Plain-language summaries of changes to Austrian federal law. Generated with AI, updated within hours of each official publication.
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Austria's Constitutional Court declared unlawful a March 2023 regulation by Gmunden district authorities concerning control of American foulbrood (a serious bee disease). The ruling was issued on 16 June 2026 and is now officially published.
Austria's Constitutional Court ruled on 15 June 2026 that a ban order (Platzverbot) issued by the Imst district authority on 10 November 2023 was unlawful. This proclamation, published 10 July 2026, formally announces the court's decision.
Austria's Finance Ministry has issued a new regulation governing who can access sensitive personal data categories (such as health, ethnicity, or biometric information) in the transparency database. The regulation links certain benefit applications that require knowledge of sensitive-data benefits, effective July 2026.
This regulation adjusts salaries and allowances for civil servants assigned to Austrian Post AG, OBS (formerly GIS), and related subsidiaries. The changes take effect on 15 September 2026 for postal/telecommunications staff and 1 October 2026 for secondary fees.
Austria's official publication of the Minamata Convention on Mercury has been updated to include the current full list of treaty parties (now including Israel and Trinidad & Tobago as the most recent accessions, BGBl. III Nr. 91/2026) and the full ratification text. A key substantive note: amendments to Annexes A and B entered into force for China on 2 March 2026, after China withdrew its earlier notification of non-acceptance.
Austria's Federal Law Gazette has been updated with a comprehensive status report on the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women (Istanbul Convention, BGBl. III 164/2014): new footnotes, a full list of current parties, and updated reservations/declarations by Liechtenstein, Monaco, Switzerland, Slovenia, Turkey, Cyprus and others. The update took effect with the 9 July 2026 revision.
The Austrian official publication of the UN Agreement on straddling and highly migratory fish stocks (BGBl. III Nr. 21/2005) has been updated: Albania acceded to the agreement (BGBl. III Nr. 92/2026), and several previously truncated text passages in the EU competence and interpretive declarations have been restored. The update took effect on 9 July 2026.
Austria and Switzerland have agreed to temporarily suspend certain noise and flight-operation limits at St. Gallen-Altenrhein airport (on the Swiss-Austrian border) for its 100th anniversary celebration on 28–30 August 2026. The agreement applies only during those three days and expires at the end of 2026.
The Austrian Home Work Act has been updated with new provisions requiring employers to provide written employment terms and conditions to home workers, either on paper or electronically. These changes take effect on the date specified in § 74 Abs. 10 of the amended law.
The Austrian government exercised its authority under § 169(9) of the Gas Economy Act 2011 (GWG 2011) to advance the expiry of the strategic gas reserve provisions (§§ 18a–18d) before the original statutory deadline of 1 April 2027, by issuing ordinance BGBl. II Nr. 172/2026. Separately, § 121, which set out obligations for gas traders and suppliers toward end consumers, has been removed from the consolidated text.
Austria's federal government has extended the strategic gas reserve rules (sections 18a–18d and 171 of the Gas Industry Act 2011) through October 31, 2027, with a mandatory review scheduled for April 1–October 31, 2027. The provisions will expire on April 1, 2029.
Employers in the security guard sector and building/cleaning industry must pay collective-agreement social fund contributions through their social insurance carrier starting 1 July 2026. Two new provisions in the Employment Contract Law Adaptation Act (AVRAG) set out reporting duties, data-sharing rules, and enforcement options.
Trainees who have completed their final exam as Electromechanician (Elektromechaniker) may take an additional exam to become qualified as Telecom Installers (Fernmeldemonteur) until 31 December 1978. The supplementary exam covers a technical discussion (Fachgespräch) and follows the same rules as the main exam.
Austria's Takeover Act now applies takeover offer requirements to certain corporate transactions (bylaw changes, mergers, conversions, and splits) where a company seeks to end trading on the Vienna Stock Exchange. The rules clarify what information must be disclosed and how offers must be structured in these situations.
The Federal Arbitration Office has set mandatory apprentice wages for office clerk apprentices in car rental companies, effective June 1, 2026. This applies where no collective bargaining agreement exists for the sector.
The consolidated text of Austria's Private Foundations Act (Privatstiftungsgesetz – PSG, updated 3 July 2026) makes explicit several key obligations: foundation boards must electronically report all determined beneficiaries to the tax authority without delay, and failure to do so carries a fine of up to €20,000 per undisclosed beneficiary. Board eligibility and governance rules have also been tightened.
Auditors and audit firms in Austria must now provide specific information to potential quality assurance reviewers when requesting bids. This regulation, effective immediately upon publication, replaces the previous 2017 version and applies to both mandatory and voluntary quality assurance reviews.
The Austrian Auditor Oversight Authority (APAB) has issued a new binding regulation on continuing professional education (CPE) for statutory auditors and key audit participants, replacing the previous APAB guideline (BGBl. II 211/2024) with effect from 3 July 2026.
The fee-assessment rules for notarial certification of GmbH (limited-liability company) formations have been restructured: for up to four natural-person founders, the fee base is now half the share capital; for a single-person GmbH with strictly minimal articles, a flat €500 base applies. The 2023 version of these rules took effect on 1 January 2024.
Austria's audit oversight authority (APAB) has issued new rules on how statutory auditors and tax advisors must structure and present their internal quality assurance audit reports. The regulation takes effect immediately upon publication (3 July 2026) and replaces the previous 2017 version.