Social Democratic (SPÖ) Chancellor Werner Faymann has claimed Austria would be worse off if the European Union (EU) allowed Greece to go bust. The Social Democrat once more defended the financial support for the debt-stricken Eurozone member in a TV interview yesterday (Sun). Faymann pointed out Austria was a country focusing on exports and must […]
Tag: EU
Austria almost at top of EU rich list
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Austria has been found to be among the European Union (EU) nations with the highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. Eurostat, the European Commission’s (EC) research and statistic agency, said today (Thurs) that Austria’s per capita GDP was 25 per cent higher than the EU average last year. The institution found the same rate […]
Franz Vranitzky has expressed doubts whether Austrian businesspeople feel represented by the countrys politicians due to their “inexplicable bashing of Turkey.”The former Social Democratic (SPÖ) chancellor said today (Fri) it was “not plausible” why Austria has made itself the “spearhead” of European countries opposing a Turkish accession of the European Union (EU).”I just dont understand […]
A leading right-winger from Austria has caused a stir by accusing a journalist from his home country of “fouling his own nest” by posing a question about Adolf Hitler in Strasbourg, France.Freedom Party (FPÖ) leader Heinz-Christian Strache travelled to the city to meet French politician Marie Le Pen, head of the Front National (FN) party, […]
Turkish OSCE veto causes a stir
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A serious diplomatic rift has erupted between Austria and Turkey.The Turkish government decided at the weekend to veto Ursula Plassniks application for the position as secretary-general of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The former Austrian Peoples Party (ÖVP) foreign minister said earlier this year she wanted to take over from Marc […]
Unemployment rate remains low
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Austria retained its reputation as Europes job sector model pupil.The country registered the lowest unemployment rate among all of the European Unions (EU) 27 member states last month, it was announced today (Thurs). The federal labour ministry of Social Democrat (SPÖ) Rudolf Hundstorfer said that 221,369 people living in Austria had no job in May. […]
Faymann defends aid for Greece
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Freedom Party (FPÖ) chief Heinz-Christian Strache accused the government of “dispossessing” Austrians of their assets and savings by supporting ailing Eurozone member Greece.The right-winger said in the federal parliament in Vienna yesterday (Tues) the coalition of Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the Peoples Party (ÖVP) must stop offering any further support to the struggling Southern European […]
Top-level managers of Austrias leading companies raked in a fifth more last year than in so-called crisis year 2009.Reports from today (Tues) have it that members of the executive boards of the 20 Austrian firms quoted on the Vienna Stock Exchange (WBAG) earned around 20 per cent more in 2010 than the year before when […]
Frosty reception for Turkish president
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A party founded by late right-winger Jörg Haider has caused a diplomatic rift by announcing that the Turkish president “is not welcome” in Austria.The Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZÖ) was established by Haider in 2005. The party said yesterday (Mon) when Abdullah Gül started a three-day visit to Austria that the […]
A high-ranking official is suspected of channelling large sums into leisure associations run by his wife.In a reaction to reports in the Austrian press, a spokeswoman for Peoples Party (ÖVP) Economy Minister Reinhold Mitterlehner said the embezzled European Union (EU) subsidies were “significantly lower than one million Euros”.The accused official has been suspended as prosecutors […]