The Freedom Party (FPÖ) accused incumbent president Heinz Fischer of trying to distract from other issues as he called for a reform of the presidents legislature.Fischer suggested over the weekend that the federal presidents legislative period could be extended to eight years with no possibility of running for a second term in office.The legislature of […]
EU Council President to visit Austria
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EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy will visit Austria in April to attend a meeting of the Peoples Partys (ÖVP) parliamentary fraction, it was announced yesterday (Thurs).The fractions meeting under the slogan “New Growth for Austria. Research. Energy. Work” will take place from 6 to 8 April at Loipersdorf, Styria.Van Rompuy, a former Belgian Christian […]
Around 3,000 people attended a “sea of candles” protest march against the Freedom Partys (FPÖ) presidential candidate Barbara Rosenkranz in Vienna last night (Thurs), according to police.Rosenkranz has come under fire over failing to make clear her statements about Austrias Nazi past and the existence of gas chambers at the Third Reichs death camps.The ultra-conservative […]
Social Democratic (SPÖ) whip Josef Cap has appealed to European Union (EU) leaders to take action to improve the EUs reputation.Cap said in parliament yesterday (Weds) that many people lacked trust in the EU since many political leaders had failed to draw the right conclusions from the economic downturn.”The EU needs to face important questions […]
Peoples Party (ÖVP) Science Minister Beatrix Karl may have to brace for harsh opposition by student protesters after revealing plans to set up admission tests for popular university courses today (Thurs).Thousands of students have joined occupations of auditoriums at several Austria universities and street marches over the past few months to make the public aware […]
Putin ‘to visit Austria next month’
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Russian Premier Minister Vladimir Putin will visit Vienna next month, according to a newspaper report.Vienna daily Heute reported today (Weds) that Putin, who has a black belt, would attend the Judo World Championships set to take place in the Austrian capital between 22 and 25 April on 24 April.The newspaper also claimed that […]
A panel discussion about US president Barack Obamas vision of a world free of nuclear weapons organised by top international organisations will take place in Vienna next week.The Austrian Institute for International Affairs (oiip) and the United States Mission to International Organizations, both based in Vienna, announced the debates high-profile list of participators today (Fri).Glyn […]
New express passport to cost 220
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The new Austrian express passport, ready 24 hours after application, starts on 15 March will cost 220 Euros for adults.Peoples Party (ÖVP) Interior Minister Maria Fekter said today (Fri) express passports for children younger than 12 would cost 165 Euros, adding that express passports could be obtained at any passport office.The ministry said such quick […]
OSCE to monitor presidential election
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The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) will send election observers to Austria for the first time since World War II to monitor next months presidential elections.The body announced last night (Tues) it planned to send a ten-member team of experts to Austria to check structural aspects like press coverage and party financing […]
The Council of Carinthian Slovenes executive committee voted yesterday (Tues) in favour of its dissolution, head Karel Smolle announced.The decision must be approved by the Councils delegates at its 29 March meeting in order to become effective.Council deputy leader Rudi Vouk said the reason for the vote was the Slovene governments decision to cut its […]