Austria faces another bout of extreme cold and a proposed health reform looked set for a political fight, plus more stories from Austria on Tuesday.
Austria hits -29C again as forecasters warn of black ice and freezing rain
Austria recorded another nationwide cold record of -29C in Liebenau-Gugu in Upper Austria, according to Kurier. The report said Vienna’s Innere Stadt was comparatively mild at -4.5C on Monday morning.
Meteorologists were warning of Glatteis, meaning black ice, and gefrierender Regen, or freezing rain, as a warm front approached from the west from Tuesday. ÖBB also warned of possible restrictions in local, long-distance and freight services due to expected ice build-up on points, vehicles and overhead lines, and advised people to postpone non-essential trips.
Kurier also reported that a 57-year-old tourist from Denmark was found dead in the snow near a waterfall in Bad Gastein on Sunday, and he was believed to have frozen to death.
The report added that the Lawinengefahr, or avalanche risk, was rising in western Tirol and parts of Vorarlberg, with experts warning that even stepping onto slopes could be enough to trigger a slide in some conditions.
Health reform plan risks collapse as provinces clash over “guest patients”
Austria’s planned health reform risked derailing because provincial positions were too far apart, according to Die Presse. The sharpest tensions were in eastern Austria, where disputes over Gastpatienten, patients treated outside their home province, had hardened the fronts.
On the same day Vienna’s Mayor Michael Ludwig presented a model of four “health regions”, Lower Austria’s Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner announced legal steps against Vienna after a hospital appointment for a patient from Mistelbach was reportedly cancelled at short notice. Burgenland’s Governor Hans Peter Doskozil was also quoted as opposing the idea of health regions because he would not accept what he saw as a division of the province.
Ludwig argued that Vienna’s specialised hospitals treated many people from other provinces, and that despite internal charging mechanisms, the city recorded a deficit of €610 million, which he said was rising.
Constitutional Court allows transgender person to delete gender entry from register
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The Constitutional Court granted a transgender person the right to have their Geschlechtseintrag, or gender entry, removed from the civil register, according to ORF. This differed from the Administrative Court’s position, which had refused the request.
The case involved a person described as biologically male with a non-binary gender identity, who did not identify as male or female. ORF reported that Vienna’s Mayor Michael Ludwig, acting as the competent authority, initially rejected the request to delete the “male” entry, and the dispute then moved through multiple court stages.
The Constitutional Court found transgender people were entitled to the same protection as intersex people in this context, and said a rigid requirement to choose only “male” or “female” could fail proportionality requirements under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
What’s happening in Austria today
Federal leaders were due to hold a working retreat in Mauerbach in Lower Austria, with media doorsteps planned from about 11:45 am.
In Vienna, a special Landtag sitting requested by the Greens was scheduled for 12:00 pm, focused on housing, including calls for more subsidised building and renovation support and a debate on how housing subsidy funds are used.
In parliament, a standing subcommittee linked to the Court of Audit committee was set to meet at 2:00 pm, connected to scrutiny of payments from federal ministries and federal bodies to associations, NGOs and similar entities.
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Travel disruption remained a risk, with ÖBB warning of possible restrictions due to freezing rain and ice build-up on infrastructure.
Planned works also continued, including daytime weekday S80 cancellations between Wien Hauptbahnhof and Wien Aspern Nord, and the Westbahn line closure between Innsbruck Hauptbahnhof and Rum. Drivers in Vienna also faced night-time A4 restrictions, with the Wien-Simmeringer Haide exit closed overnight.
For those making plans later today, Eurovision ticket sales were due to begin for people who registered in advance, alongside warnings about fake ticket shops and phishing attempts.
In Salzburg state, the Women’s World Cup night slalom in Flachau was scheduled for 5:45 pm and 8:45 pm.
Coming up later on The Local
Where will it cost you more to become an Austrian citizen? We look at how the total bill can vary sharply between Austria’s provinces, beyond the federal fees, and why applicants can face very different costs depending on where they apply.
Vocabulary
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das Glatteis – black ice
der gefrierende Regen – freezing rain
die Lawinengefahr – avalanche danger
der Geschlechtseintrag – gender entry in official records
die Gastpatienten – patients treated outside their home province
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