Austrian MPs have approved a new asylum monitoring role for the Ombudsman’s Office and Vienna municipal housing tenants will be allowed to install air conditioning under certain conditions, plus more stories from Austria on Thursday.
Austria gives Ombudsman’s Office new asylum monitoring role
Austria’s Ombudsman’s Office will monitor new asylum border procedures at airports after MPs approved a constitutional amendment and changes to the Ombudsman Act. The change is linked to the EU’s Common European Asylum System and longer possible detentions at airports.
Under the new EU border procedures, people who enter without authorisation or apply for asylum without meeting entry requirements are to undergo screening within seven days, including identity checks and a health check. In Austria, this generally applies to entries via airports, where the Volksanwaltschaft or one of its commissions can conduct unannounced on-site checks.
The reform was backed by the ÖVP, SPÖ, NEOS and Greens, while the FPÖ rejected it because it opposes the EU asylum and migration pact. UNHCR welcomed legal representation from day 1 for unaccompanied refugee children, but criticised new family reunification rules and raised concern about expanded use of detention for asylum seekers.
READ ALSO: The immigration changes that await foreigners in Austria in 2026 and beyond
Vienna municipal housing to allow air conditioning under conditions
Wiener Wohnen will allow air conditioning in municipal housing under certain conditions after criticism from the Volksanwaltschaft. Ombudswoman Gaby Schwarz said the change was a success for people who suffer from heat in their Gemeindewohnungen during summer.
Until now, air conditioning in Vienna’s Gemeindebauten was only approved for people with care level 6. Schwarz argued that extreme summer heat is also a serious burden for people with cardiovascular problems, older residents, children and many others.
Split air-conditioning units with an indoor and outdoor unit will be allowed if they are professionally planned and installed by licensed companies. Wiener Wohnen will also require rules on noise protection, energy efficiency, fire safety and placement to be met before installation.
READ ALSO: Gemeindebau: How do you qualify for a social housing flat in Vienna?
Austria’s inflation rises to 3.4 percent in April
Austria’s inflation rate rose to 3.4 percent in April 2026, up from 3.2 percent in March, according to Statistik Austria. The figure was 0.1 percentage points higher than the flash estimate published at the end of April.
Fuel and heating oil prices accounted for around 1 percentage point of inflation, or just under a third of the total rate. Statistik Austria said the Spritpreisbremse prevented inflation from rising by another 0.2 percentage points, while earlier Easter dates and cheaper package holidays also dampened the rate by 0.2 percentage points.
Transport had the strongest upward effect, with prices up 7.7 percent year-on-year and fuel prices up 28 percent. Heating oil rose by 62.6 percent, while electricity was 10.2 percent cheaper and food and non-alcoholic drinks were up 2.4 percent.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: What is Austria’s plan to stop fuel price increases?
Universities warn of major cuts under government budget plans
Austria’s public universities say they face around €1 billion less under the next three-year performance agreements with the Science Ministry, according to Der Standard. The 22 public universities are expected to receive €15.5 billion instead of the €16.5 billion budgeted for the current period.
Universities Austria president Brigitte Hütter said the universities had calculated a need of €18 billion for 2028 to 2030, mostly to cover inflation. She described the gap as €2.5 billion by 2030 and said the universities were pulling out of the ministry’s process for a new higher education strategy in protest.
The universities say the planned budget would mean cutting 10,000 full-time posts and worsening conditions for around 270,000 students. Hütter said universities don’t want to introduce tuition fees but would have to consider everything if such a large part of the budget were cut, while the ministry said fees would not be introduced.
READ ALSO: Does Austria have too many universities?
From our guides
As Austria’s summer tourism season approaches, our guide to finding a summer job in Austria explains where seasonal work tends to be available and what different workers need to know before applying.
Members get access to this and other practical The Local Austria guides, explainers and in-depth stories on working in Austria, including the rules around permits, seasonal employment and labour-market access.
What’s happening in Austria today
The Nationalrat is sitting in Vienna from 9 am, starting with a question time involving Women’s and Science Minister Eva-Maria Holzleitner. MPs are due to debate several resident-facing items, including a VAT cut on selected basic foods, changes to consumer credit rules and new requirements for energy information in property adverts.
The planned VAT cut would reduce tax on selected basic foods from 10 percent to 4.9 percent from July 1st, 2026. Products listed include milk, butter, eggs, rice, wheat flour, pasta and bread.
READ ALSO: What Austria’s new lower VAT on food could mean for your shopping bill
Drivers should note that the A10 Tauernautobahn northbound towards Salzburg remains fully closed between Knoten Pongau and Pass Lueg. Traffic is being diverted via the B159, and an HGV ban for vehicles over 7.5 tonnes is also in place northbound between Knoten Villach and Knoten Salzburg.
Rail passengers also face several planned ÖBB disruptions today, including works between Vienna and Villach, between Wien Hauptbahnhof and Bruck an der Leitha, and on the airport rail corridor between Wien Floridsdorf and Vienna Airport.
READ ALSO: How major rail works across Austria will impact passengers in 2026
The weather is mixed but not severe. Austria can expect some sunshine, moving cloud, showers and lively to strong northerly wind, with temperatures forecast between 16C and 25C.
In Vienna, the Wiener Festwochen continue, with Patti Smith Quartet playing a sold-out concert at Arena Wien at 8 pm. The Steffl Kirtag also continues around St Stephen’s Cathedral from 10 am to 9 pm.
Coming up later on The Local
We’ll have a guide to watching the 2026 World Cup from Austria, including public viewing options, free-to-air TV coverage and the late-night or early-morning kick-off times Austrian fans need to know.
Vocabulary
die Volksanwaltschaft – the Ombudsman’s Office
das Grenzverfahren – border procedure
die Gemeindewohnung – municipal flat
die Spritpreisbremse – fuel price cap
die Studiengebühren – tuition fees
If you have any questions about life in Austria, ideas for articles, or news tips for The Local, you can contact us at news@thelocal.at or leave a comment below.