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MewsAustria, Fritz Hahn Gasse 1, Vienna (2025)

17/12/2025

‎A dominant high-pressure system is splitting Austria’s weather in two this week, bringing clear sunshine to the Alpine regions while valleys and lowlands remain covered in persistent fog and cloud.
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‎Meteorologist Peter Wölflingseder says no major weather events are expected heading into the weekend or through Christmas Eve. However, hopes for snowfall on Christmas are not completely lost.
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‎According to Geosphere expert Hannes Rieder, a low-pressure system and a cold front are approaching Austria in the coming days. While snowfall is far from guaranteed, he says weather conditions are more favourable this year than in recent winters. Any snow that does arrive is most likely to fall above 800 metres, raising expectations mainly in higher mountain areas.
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‎For residents in the lowlands, the outlook is less promising. Regions that have been trapped under fog in recent days are likely to remain grey and cloudy, while areas that recently enjoyed sunshine should continue to see clearer skies.
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‎Thursday:
‎Low-lying areas are expected to start the day in fog, with thicker cloud stretching from the Tyrolean Alps through East Tyrol into Carinthia. Sunshine is expected elsewhere, from Vorarlberg to Mariazell. Winds will remain light, with top temperatures between 1°C and 11°C, warmest in western Austria.
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‎Friday:
‎Fog and low cloud are forecast to dominate the plains, hills and valleys, particularly across the Rhine Valley and the Mur and Mürz regions, with light drizzle possible in the east. The Alps are set for clear, sunny weather. Highs will range from 0°C to 10°C depending on fog cover and sunshine.
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16/12/2025

Thousands of healthcare workers in Lower Austria are set to receive backdated pay rises and a one-off bonus following a new wage agreement, offering some relief as households continue to struggle with high living costs.
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‎After almost a year of negotiations, the trade union GPA and the Austrian Medical Chamber have reached a collective agreement covering employees in doctors’ surgeries, group practices and primary care centres in the province. The deal applies retroactively from 1 January 2025.
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‎Under the agreement, minimum salaries and all allowances will rise by 3.55 percent. In addition, many employees will receive a one-off bonus of €1,000. To qualify for the full amount, staff must have been employed by the same employer on both 1 July and 1 December 2025. Part-time workers or those not employed for the full year will receive a pro-rated payment, while periods of parental leave will count as full service.
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‎The bonus is expected to be paid in the coming days. Back payments linked to the higher wages may be delayed by around a month but are estimated by the union to be worth between €500 and €700 net per employee.
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‎Around 3,500 workers are expected to benefit from the agreement. The new minimum monthly wage under the collective contract will be €2,071, rising to €2,106 for medical practice assistants without prior experience, excluding allowances.
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‎Union officials said the retroactive settlement was necessary because prolonged talks between the Medical Chamber and the Austrian Health Insurance Fund had stalled negotiations for much of the year.
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‎The agreement comes as inflation continues to weigh on Austrian households, with prices for everyday goods still rising and further fee increases expected in the new year.
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16/12/2025

Vienna’s famous Christmas market at City Hall Square, often hailed as the “most beautiful Christmas market in the world,” has become the subject of heated debate on social media due to overwhelming crowds.
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‎Each year, Christmas markets across Austria attract millions of visitors, and the Vienna Christkindlmarkt at Rathausplatz is among the biggest draws. It was even named the world’s most beautiful Christmas market by US broadcaster CNN. This year, however, the sheer number of visitors has prompted frustration rather than festive cheer.
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‎Videos circulating on TikTok show tightly packed crowds in front of Vienna’s City Hall, with little trace of the traditional cosy Advent atmosphere. In one clip, a visitor jokes: “If you came to Vienna for the weekend and brought half of Europe with you,” as a sign reading “Full capacity. No entry!” appears in the background.
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‎Many Viennese say they feel shut out of their own city. “It’s so depressing for someone who was born and raised in Vienna – I can’t go to a Christmas market in my own city anymore,” one local wrote. Another described the situation as “truly unbearable”.
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‎The frustration is not limited to those seeking festive charm. Residents who have to pass through the area daily complain about navigating dense crowds twice a day. “I’m not amused, to put it mildly,” one Wiener commented.
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‎Some social media users tried to put things into perspective, noting that overcrowding at Christmas markets is a global phenomenon. Others suggested visiting smaller, less crowded markets around the city, such as Spittelberg. But even that advice was quickly challenged. “Spittelberg is the most beautiful one – but it’s just as packed,” another local replied, adding a laughing emoji.
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‎Indeed, especially in the evenings and at weekends, visitors to the narrow streets of the Spittelberg Advent market often find themselves being pushed along by the flow of people.

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15/12/2025

‎Austria is facing a sharp rise in influenza infections, with the flu wave arriving around four weeks earlier than usual and case numbers doubling within a single week, health officials say.
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‎“The influenza wave in Austria is now in full swing,” virologist Monika Redlberger-Fritz of the Medical University of Vienna told. She said the surge is being driven by a new virus variant, influenza A(H3N2) of the so-called K subclade, which is expected to cause a stronger outbreak than in recent years.
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‎According to the head of Austria’s national influenza reference laboratory, the H3N2(K) strain now accounts for around two-thirds of all detected cases. The variant is considered highly contagious and is able to partially evade existing vaccine protection.
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‎Surveillance data already show a rapid increase. In calendar week 50, laboratory detections rose by about 50 percent compared with the previous week. No federal state remains unaffected, with infections now reported across the entire country.
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‎The impact is also evident in sick leave figures. Data from the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) show that the number of insured people off work with confirmed influenza more than doubled within a week, rising from 1,572 cases in week 49 to 3,375 in week 50. By comparison, just 804 cases were recorded at the same time last year.
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‎Despite concerns that the new strain can more easily bypass immunity, health authorities stress that vaccination still offers important protection against severe illness, hospitalisation and complications.
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‎“To ensure the immune system can build up sufficient protection before the Christmas holidays, we strongly recommend the free flu vaccination,” said Dr Andreas Krauter, chief medical officer of the ÖGK. He urged people to check with their family doctors or consult official websites for information on participating clinics.
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‎Health officials warn that vaccination not only reduces the risk of serious disease but also helps protect vulnerable relatives and limits further spread of the virus.
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15/12/2025

Austria’s healthcare system is under increasing pressure, according to a new survey commissioned by a newspaper, with long waiting times emerging as the public’s biggest concern. The findings have prompted the opposition Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) to renew its criticism of what it describes as a growing “two-tier” health system.
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‎The poll, conducted by research institute Unique Research, shows that 49% of respondents want shorter waiting times for doctor appointments to be the government’s top priority. This was followed by calls for more publicly funded medical practices (47%) and additional nursing staff (37%). Nearly one in five respondents said they would support fees for non-urgent hospital visits.
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‎SPÖ parliamentary leader Philip Kucher said the results confirmed long-standing warnings by the OECD and Austria’s Court of Audit. “The data clearly show the mistakes made by previous governments led by the People’s Party, the Freedom Party and the Greens,” Kucher told.
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‎A recent OECD report, Country Health Profile Austria 2025, covering developments up to 2024, concluded that access to healthcare in Austria is increasingly shaped by the principle of “wait or pay”. The report highlights a shortage of publicly contracted doctors and general practitioners, stagnant contract numbers, overcrowded hospitals and an underdeveloped outpatient sector.
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‎Experts also point to a sharp rise in waiting times and private healthcare costs. Out-of-pocket payments now account for 16.5% of total healthcare spending in Austria — around 50% higher than the EU average.
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‎“If a system deteriorates, the responsibility lies with those who design it, not with those who work in it,” Kucher said, stressing that doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals were not to blame for the situation.
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13/12/2025

A motorist in Vienna has fallen victim to what critics describe as a parking “trap” in thpe Liesing district, facing demands totalling more than €680 after a brief stop.

The incident occurred at a private car park on Perfektastraße 11, where numerous drivers have previously been hit with hefty charges. Theo (name changed), a Vienna resident, said he parked there briefly one evening to pick up food from a nearby restaurant, only to receive an unwelcome surprise weeks later.

He was sent a letter demanding €395, warning that failure to pay would result in legal action for trespass. Shocked, Theo paid the amount immediately. However, the matter did not end there. Several weeks later, he received a second demand — this time for a further €287.12 — said to cover additional costs such as administrative fees.

According to past reports, Theo’s case is not an isolated one. Another Vienna resident previously had to pay around €683 after being charged extra fees on top of an initial payment.

Nikolaus Authried, a legal expert at Austria’s motorists’ association ÖAMTC, said each case must be assessed individually. In a similar incident, he noted, a second lump-sum charge was not justified once the initial demand had already been paid. Only a handling fee of €47.75 related to obtaining vehicle owner details was considered legitimate.

Whether Theo will pay the remaining charges remains unclear.

13/12/2025

Austrian prosecutors have dropped a criminal complaint filed by the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) against Burgenland governor Hans Peter Doskozil, prompting the Social Democrat to accuse the opposition of pursuing politically motivated attacks and to call for a change in tone.

The public prosecutor’s office in Eisenstadt confirmed that it had discontinued the investigation into allegations of abuse of office and coercion linked to the regional newspaper Neue Eisenstädter. The complaint had been submitted in October by FPÖ parliamentary leader Norbert Hofer.

Doskozil said the decision came as no surprise, arguing that the accusations had lacked any factual basis from the outset. He said the political motivation behind the complaint had been evident early on.

“It was clear that the allegations were without substance,” Doskozil said in a statement released by his office on Saturday.

Following the dismissal of the case, the governor addressed the opposition in sharp terms, urging a shift in political culture. He said opposition politics should return to being an exchange of arguments rather than relying on what he described as baseless accusations, adding that such a change would benefit the state of Burgenland.

Doskozil’s lawyer, Johannes Zink, confirmed that the investigation had been dropped in its entirety. He noted that his client had not even been summoned to give a statement, which he said underlined the weakness of the claims.

“The fact that my client was never questioned shows how empty and incorrect the accusations were,” Zink said. “It is reassuring to see that politics cannot be conducted through unfounded attacks.”

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12/12/2025

Tensions are rising ahead of the upcoming “Stars in the Ring” celebrity boxing event, with a German reality TV personality now entering the fray.

Petra, known from the Austrian show Teenager Become Mothers, plans to step into the ring this year. Her fiancé Miguel secured a proposal for her in 2025 after winning his own fight on the programme. Now it is Petra’s turn to compete.

On 25 April in Maria Enzersdorf, several TV personalities—including Ginger Wollersheim’s new partner Lukas and ATV veteran Maxl from Wir leben im Gemeindebau—are expected to face off in a series of bouts.

Petra has been the target of frequent online criticism from fellow Teenager Become Mothers participant Julia and her partner Iraj. Although the pair have exchanged insults publicly, a direct match-up has been complicated by their differing weight classes: Petra would need to lose 13 kilograms, while Julia would need to gain two. So far, neither side has managed to bridge the gap.

A new challenger has now emerged. Nastasia, a former “Temptation Island” contestant from Germany, has announced her intention to fight Petra—and did not hold back online, remarking in a comment: “Hopefully mum comes home without a black eye, but I’m not so sure.”

According to event organisers, Nastasia has already signed her contract. The fighters now have several months to train before stepping into the ring, where the winner will finally be decided.

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MewsAustria

17/12/2025

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