Far-right party leads in Austria EU elections: polls

Exit polls indicated that Austria’s far-right FPOe party led the vote count in the EU elections.

It would be the first time the group has topped a nationwide ballot in the Alpine country if confirmed.

According to polls released by the country’s main media outlets, the Freedom Party (FPOe) gained 25.5 percent of the votes, ahead of the ruling conservative People’s Party (OeVP).

The centre-right OeVP had 24.7 percent, followed by the centre-left SPÖ with 23.3 percent.

The OeVP slumped from the almost 35 percent it had gained in the last EU elections.

Its junior coalition partner, the Greens, also lost ground, falling to just above 10 percent, down from 14 percent in 2019.

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Refugees in Lower Austria receive more money with FPÖ payment card

According to research from the news magazine Profil, Austria’s far-right Freedom Party is developing a payment card for asylum seekers that gives eligible asylum seekers more money.

Previously, refugees living in basic accommodation received seven euros per day in cash; now, they get six euros credited to their payment card. However, due to European legal requirements, a certain amount—40 euros, to be precise—has to be paid out in cash. 

So, Profil calculated that in an average 30-day month, refugees received 210 euros under the old system but 220 euros with the new payment card.

But Lower Austrian asylum minister Christoph Luisser had hoped to make savings through the scheme, which was rolled out in selected areas in June.

Luisser said these savings were “difficult to quantify” and related to “the elimination of daily cash payments to each foreigner individually and with a signature.”

“This saving benefits the operators and cannot be quantified financially,” he said, adding that “by far the greatest saving will occur when the goal of making Lower Austria less attractive for illegal migrants is achieved”.

WIFO head blames government missteps, bad luck for Austria’s high inflation

Gabriel Felbermayr, the head of the Austrian Institute of Economic Research (WIFO), has attributed Austria’s prolonged high inflation to government missteps and unfavourable economic circumstances.

In a recent appearance on ORF’s “Pressestunde,” Felbermayr stated that the government should have extended the electricity price brake to natural gas. 

Felbermayr cited several factors contributing to Austria’s higher inflation than other EU countries, including the economic impact of the pandemic on tourism, the country’s export-oriented industry, and its significant reliance on Russian natural gas.

Austrian Airlines plane has emergency landing after damage by hail

An Austrian Airlines (AUA) Airbus A320 was significantly damaged by hail during a thunderstorm approaching Vienna Airport on Sunday evening. The plane landed safely despite the severe weather conditions, and no passengers or crew were injured.

The flight, OS434, was en route from Palma de Mallorca to Vienna when it encountered a thunderstorm cell not visible on the weather radar. The hail damaged the cockpit windows, nose cone, and several panels.

Following the incident, the pilots issued a “Mayday” call but were able to land the plane safely at 5:55 pm. AUA’s technical team is assessing the full extent of the damage to the aircraft.

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