Three months ago ÖVP Finance Minister Fekter wanted to sell the Federal Railways (ÖBB), now the ÖVP is pedalling back. The Wirtschaftsblatt newspaper cited ÖVP spokesperson for traffic affairs, Martin Bartenstein, today (Fri) as saying: “The ÖBB and privatisation is like the devil and the holy water.” He added that privatisation could not even be […]
The Green party wants a public opinion poll in the current tax debate. The Green’s spokesperson Werner Kogler said at a press conference today (Fri) that a public opinion poll was necessary to end “red-black stagnation” meaning SPÖ and ÖVP. Furthermore the Greens demanded polls on abolishing mandatory military service and an anti-corruption law. The […]
The Viennese People’s Party (ÖVP) is infuriated after the city government decided to slash the budget of a cultural event it has been hosting for years. The Stadtfest is a tradition-rich series of concerts, performances and readings taking place in the city centre of Vienna. It is organised by the ÖVP. The conservative party formed […]
Alfred Gusenbauer has revealed details of his engagement at one of the best universities in the world. The former Social Democratic (SPÖ) chancellor told newspaper Die Presse yesterday (Mon) he was about to become a permanent lecturer at Harvard University. The institute – which is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States – is […]
Five times more students will start courses at Austria’s universities when the semester starts next week than in 1970, statistics have shown. Official data presented by Statistik Austria on Wednesday revealed that more than 265,000 people will study at the country’s universities and colleges in the upcoming semester. This is a strong increase compared to […]
A new survey has revealed a significant potential for conflicts between Austrians and foreigners. A poll by the Centre for Future Studies of Salzburg’s FH higher education college shows that 53 per cent of Austrians considered the change that existing difficulties in the coexistence of themselves and immigrants could worsen as “very high”. Around 45 […]
District chiefs have turned their guns on the Viennese government over its plans to turn all residential areas into 30-kilometre-per-hour (kph) limit zones. The coalition of Social Democrats (SPÖ) and the Green Party of Vice Mayor Maria Vassilakou agreed after partnering up last year to increase the number of 30 kph limit streets in the […]
Chris Patten has called on Europeans to treat immigrants better. The former European Commissioner for External Relations said today (Tues): “Yes, we do have the highest quality of living in Europe. However, we ignore the need for reforms to sustain this standard.” Speaking to Austrian newspaper Die Presse, the ex-governor of Hong Kong criticised that […]
An analyst has warned of a “high” risk of a second Greek bankruptcy. The southern European country, which is part of the Eurozone and the European Union (EU) asked the EU, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Central Bank (ECB) for financial support for the first time last year to avoid state bankruptcy. […]
Günter Verheugen has launched a scathing attack on German Chancellor Angela Merkel over her actions in the European debt crisis. The former vice president of the European Commission (EC) told Austrian magazine profil the situation would be different today had Merkel said from the start that Europe would let no member of the European Union […]