise started constructing a new no-frills service station in Slovenia. It is the first time that FE gets active abroad. The company currently manages 30 low-cost petrol stations across Austria. Customers pay […]
OMV demands EU gas commitment
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The head of Austria’s leading oil and gas company has appealed to political leaders to take a stand for gas as a key future source of energy. Gerhard Roiss, who has headed OMV AG since 2011, told the Kurier newspaper that the European Union (EU) should make clear whether it supported the search for and […]
The number of job seekers is on the rise. Around 263,700 people had no work last month, the Labour Market Service (AMS) announced. This is an increase of 4.4 per cent compared to the same month of 2011. The organisation underlined that especially physically and mentally handicapped people, older workers and immigrants struggled to find […]
Rewe Austria claims market share leap
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Rewe Austria has managed to increase its market share, according to a report issued by the company. Rewe Austria boss Frank Hensel said yesterday (Thurs) that his firm – which manages leading supermarket Billa, discounter Penny and other chains – had a domestic market share of 35 per cent last year. “We managed to keep […]
Amendment could cause gas price decline
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The head of energy sector watchdog E-Control has disclosed his plans for fairer gas prices. Walter Boltz told the Kurier today (Thurs) that a change of the current gas market law was planned for the beginning of next year. He said this step would allow Austrian firms to acquire transit gas. Boltz said it was […]