Today in Austria: A roundup of the latest news on Friday
Austria's centre left SPÖ party wants to introduce a transparency package, women are still underrepresented in municipal politics and more news from Austria on Friday.
Women still unrepresented in municipal politics
Only one in four municipal council seats is occupied by a woman in Austria, and the proportion of women among mayors is only eleven percent, reported by Der Standard on Friday.
In Vienna, just before Women's Day on March 8th, the Association of Cities and the Chamber of Labour shared the second Gender Equality Index, an index that collects information about how women are represented in Austria's towns and cities. The results are clear: women continue to be underrepresented compared to men in municipal politics. Only about 26 percent of city councillors and eleven percent of mayors in Austria are women.
Tinder must explain fee differences to EU users
Dating app Tinder has promised to tell users in the EU why they are being charged different fees for the same service, after Brussels opened a probe following consumer complaints from Sweden and the Netherlands.
A network of consumer authorities that took up those complaints "found that Tinder applied such personalised prices without informing consumers, which is in violation of EU consumer law," the European Commission said in a statement on Thursday.
"Personalising discounts without explicitly informing consumers is unfair as it hinders them from making an informed choice," it said.
For instance, a 2022 study in Sweden showed that Tinder applied 36 different price levels, charging some users the equivalent of $3 (2.7 euro) a month while others were asked to pay as much as $36 per month.
Austrian leader of the 'Federal State of Prussia' arrested
An Austrian leader associated with the anti-state association the "Federal State of Prussia" was arrested on Wednesday March 7th, reported by Der Standard.
The 67-year-old woman claiming to be a judge, fled to Slovenia after last year's raids to avoid prosecution. Since then, she is accused for issuing arrest warrants against real judges and continuing anti-state activities while in hiding. Now, she faces charges including leading an anti-state group, making threats, fraud, and incitement.
The SPÖ party wants to introduce a transparency package
The centre-left SPÖ party in the state parliament plans to introduce a transparency package to address concerns about government spending, announced ORF. The package includes instructions for state-owned companies to prioritise state interests, and removing unnecessary management positions. SPÖ argue that resources spent on these positions could be better used for health, housing, childcare, and transportation.
Additionally, in the package, the party also demands audits of all municipalities, including those with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants.
US urges Austria to limit Russian banking
Reuters reports that a US sanctions official was visiting Austrian authorities and Raiffeisen Bank International to put pressure on the bank, which has strong ties to Russia, to assess its connections to Russia and take steps to minimise risks.
The US is introducing new sanctions that could affect banks dealing with Russia, and this visit is part of efforts to ensure compliance.
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Women still unrepresented in municipal politics
Only one in four municipal council seats is occupied by a woman in Austria, and the proportion of women among mayors is only eleven percent, reported by Der Standard on Friday.
In Vienna, just before Women's Day on March 8th, the Association of Cities and the Chamber of Labour shared the second Gender Equality Index, an index that collects information about how women are represented in Austria's towns and cities. The results are clear: women continue to be underrepresented compared to men in municipal politics. Only about 26 percent of city councillors and eleven percent of mayors in Austria are women.
Tinder must explain fee differences to EU users
Dating app Tinder has promised to tell users in the EU why they are being charged different fees for the same service, after Brussels opened a probe following consumer complaints from Sweden and the Netherlands.
A network of consumer authorities that took up those complaints "found that Tinder applied such personalised prices without informing consumers, which is in violation of EU consumer law," the European Commission said in a statement on Thursday.
"Personalising discounts without explicitly informing consumers is unfair as it hinders them from making an informed choice," it said.
For instance, a 2022 study in Sweden showed that Tinder applied 36 different price levels, charging some users the equivalent of $3 (2.7 euro) a month while others were asked to pay as much as $36 per month.
Austrian leader of the 'Federal State of Prussia' arrested
An Austrian leader associated with the anti-state association the "Federal State of Prussia" was arrested on Wednesday March 7th, reported by Der Standard.
The 67-year-old woman claiming to be a judge, fled to Slovenia after last year's raids to avoid prosecution. Since then, she is accused for issuing arrest warrants against real judges and continuing anti-state activities while in hiding. Now, she faces charges including leading an anti-state group, making threats, fraud, and incitement.
The SPÖ party wants to introduce a transparency package
The centre-left SPÖ party in the state parliament plans to introduce a transparency package to address concerns about government spending, announced ORF. The package includes instructions for state-owned companies to prioritise state interests, and removing unnecessary management positions. SPÖ argue that resources spent on these positions could be better used for health, housing, childcare, and transportation.
Additionally, in the package, the party also demands audits of all municipalities, including those with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants.
US urges Austria to limit Russian banking
Reuters reports that a US sanctions official was visiting Austrian authorities and Raiffeisen Bank International to put pressure on the bank, which has strong ties to Russia, to assess its connections to Russia and take steps to minimise risks.
The US is introducing new sanctions that could affect banks dealing with Russia, and this visit is part of efforts to ensure compliance.
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