29ª sesión, 80º período de sesiones, Comité de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales
Date: 6 November 2026
Language: English
Transcript: https://transcripts.un.org/es/cescr/29?lang=en
Transcripts available through this tool are created by using automatic speech recognition and are not official records nor official documents of the United Nations. Official records and official documents are available on the Official Document System of the United Nations.

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Speaker 1 [14:08]:

Thank you.


CESCR · Chair [21:16]:

Good morning. I call to order meeting number 35 of the 80th session of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. It is my great pleasure to welcome again this morning the distinguished delegation from Austria. and His Excellency, the Head of Delegation, Mrs. Elizabeth Hendel-Petz. I would also like to welcome all those observing the dialogue in person and via webcast. As we resume this morning, I shall first invite the delegation to continue responding to any questions pending from the previous clusters for a maximum of 15 minutes, after which we would proceed with the response to questions posed yesterday in the cluster 3 for up to 30 minutes. To facilitate this process and enable us to cover the full range of issues at hand, I would kindly invite my colleagues and the distinguished delegation to speak in a concise manner, giving due attention to the time allocations. With this, I have the pleasure to give the floor to the distinguished delegation. Thank you.


Austria · Head of Delegation [22:37]:

Thank you, Chair, distinguished members of the Committee. Good morning. We first provide answers to questions from cluster 1 on investment agreements. Austria takes seriously the need to preserve the right of states to regulate in the public interest, particularly in the areas of climate protection and environmental protection and social policy. At the same time, Austria does not consider investment protection agreements to be inherently incompatible with the pursuit of these legitimate public policy objectives. Austria is fully committed to the EU's modern approach to investment protection, which explicitly safeguards the right of states to regulate in pursuit of legitimate public policy objectives, including climate, environmental, and social protection. Against this background, Austria is also examining whether and to what extent its existing bilateral investment treaties may require modernization to ensure that they adequately reflect these principles. On the Climate Act, the new Climate Act does not foresee legally binding targets. At the same time, we need a law that works in practice and is supported by all stakeholders. Austria is creating a binding political framework with the climate roadmap, clear responsibilities, regular monitoring, and a correction mechanism. The idea is to ensure that effective measures are implemented and that Austria actually achieves its climate goals. We rely on a system of ongoing monitoring and targeted adjustments. If it becomes apparent that Austria is deviating from its intended trajectory, a corrective mechanism is in place. The federal government must then take corrective action within six months and adopt an emergency program. On phasing out of fossil fuel subsidies and on abolishing the climate bonus, an interministerial working group has been established for compiling and analyzing climate counterproductive subsidies and the budgetary implications. Measures were compiled by sector and discussed within the working group. On 21st October this year, Austria submitted a formal draft of the social climate plan to the European Commission. The plan provides financial measures for low-income households to reduce emissions from road traffic and the building sector. The Ministry of Climate and Environmental Protection has earmarked approximately €440 million from the Climate Social Fund in the building sector. The measures include renovation of buildings owned by charitable or nonprofit organizations to house vulnerable individuals, replacement of heating systems and individual renovations in buildings or apartments occupied by disadvantaged households, thermal and energy efficient renovations of multi-story residential buildings, the majority of which are occupied by disadvantaged households. The climate bonus was abolished due to the need for efficient, budget-friendly, and more environmentally effective measures with a stronger social gradation to provide targeted relief to those most affected by rising energy costs. On how individuals and public interest organizations can challenge inadequate climate action or failure to act before the courts. There is no general legal remedy against inaction on the part of the legislation. Such a remedy would also be incompatible with the fundamental democratic principle of the Austrian constitution. But individuals may challenge unconstitutional laws and illegal administrative regulations before the constitutional courts in accordance with the specific provisions of the federal constitution. In addition, if an administrative authority fails to decide on an application within the time limit prescribed by law, the applicant has the right to file a complaint with the administrative court. Moreover, the Aarhus Participation Act improves access to justice in environmental matters for organizations and individuals in waste, water, and air quality. The Lander have also expanded access to justice in nature protection, including species protection, hunting, and fishing. Administrative courts increasingly grant environmental NGOs standing even where national law does not explicitly provide for it. On the assessment of the effectiveness of the adaptation strategy, Austria prepares a progress report for the national adaptation strategy every two years. We aim to finalise the progress report on the 2024 strategy this year. We are also in the process of commissioning a comprehensive climate risk analysis for Austria based on the European Climate Risk Analysis, EUCRA. On Austria's contribution to international climate finance for developing countries, I would like to add that in 2025, Austria contributed to the international climate finance with an amount of approximately 400 million euros, of which approximately 28 million euros were for adaptation. Regarding the issue of land take and soil sealing, I would like to add that the federal government aims to define a pathway for land take aiming for 2.5 hectares per day. I now give the floor to Ms. Graser from the Federal Chancellery for further answers.


Austria · Representative, Federal Chancellery [29:23]:

As to the assessment of the impact of the consolidation measures, the covenant rights, the consolidation package included a wide range of individual measures, some of which may have a negative effect in certain areas. However, it is in the consolidation efforts the federal government is prioritizing measures that protect growth and employment are socially acceptable and well balanced. A mix of spending cuts, tax measures, long-term reforms, and efficiency gains was implemented in both the 2025-2026 and 2027-2028 budgets. In the interest of fairness, all groups contribute their share to the consolidation effort. Furthermore, the federal government is not only cutting costs, but is also actively addressing challenges in the areas of the economy and business climate, health and social services, education and integration, and is making targeted investments. Thank you.


Austria · Head of Delegation [30:25]:

I again give the floor to you on the National Action Plan on Human Rights.


Austria · Representative, Federal Chancellery [30:33]:

In its current government program, the federal government reaffirmed its intention to revive a general action plan on human rights. In recent years, Austria has already, with the close involvement of the civil society, developed and implemented thematic action plans and strategies that systematically advance the protection and promotion of human rights. The development of additional national action plans, for example, against right-wing extremism and hate crimes, is provided for in the government programme. So far, the sector-specific approach to further developing human rights protection has been successful.


Austria · Head of Delegation [31:12]:

We now turn to the remaining answers of cluster 2, and I give the floor to Mr. Kindl.


Austria · Representative, Ministry of Labour [31:25]:

Regarding Article 6, you asked inter alia how many women have benefited from measures against horizontal segregation and how much money has been provided by the PES over the last five years. In our response yesterday, we already provided you with comprehensive information regarding labor market measures designed to promote integration of women into the workforce, specifically those aimed at breaking down stereotypical employment patterns between men and women, such as Boys Days and the FIT program, which translates women in crafts and engineering. Horizontal segregation is a cross-cutting issue within the PATHS, which is addressed across many areas, for instance, through the provision of training courses with an advisory and support services and intercompany apprenticeship programs. In concrete terms, over the past five years, an average of approximately 10,400 women per year have participated in the FIT program, with about 1,400 of them pursuing training in technical or skilled trade fields. On average, approximately 32 million has been spent annually on the FIT program. Furthermore, around 60 million is allocated annually for the labor market policy program for women, an initiative comprising specific measures designed, among other things, to break down segregation and to provide women with qualifications in technical and skilled trade sectors. You also asked if the State Party considers losing the labour market test and the link to a single employer so that asylum seekers avoid ending up in undeclared work. In our post yesterday, we explained in detail why we consider a labour market test along with the procedure for granting employment authorisation to asylum seekers to be appropriate and proportionate, not least to protect asylum seekers from exploitative working conditions. We also provided figures to demonstrate that these measures do not prevent effective access to the labour market. In addition, with regard to the rights of migrants employed illegally, we would like to draw attention to Section 29 of the Employment of Foreign Nationals Act, which basically stipulates that foreign nationals who are employed in violation of the provision of this federal act, specifically without an employment permit, are entitled for the duration of their employment to the same claims against the business owner employing them as they would have had under a valid employment contract. To enforce these rights, I may add that automatic statutory membership in the Chamber of Labor for all workers, illegally employed workers included, provides access to free legal advice as well as legal protection in court. Thank you.


Austria [34:23]:

Thank you very much. Regarding labor exploitation in agriculture and undocumented workers, I would like to add that campaigns such as Sitziuneri, an initiative of the production workers union Proge, carried out in several Länder in collaboration with local NGOs, are designed to combat exploitation in the Austrian agricultural sector. These campaigns inform harvest workers about their rights and help ensure compliance with existing legal regulations, particularly regarding pay, humane treatment, housing, and occupational safety. The program also includes multilingual informational materials, a hotline direct outreach to workers in the fields, billboards in border regions, as well as legal advice and assistance. We also have a measure for undocumented workers. The Undoc project is supporting undocumented workers through counseling and network building. This is because even though undocumented workers are treated equally under labor law with the right to wages, bonuses, vacation time, health insurance, and pension coverage, the actual enforcement of these rights is often associated with significant risks and obstacles. There's also a measure for migrants with low language skills. The goal of the ASPAM 2025 to 2027 project is to help people with legal residency status but limited German language skills access their rights under labor and social security law. The project primarily targets workers from Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, North Macedonia, Arab-speaking countries, and the Republic of Moldova. The target group often faces precarious working conditions, unclear pay stubs, or a lack of social security coverage. You also asked some questions about the Austrian Labor Inspectorate yesterday. So the Austrian Labor Inspectorate monitors compliance with health and safety regulations on site at workplaces and on building sites. Across Austria, around 300 labor inspectors carry out on-site inspections at workplaces or on building sites. Each labour inspectorate has labour inspectors specialising in specific areas. So there are labour inspectors for maternity protection, for child labour and the protection of young people, occupational health doctors and hygiene technicians who act as points of contact for specialist queries relating to these areas. In principle, any business falling within the remit of the labour inspectorate may be inspected. Which businesses are specifically inspected depends, for example, on Austria-wide or regional priorities of the labor inspectorate related to specific topics or sectors, accident reports, or hazardous or strenuous sectors. In order to operate as effectively as possible, the labor inspectorate sets annual priorities for its inspection and advisory activities. In 2026, these priorities are green jobs, building maintenance and cleaning, and compliance with statutory provisions on working hours and rest periods. In 2025, 270,475 workplaces with employees were on the labor inspectorate's list for inspection. Of these, 32,993 were visited in the same year. This means that 12% of the workplaces with employees on the list were visited by labour inspectors in 2025. Thank you.


Austria · Head of Delegation [38:07]:

We now turn to cluster three, and I give the floor to Ms. Austaler.


Austria · Representative, Social Affairs Ministry [38:19]:

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, distinguished members of the committee. I will address the questions raised by Mr. Palmisano about poverty, social assistance, and homelessness in relation to Article 11. Austria commits to a well-established welfare state and show the social quota of 33.4% in 2025. Payments include pensions, social services, and family benefits. Without pensions and social transfers, The at-risk of poverty rate would be 44%. With social transfers, it can be reduced to 16%. As regulated in the constitution, the land and municipalities are responsible for poverty measures and implement comprehensive actions. To address groups over proportionally affected, we have specific programs such as the Action 55+ to support older long-term unemployed persons, and several policies to support single parents, families, and children, such as the monthly child supplement, the support fund for single parents, projects to support single parents including essential services, information, and networking offers, and the expansion of early childhood education and care services. The early childhood interventions are a particularly successful program to support young families. They are established at the regional level, easily accessible, well connected, and offer low threshold support through outreach programs. Since 2024, the early childhood education, the early childhood interventions have been rolled out in the whole country. Austria is pursuing targeted measures to combat energy poverty and social hardship due to the rising cost of living. The social tariff, regulated by the Electricity Market Act, prevents energy poverty. From 1 April 2026, low-income households receive electricity at a capped and socially subsidized price. Just under 300,000 Austrian households benefit from this support. The fuel price cap comprises two measures. Firstly, a reduction of the tax on mineral oils, and secondly, a cap on profit margins for companies in the fuel sector. From July 2026 onwards, the value-added tax on basic foods such as milk, bread, and fruits was halved to 4.9%. Since 2023, the Federal Ministry of Social Affairs has supported non-governmental organizations with a sum of over 10.2 million euros for sustainable food saving and the distribution to social institutions and directly to people affected by poverty. On the impact of the social assistance system introduced in 2019. With the expiry of the agreement under Article 15a of the Federal Constitutional Act on 31 December 2016, the only common framework for the minimum income schemes of the federal states ceased to exist. Differing approaches taken by the Länder with regard to the design of the minimum income scheme led to a significant divergence in the regulations on key aspects of the system. A common framework for the conditions governing the granting of social assistance benefits was established through the implementation of the Social Assistance Framework Act on 1st June 2019, thereby creating more uniform standards for supporting people affected by poverty or at risk of poverty. In the area of housing costs, the 2019 Act gave the lender the flexibility to cover higher housing costs up to a certain maximum limit. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the reform of the Austrian social assistance system of the lender is one of the main projects of the current federal government. In this context, the governmental program focuses on the following aspects. First, to work towards more harmonized social assistance schemes among the lender, especially where there is a federal state's interest on having uniform regulations. Second, to link the access to social assistance to integration obligations. And third, to strive for a more targeted labor market integration for social assistance beneficiaries who are fit and available to work. To this end, it is also planned to ensure a higher accuracy of data transfer between the respective authorities. An amendment to the Basic Social Assistance Act, the framework law, shall enter into force on January 1st, 2027. The draft bill for consultation of the new Basic Social Assistance Act is currently undergoing consultation. It started on 23rd of October and will last until 13th of November, and is set to be passed before the end of this year. Following its entry into force by January 2027, the lender will have to enact the implementing laws accordingly. One important aspect of the reform is to complement the existing framework rules regarding access to benefits of social assistance towards more uniform conditions. To this end, fixed rates, instead of maximum rates, are to be established for adults. For benefits for children, a range with both a lower and an upper limit is to be introduced. So the lender must not go below the fixed or, respectively, below the minimum rates in case of children. For persons who are capable of working, but not yet integrated into the labor market, social assistance is to be provided on a modular basis. So there is a basic amount and the possibility of supplements for integration and also for employment efforts. In the above mentioned context, it is also intended to further improve the cooperation between the public employment service, the Austrian Integration Fund, and social assistance welfare agencies to promote labour market integration of beneficiaries who are able to work. Social assistance is a subsidiary benefit system of last resort. As such, it aims at providing sufficient aid to vulnerable persons. Regarding the subsidiary protection holders, according to the Basic Social Assistance Act, persons entitled to subsidiary protection are only entitled to core social assistance benefits, which may not exceed the level of basic care granted for asylum seekers. Subsidiary protection holders either receive social assistance benefits, an amount that is kept with the basic care benefit amount, or they receive basic care benefits depending on the respective land. The qualification regulation EU 2024/1347 entered into force on the 12th of June 2026. It is directly applicable, so it does not need to require national implementation. In light of this regulation, beneficiaries of international protection shall enjoy equal treatment with nationals of the member state that granted them international protection as regards social security and social assistance. The provision of equal treatment as regards social assistance may be limited for beneficiaries of subsidiary protection status to core benefits, where that possibility is provided for under national law. According to the regulation, subsidiary protection holders shall receive, inter alia, housing benefits as part of core benefits. Granting different benefit levels for refugees and subsidiary protection holders has been deemed constitutional because of the provisional and temporary nature of the subsidiary protection status compared to the more permanent status of a refugee. About two weeks ago, the Regional Administrative Court of Tyrol submitted a request for a preliminary ruling of the Court of Justice of the EU and raised questions about the compatibility of this differential treatment with EU law. In particular, the court seeks clarification on whether limiting social assistance for beneficiaries of subsidiary protection to the level of basic reception support is compatible with Article 31 of the Qualification Regulation And how the concepts of minimum income support and housing benefits, which form part of the core benefits protected under that provision, should be interpreted. I will now continue with homelessness. On data on hidden homelessness, for now indeed, we only have data about registered homelessness. Data on hidden homelessness is missing. Austria is interested in improving its data. The WohnGemeinde-Miete, rent, has been scientifically evaluated by the Vienna University of Economics and Business, and extensive statistical data is also available for the WohnGemeinde Housing First. About the WohnGemeinde Housing First. Access to affordable housing is a challenge, as well as the WohnGemeinde that is limited until 2029 for now. WohnGemeinde Housing First has been introduced on 1st October 2024. About 850 apartments have been acquired and over 2,000 persons have been supported so far. Almost 50% of all supported adults are women.


Interpreter [47:25]:

For the sake of the interpretation, could the speaker please slow down?


Austria · Representative, Social Affairs Ministry [47:29]:

WoonTiem Housing First includes social work support and housing referral, coverage of security deposits, financial contributions, and support for moving costs. Regarding persons being excluded from homelessness assistance, yes, we must confirm the lack in homelessness assistance services for individuals not.


Interpreter [47:48]:

Once again, from the interpreters, could the speaker please slow down for interpretation into French and Spanish?


Austria · Representative, Social Affairs Ministry [47:53]:

Regarding the national housing strategy, I may now give the word to my colleague Martin. I thank you.


Austria · Representative, Ministry of Housing [48:04]:

Thank you very much, dear Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen. In 2025, the designated Ministry for Housing was established. Its task is to coordinate Austrian housing policies on the international and national level, to develop a national housing strategy, and to build up housing research to improve scientific evidence and data on all relevant housing issues, including on lack of permanent housing and homelessness. The federal government is committed to the Housing First principle and is promoting it. One part of it is reforming the Limited Profit Housing Act. The program of the Austrian government contains the plan to improve social targeting in housing allocation in this sector, including supporting housing first programs. This sector represents around 18% of the Austrian housing market with the most affordable rents. Neither the removal of discriminatory provisions for the Limited Profit Housing Act nor mandatory partnership between non-profit housing associations and Housing First programs are part of the government program. However, there's the intention to amend this act. Both issues will be part of the negotiations. At the time being, there's no plan to review the eligibility criteria concerning access to homelessness assistance by the lender. Thank you.


Austria · Head of Delegation [49:25]:

I give the floor to Mr. Heisenberger.


Austria [49:32]:

Dear Mr. Chair and distinguished members of the Committee, Mr. Palmisano, regarding the questions raised yesterday on mental health, I would like to give the Committee some information. First of all, social health insurance guarantees the same health insurance benefits to people with and without disabilities in the event of illness. The expansion of health insurance funded psychotherapy, the new provision of clinical psychological treatment as a benefit in kind, and additional funding are intended to improve psychosocial care and reduce waiting times. Particular emphasis is placed on providing needs-based care for children and young persons with disabilities. The Austrian Health Insurance Fund had already decided at the end of 2020 to increase the number of hours of psychotherapy sessions funded by statutory health instance by 300,000 compared with 28, with children and young people in particular benefiting from expanded quotas for vulnerable groups. Since the 1st of January 2024, clinical psychological treatment has been treated on a par with medical care. This has created new care options within the statutory health insurance system and laid the foundation for the provision of clinical psychological treatment as a benefit in kind. At the end of 2025, the Professional Association of Austrian Psychologists and the social insurance providers concluded an agreement on clinical psychological treatment as a benefit in kind, which came into force on 1st of January 2026. Funding has also been earmarked for improved psychosocial care for children and young people within the framework of the health reform funds for 2026 and 2027, which were newly established under the Health Reform Fund Act that came into force on 1st January 2026. Furthermore, the shortage of child and other psychiatrists The speciality of child and adolescent psychiatry was defined as a shortage speciality. This allows for an increase in training capacity in the field of child and adolescent psychiatry, making shortage occupations in the psychosocial care of children and adolescents more attractive, was also a focus during the previous period of the so-called Zielsteuerung. Within the remit of the public health working group, minimum standards for the area of development and social paediatric institutions were developed and integrated into the Austrian Health Structure Plan, and recommendations for child and other ascendant psychiatric networks were formulated. Concerning the assurance of sufficient supply of healthcare professionals. Measures have been implemented to strengthen the availability of doctors to ensure high quality psychosocial and adult health care. These measures include a monitoring tool, a new specialty for general medicine and family medicine, and strengthening psychosocial competencies in all medical specialties. The shortened basic training program, general reduction of basic training from nine to six months, allows for an earlier start to specialty training for doctors and therefore has the potential to shorten the overall duration of training. Moreover, the lender implement also further measures aiming at countering a shortage of healthcare professionals. Basically, the statutory health insurance system is primarily based on the provision of benefits in kind. A comprehensive legal framework mandate that these providers ensure treatment for the insured is sufficient and appropriate, while also remaining cost effective. Consequently, the primary focus remains on strengthening the provision of benefits in kind. Concerning the expansion of these benefits in kind of the publicly funded health care system, measures are intended, among other things, to make the framework conditions of the statutory health insurance system more attractive to physicians. As part of the healthcare reform package, an annual index-linked budget of 50 million euros has been allocated starting in 2024 to fund 100 additional physician positions contracted with public health insurance funds. alongside a one-time startup bonus of 10 million euros. Furthermore, under the agreement regarding the organization and financing of the healthcare system, additional 300 million euros in public funding per year has been earmarked for the 2024 to 2028 period to strengthen the outpatient ambulatory sector. These funds are intended in particular to support the expansion of primary care units, group practices, and multi-professional or interdisciplinary care centers, as well as to increase outpatient care capacity. In regard to specialist palliative and hospice care, daycare, and mobile services, there are a total of six modules of adults and four for children, adolescents, and young adults. Inpatient palliative care beds in acute and care hospitals have been funded through the regular funding of hospitals for many years. Austria currently has around 400 beds. An expansion to 500 beds by 2030 is provided in the regional structural plans for healthcare. In 2022, the Austrian parliament passes the Hospice and Palliative Care Fund Act. This federal law supports the Austrian-wide needs-based and comprehensive establishment and expansion of specialist hospices and palliative care services, as well as the safeguarding of their ongoing operation. Through the provision of EAMAT grants to the lender, this federal act supports, with a focus on quality assurance, the development, expansion, and ongoing operation of specialist hospices and palliative care services across Austria. These services, which encompasses a total of eight categories as defined by the Act, cater to adults as well as children, adolescents, and young adults, ensuring that care is available nationwide and aligned with actual needs. Between 2022 and 2024, the number of specialist hospice and palliative care facilities increased from a total of 308 to 327, and the number of places, beds in partial or full inpatient hospices and palliative facilities increased from a total of 167 to 235. Compared to 2022, a higher number of palliative care patients received support and care through specialised hospices and palliative care services as in 2024. The increased range from just under 5% for mobile palliative care teams to almost 31% for hospice teams. So, now I would like to hand over to the colleague from the Ministry of Education.


Austria · Representative, Ministry of Education [56:16]:

Distinguished Board, the experts, we actually knew some years ago that regarding specific services in the field of psychological support, social services, medical treatment, that in some areas probably we do have to catch up. And so we started several programs within the system of education to provide more services and more personnel, trained personnel in the field of social services, psychology, and also in the field of especially mental health. The first thing I just want to mention at this point is that since the year 2021, Austria, in the field of education, is trying to expand the number of school psychologists working within our system of education, and we are aiming at doubling the personnel available in this field in the next two to three years, based from where we started in the year 2020-2021. That's the one aspect. We are fully aware of, also because of the corona crisis and its impact on people regarding mental health and all the problems, that we also need to address to some extent within the system of education these kind of problems. So we have established a program called Strong Society, Strong School. That's the sort of translation. And within this program, we do offer a variety of workshop programs. And one of the branches actually is about mental health. So we are offering to schools, to pupils, also to teachers these kind of workshops to address and to discuss mental health, its importance. It's a lot about information within our system of education. And the feedback we get right now about this program, which is in place now by about one year, and we will continue with it, is quite a positive one, even though we know that it is one cornerstone in the whole field of mental health. Something else I want to mention is that, as I also maybe said yesterday, that we also have started an additional program regarding schools in Austria where you have a high group of pupils with this privileged situation, social economic background, where you do have disadvantages. We have defined or analyzed 400 schools in Austria which need these kind of additional services. And this, one of the services that is now offered and provided is in the field of psychology, so that in addition to the expansion of psychologists, school psychologists, those schools can also be provided with additional psychologists, and also we have started in a limited way with psychological therapy within these 400 schools if there is a demand. So we are trying to respond to this kind of developments and trying to enhance the kind of structures we do have to address social mental health issues, but also issues of regarding the field of medical treatment. We also have now in place some first programs with school nurses, in addition to our system of school doctors, which is in place in Austria. But the situation right now is that it is from the point of our constitution and responsibilities, we do see that part of this kind of responsibility is in the field of the regional governments, but at the moment there's also an ongoing process in Austria about rearranging like of competences and things that need to be done, and also the issue of some kind of medical services, first medical services, is one that is discussed within this kind of working groups, but that's in progress right now. Thank you.


Austria · Head of Delegation [1:00:36]:

I give the floor to Ms. Kiermayer from the Ministry of Health.


Austria · Representative, Ministry of Health [1:00:41]:

Thank you, dear Mr. Chair, distinguished members of the committee. On the topic of mental health, I would proceed with giving an update on a selection of Austrian initiatives. In the recent years, Austria has established solid structures to improve the prevention of mental illnesses and the care of people with mental health issues. For example, in the current period of the Zielsteuerung Gesundheit 2024-2028, which is a targeted health management, an operational goal was dedicated to psychosocial health for the first time and also in the health targets set already in 2020. Twelve, one goal was devoted to promoting psychosocial health. Following a mental health and all policies approach, Austria is working through strategies and measures to systematically integrate mental health into all policy areas, such as in education, labor market, and culture policy. An important approach to improving the low threshold support and strengthening social participation is social prescribing, connecting people with primary care with suitable health promoting social, cultural, or community services. In Austria, social prescribing has been tested and continuously developed in the recent years, particularly through pilot projects. Since 2022, the support project Gesund aus der Krise, Healthy Out of the Crisis, has been offering young people from until 20 years old of age a low threshold and free access to psychological, psychotherapeutic, and since 2014, music therapy support. Since the start of the project, approximately 60,000 young people have been already helped. And the project has proven to reduce waiting times for children and teenagers looking for treatment and to improve the mental health of young clients. In addition, as part of the Zielsteuerung Gesunder 2024 to 2028, a concept for coordinated psychosocial care at all levels is currently being developed, which is intended to cover all levels from health promotion, prevention, to care and rehabilitation, and thus also takes into account the measures such as that in the resolution proposal. The early support, the Frühen Hilfen, is aimed at expecting parents as well as families with babies and toddlers, especially if they are facing health, social, or psychological changes. Early support connects them with health, social, and assistance services in local networks. networks. Since autumn 23, early help has been available nationwide across Austria. At the beginning of 2024, the program moved into regular funding. This financing is based on the early help agreement and comes from the federal government, the states, as well as health and pension insurance providers. The initiative ABC for the psychosocial health of young people by the Health Promotion Agenda is effective since 2023 and has been bringing together existing measures, making them visible, easing access to information, materials, and support services through the portal wohlfeelpool.at and spreading key messages from promoting young people's mental health. I would now go to the question on the interaction between health and social sector. There I would have the following information for you. Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Healthcare and Consumer Protection is taking steps to reorient the health system towards a more holistic, fair, person and health-centered system, strengthen health promotion and prevention, strengthen cross-sectoral cooperation, amongst other between the health and the social sector. As part of the Austrian health system reform, the Zielsteuer in Gesundheit 2024 to 2028, health promotion and prevention has been established as key pillars. This means that an additional 60 million euros annually were made available for the health promotion and prevention. The Austrian Health Promotion Strategy is part of the Zielsteuerung Gesundheit 2024 to 2028. The strategy's central objective is to contribute to longer, self-determined life in good health for everyone in Austria through the enhanced implementation of targeted, broadly coordinated, quality-assured, effective, and efficient health proportion measures. A key instrument for implementation is the health promotion agenda with its four priority areas, which correspond closely to those of the health promotion strategy: psychosocial health, participation, social inclusion, climate and health, and health literacy. The measures set out under these priority areas make a significant contribution to strengthening health promotion at federal level and include conceptual, scientific, and strategic work, commissioning and funding of innovative interventions, training programs for multipliers, and other capacity building activities. To support the health system reorientation, a Competence Center for Health Promotion Health System has been established at an Austrian public health center as part of the Austrian Health Promotion Agenda. It supports stakeholders in the health sector in developing a fair, person-centered, and health-centered system. Social prescribing, I already talked in the topic before. And we know that health promotion prevention must be considered in broader whole of society context and not only be limited to the health system, since health is significantly influenced also by social, economic, cultural, environmental determinants. This is where the Austrian health targets, the Gesundheitsziele Österreich, come into. They provide a framework for comprehensive health promoting policy up to 2032 and incorporate various policy and life domains in line with all our health in all policies approach. Thank you.


Austria · Head of Delegation [1:06:07]:

I give the floor to Mr. Switek.


Austria · Representative, Social Affairs Ministry [1:06:11]:

Thank you, dear Mr. Chairman, distinguished members of the Committee, Mr. Palmisano. I would like to point out some aspects and give you information on health care for persons with disabilities. First, the National Action Plan on Disability, which is Austria's strategy for the implementation of the UNCRPD, contains a chapter on health and rehabilitation. The chapter contains 22 objectives and 29 concrete measures with the aim to contribute to the implementation of Article 25 and 26 of the UNCRPD. And there's ongoing work for a report on health care for people with disabilities. The Federal Ministry of Social Affairs has recently commissioned a report on the topic of healthcare and people with disabilities. This follows a resolution passed by the Austrian Parliament in early 2025, as well as a measure of the National Action Plan on Disability. It called on the ministry to task the Austrian National Public Health Institute, the Gesundheit Österreich GmbH, with drawing up a report on the provision of healthcare and the accessibility of healthcare for people with disabilities, as well as their health status. A project advisory board has consequently been set up to accompany the process and discuss the content and structure of the report. The board is comprised of experts in the field, including representatives of and for people with disabilities. The final report is expected early next year, after which the implementation recommendations, as well as possible further steps, will be reviewed. Moreover, persons with disabilities are protected from discrimination on the grounds of disability by the Federal Disability Equality Act. This non-discrimination law also applies to access to health care. And last but not least, the Austrian social insurance institutions are continuously working to improve accessibility in the healthcare system in order to ensure that all patients have equal access to medical services. As part of the strategic steering in health, the federal government, the states, the Länder, and the social insurance system are also jointly developing a work program to optimize healthcare for people with disabilities until 2028. Thank you very much.


CESCR · Chair [1:08:56]:

I thank the distinguished delegation for the wealth of information and the responses provided to the questions under the different clusters. The floor is now open for follow-up questions, and I shall give the floor to Mr. Palmisano for his follow-up questions.


CESCR · Committee Member [1:09:23]:

Thank you, Chair. First of all, I would like to express my appreciation to the delegation for the pertinent responses they provided to the issues I raised yesterday, apart from the one concerning the social protection of victims of violence, women victims of violence within the family. However, I would like to take a moment to address a few more issues now. First, let me return to the right to an adequate standard of living and the situation of persons with asylum status. With regard to social assistance for these persons, we note that the ministerial draft amendment to the Basic Act introduces a so-called integration phase, as you mentioned, as foreseen in the government program for 2025-2029. Under this scheme, persons able to work who are not yet integrated into working life would receive a reduced basic integration benefit. This would be set at 70% of reference rate for persons subject to the integration program, mainly people with asylum status, compared with 82.6% for other applicants. Through the integration phase, the draft amendment makes part of a social assistance payment conditional on the applicant's integration into working life. Until the applicant meets certain criteria, such as participating in training and employment measures or proof of work performed within a specific time period, they would receive a lower amount than the current level of social assistance. meaning that individuals with asylum status would start from a lower base amount and would also have to meet additional requirements before being eligible to access the full amount of social assistance, namely participation in German language and values courses. Could the delegation please clarify whether this would constitute a retrogression, I mean, a step backwards on the path towards equal social assistance for individuals with asylum status? A further question is about the living situation of persons with disabilities, so relating more to Article 19 of CRPD, more than 25 or 26. According to Statistics Austria, 72,600, more or less, people with a registered disability had their main residence in institutional settings at the end of 2022. This equates to one in 10 people with disabilities in Austria living in a setting where their daily life is organized by others, such as institutions for people with disabilities or care facilities. Children and young people, particularly those with high support needs, are just as likely to live in such settings. This is partly due to a lack of support services for families with disabled children, and partly because those that are available do not meet their needs. It has been observed that school-aged children attending special schools often have to live in boarding schools during term time because the schools are too far from their homes. Could the delegation please explain what measures are being taken to improve the realization of the right of persons with disabilities to an adequate standard of living, including housing and independent living? Are there any ongoing measures aimed at expanding forms of self-determined housing? And is there a nationwide deinstitutionalization strategy with specific target and plans? I also have a question about the right to food and food aid. Recent studies suggest that around 1.1 million people in Austria are affected by food insecurity, with approximately 420,000 experiencing severe food poverty and having to skip meals or go without food for a day. Consequently, people affected by poverty are becoming increasingly dependent on aid organizations. The increasing demand for food aid from NGOs indeed reveals a structural deficit in state security. Additionally, non-profit organizations primarily rely on food donations, meaning the availability of products is more important than their quality, as long as they are low cost or free of charge. So my question is, is the government implementing or envisaging measures or reforms for food security? so that food aid does not have to remain a permanent solution? In particular, are EU agriculture and structural funds being used to progress towards a fair and sustainable food system? And my final point concerns the health protection of women who require abortion care, which is an issue that, under a different perspective, has also been dealt with during your recent dialogue with the Human Rights Committee. According to reliable studies, such as an informative report compiled by the Austrian Society for Family Planning, significant disparities in abortion care provision persist throughout Austria. Access to abortion care is particularly limited in several federal states, several Länder. Another factor impacting access to abortion care for pregnant people is the issue of costs. Abortion services are generally not integrated into the regular public healthcare system. so are not covered by public health insurance except in cases of medical necessity. Therefore, women seeking abortion care must cover the costs themselves, which disproportionately affects those on low incomes and living in poverty. Could the delegation please clarify whether the State Party is adopting or planning measures to comprehensively improve the availability, accessibility, and affordability of abortion care across all federal States? with a particular focus on people on low incomes, those living in poverty and those in rural areas. Thank you.


CESCR · Chair [1:15:50]:

Thank you, Mr. Palaniswami. I shall now give the floor to Ms. Joo-Young Lee.


CESCR · Country Rapporteur [1:16:00]:

Thank you, Chairperson. Thank you very much, the delegation, for the information provided so far. I would like to follow up on the right to social security, to an adequate standard of living, and to health. First, on the adequacy of benefits. Average unemployment benefits, the minimum pension, and social assistance all remain below the poverty threshold. And family benefits will not be adjusted for inflation in 2026 and 2027. Since 2026, most unemployed people may also no longer earn a small extra income from a minor job. At the same time, it is observed that child poverty rose sharply in 2025 to about one child in four. Under the draft amendment to the Social Assistance Framework Act, the minimum rate per child falls with every additional child. Yet a child needs for food, clothing, and schooling do not fall with the number of siblings. How does the state party ensure that these benefits are adequate? Will the state party reconsider the reduction of social assistance rates for each additional child on the draft amendment, so that every child, whatever the size of the family and wherever they live, enjoys an adequate standard of living? Second, on sanctions and stigma. Under the draft amendment, the benefit of recipients who do not seek work is reduced by at least 25% and can be withdrawn completely. Public debate often portrays the recipients as unwilling to work. The facts tells a different story. According to the state party report, Only 36% of recipients in 2020 were unemployed, and 9% were working but did not earn enough to live on. Most others were children, retired, unable to work, or in education. Meanwhile, long-term unemployment has risen sharply, and funding for labor market measures is being reduced. Stigma also discourages people from claiming support. It is estimated that about 30% of eligible households do not claim it. Was the 2019 Social Security Framework Act evaluated? And what evidence shows that stricter conditions and sanctions help people into decent work rather than deeper poverty? How will the state party ensure that sanctions never leave anyone without the minimum needed to live in dignity? How will it prevent the stigmatization of people receiving social assistance, whether they are Austrian citizen or not? Third, on housing. Private rents rose by more than 90% between 2009 and 2024. The committee notes the recent caps on rent increases, but they do not apply to initial rents or to renewals of fixed term contracts. Will the state party extend rent regulation to initial rents, restrict fixed term tenancies to justified cases, and expand social and affordable housing so as to strengthen security of tenure and make housing affordable in a lasting way? Finally, on health insurance. According to a study commissioned by the Austrian Health Insurance Fund, up to 57,000 people had no health insurance at the end of 2024, many of them young adults, people facing homelessness, or nationals of other European Union countries. Many delay seeking care because they fear the cost. Is the state party considering automatic health insurance for all children in school and early childhood education, as the static recommends, and affordable self-insurance for people on low incomes? Thank you very much.


CESCR · Chair [1:20:39]:

Uh, thank you, Ms. Joo Young Lee. In view of the time constraint, I shall kindly request our other members to be as concise as possible. Mr. Winful is next, yes.


CESCR · Committee Member [1:20:55]:

I'll try to be as concise as possible. Thanks. I have only two questions, maybe that helps. The first is going back to the Social Security Act, your new one, yeah? First, I would like to find out, you mentioned that in housing, for example, you have some groups who are don't fall out, there are lacks of support, yeah? So I would like to find out, do we have an assessment how many people are not covered by one of these social security programs you have? How big is the exclusion gap? Maybe that would be interesting for me, uh, because that is a maybe a rate of those desperately in need of. Uh, certain support. Uh, by having said this, we heard from civil society organizations that they are quite afraid that this new social security act might infect their own possibility to continue their own social security work they are doing. Yeah, you have a lot of social security or a lot of your services are delivered by social- by civil society organizations, yeah? It's a part of the Austrian welfare system. Will they be affected? Is that a- is, uh Uh, uh, a fear which they have, which is correct, you still are implementing these laws in the 5th place, I just want to find out what do you, what would that mean for the delivery of services of social organizations you have in your country? My second question relate, uh, I come back to this food insecurity figures, uh, Giuseppe Palmisano, we're already mentioning, yeah? This is from a study of your, uh, Gesundheit Österreich GmbH, the Austrian National Public Health Institute. And in that study, the figures has been quoted by Giuseppe Palmisano. They are saying that it's particularly also excluding so many people from social life. If you are not able to have a meal every day or you can't invite friends to-to a coffee, you can't get, uh, Children's birthday done because you're just missing the essential, uh, amount which you would need. So therefore, uh, I would be interested in thinking about what do you plan to address particularly these groups? Do you have a national nutrition strategy or do you plan maybe things like more school meals, public canteens? Uh, which could reach out to these, uh, TAFEL movement has also made this player in a study end of 2025, uh, which I read, yeah? So they said we need more of these type of services, yeah? And they link it also to, uh, a big, uh, these groups who are particularly linked to the informal economic sector. That's what the study say, yeah? And I asked yesterday already the The question, how big is your informal sector? So, the different forms we have mentioned already. So, I would like to come back to this question, uh, if food insecurity is so much linked to this informal sector, how big it is, and what are the measures you plan beside just the transfers you have in your social security to reach out to these groups? That would be of interest to my side, yeah. Lastly, on, um on this agricultural and trade policy, I would be interested if you have a comprehensive human rights assessment of your international impacts on agriculture and trade policies. That would be of interest for me as well. Thanks a lot.


CESCR · Chair [1:24:06]:

Thank you, Mr. Win Fu. Mr. Vazken, you have the floor, please.


CESCR · Committee Member [1:24:13]:

Thank you very much for giving me the floor. I'll give you a minute so you can switch my channel, make sure you have the interpretation. English is channel 2. In the national report, as well as over the course of this dialogue, the delegation has spoken about several very laudable efforts for the protection and guarantee of rights of migrants. Very laudable efforts. efforts that have been recognized as laudable at different times, and I would like to ask, and like it has been pointed out by the rapporteurs and the members of the task force who have been working on this dialogue. So, given that, I would like to ask the delegation to please clarify what their position is regarding the International Convention on the protection of the rights of migrant workers and members of their families. I am asking this because of the efforts that the country has already undertaken, efforts progressively improving the protection of the rights of migrant workers and members of their families. The State, however, is not yet a party to the Convention, and we see that through the efforts and existing policies, There is a position of the government that would be compatible with this treaty, especially in a region where there has been limited accession into this treaty. And so if you consider this ratification positively, it could end up having a very positive effect in the region. So I just wanted to add. Thank you.


CESCR · Chair [1:26:18]:

Thank you, Mr. Vaskin. I now give the floor to Mrs. Pérez.


CESCR · Committee Member [1:26:29]:

Thank you.

Thank you very much, Chair, and good morning to the delegations. And once again, I would like to thank you for all the information that you have provided. Just to say something else about the assessment of the new standard on social assistance, I would like to know whether the government has some estimate of the budgetary impact, the overall budgetary impact that you expect in 2027, and how it compares to that of 2026 and millions of euros. Thank you.


CESCR · Chair [1:27:14]:

Thank you, Mrs. Pérez. I now give the floor to the distinguished delegation for their response to the follow-up questions.


Austria · Head of Delegation [1:27:24]:

Thank you for your questions. I give the floor to Ms. Gerstmann from the Ministry of Women and Equality.


Austria · Representative, Ministry of Women and Equality [1:27:35]:

Thank you very much. Good morning. I would like to get back to the still open question regarding funding and access for marginalized women to violence protection. Austria is taking a comprehensive and whole of government approach to preventing and combating violence against women and girls through sustained and increased funding and the implementation of the National Action Plan 2025 to 2029. As part of the development process of this National Action Plan, a separate thematic sub-working group has been dedicated to vulnerable groups. The National Action Plan therefore contains specific measures to combat violence against women and girls with disabilities, as well as women and girls with migrant backgrounds. In addition to these measures, six projects are co-financed from the Women's Ministry with about 329,000 euros in 2026 that are specifically aimed at women with disabilities. Of particular note is the NINL project, which is called Opening Doors: Strengthening the Access of Violence-Affected Women with Disabilities to Counseling Facilities. This will be funded for the first time in 2026 and onwards, an implementation of the National Action Plan. It aims to strengthen the networking and sensitization of the counseling facilities for women and for people with disabilities in order to facilitate access. All the women and girls counseling facilities that are funded by the Ministry of Women are structurally barrier-free. In addition, there are multilingual counselling services and counselling opportunities also, for example, for the deaf. The general funding conditions stipulate that the structural barrier-free access to the counselling services must be established. In addition, also the violence protection centres have sufficient funds available for barrier-free services. Also within the framework of the Women's Ministries, we have regular calls for project funding where women and girls with disabilities are given special consideration in all goals and measures, and are also explicitly highlighted as a target group in the current call of 2026-2027. As you may know already, Austria has a broad and well-established network of support services for women and girls affected by violence, which has been continuously expanded in the recent years. These services include the already mentioned counselling centres, helplines, but also women's shelters, violence protection centres, and other specialised services. These facilities are available throughout Austria for all women seeking help and counseling, regardless of their origin, their age, their sexual orientation, or their special needs. Co-funded by the Women's Ministry are the violence protection centers in each federal state, intervention centers for victims of trafficking in women, the women's service centers, the online Austrian wide online counseling, sorry, nine specific counseling centers in the event of sexual violence, specialized counseling centers for victims of forced marriage, specialized contact points for those affected by FGM/C, specialist counseling center for those affected by online hate. In 2027, the funding for these counselling centres is to be significantly increased in order to ensure the continued availability of high-quality counselling services for women and girls. A substantial share of the total women's budget is dedicated to violence prevention and protection measures for women and girls. Despite the overall budgetary constraints, the budget of the Women's Ministry has been significantly increased, as I have mentioned yesterday already. Also, additional funding for violence prevention and protection is made available from other ministries and the lender due to the cross-cutting nature and the responsibilities. In particular, the LÄNDER provide an extensive network of shelters for women affected by violence throughout Austria. Shelters and protected accommodation for these persons are available in all LÄNDER. Additionally, the Federation has an agreement pursuant to Article 15A of the Constitution to make additional budgets available for the expansion of transitional shelters until the end of 2027. The extension is currently being negotiated to continue further. Last but not least, according to the Article 30 of the EU Directive on Combating Violence Against Women, the shelters must be provided with sufficient human and financial resources and must be available to victims and their dependents under the age of 18, regardless of the nationality, citizenship, place of residence, or residence status. The lender legislation currently provides for restrictions on admission based on the principal place of residence, so the lender therefore must assess whether legislative amendments are required. Some amendments are already being considered. Also, a quick follow-up to an open question of cluster 2 from yesterday regarding Ms. Paris' question on the current data of the regional gender index mentioned in our state report. This regional gender index was first published in 2013 and included data from 2006 to 2012. It is not an annual index, however. The last update was published in 2018 and included data from 2015 and 2017. But the Women's Ministry publishes regular current data on gender equality, including our last big report in 2024 that contains numerous statistics disaggregated by land level. Thank you.


Austria · Head of Delegation [1:34:11]:

I now give the floor to Mr. Wolf from the Federal Chancellery.


Austria · Representative, Federal Chancellery [1:34:23]:

Mr. Chairman, distinguished members of the committee, I wish just to point out a few points that the Directorate General for Family and Youth funds and supports for the combating and prevention of violence. The budget that the Directorate General has per year is approximately 8 million euros. It is important that all sectors work together. Therefore, we also have a platform against violence, which has been in existence since 1993, a platform of approximately, well, precisely 45 organizations from the federal authorities to NGOs, all working together to achieve the same goal. We have 400 family counseling centers across Austria that play an important role. Very important to mention is a low threshold helpline for victims of violence. a telephone hotline, but also with digital services. Parental education is also one of the main dimensions that is funded because through parental education, the prevention of violence is furthered. Recently, a Quality Assurance Office for Child Protection Services was created. The aim is to certify organizations and help organizations develop child protection measures, implement policies, and be certified in doing so. Then there is funding for the training of professionals on child protection topics, the development of a nationwide child protection campaign was funded, and There is also a network of 46 child protection facilities across Austria, 33 of which are family counseling centers. I think those are the most important points that were not mentioned yet by my colleagues, and I will leave it at that. Thank you.


Austria · Head of Delegation [1:37:48]:

I now give the floor to Mr. Orner from the Ministry of Housing.


Austria · Representative, Ministry of Housing [1:37:55]:

Thank you very much. In response to your questions on the rise of housing costs, Austria is taking measures against the affordability crisis on the housing market and strengthens the system of affordable, long-term quality housing with a focus on vulnerable groups. As in many other countries, Austria has been hit by the affordability crisis in housing during the last years. Due to the strong social housing sector, there is still a high number of apartments available for marginalized and disadvantaged individuals. As you have mentioned, different measures were taken to mitigate the effects of the rise of housing costs. In June 2025, a rent freeze was introduced by the government for the regulated private sector and the limited profit housing association sector. A further increase of rent was capped by the government effective in 2026 and the years ahead for the regulated and non-regulated sector. Both measures restrict landlords' ability to increase rent in line with the rate of inflation, which primarily benefits lower-income groups and those at risk of poverty. The federal government is committed to promoting long-term tenancies. To this end, the current minimum term was extended from three to five years. It applies to extensions and new leases from January 1st, 2026. This provides protection and better financial planning for tenants, as the risk of frequent involuntary moves and the associated cost is reduced. At the time being, there are no plans to put in place more regulations in the private sector. The program of the Austrian government for the period 2025 to 2029 contains different measures to tackle the affordability crisis and to strengthen the social housing sector. These measures include land policies, the financial support of social housing, keeping rents affordable, and facilitate access to the most affordable apartments in social housing for lower income and vulnerable groups. Thank you.


Austria · Head of Delegation [1:39:56]:

I now give the floor to Mr. Switek.


Austria · Representative, Social Affairs Ministry [1:40:01]:

Thank you very much. I would like to provide an answer to the question on deinstitutionalization. Austria is committed to promoting the right of persons with disabilities to independent living, according to Article 19, UNCRPD, including the freedom to choose where they live and whom they live with. For the realization of this right, the access to and the provision of mobile support services and personal assistance is essential. Deinstitutionalization is a highly complex topic in Austria, as the responsibilities are split between the federal government and the governments of the Länder. A collaborative approach between the Länder and the Federation is critical. For example, the Federal Government is responsible for personal assistance in the area of employment, while the Länder are responsible for personal assistance in private life and for housing. The earlier mentioned National Action Plan on Disability includes eight measures to improve access to independent living and accelerate the process of deinstitutionalization. These measures include expanding the number of smaller and shared apartments, as well as partially assisted living. The development of a comprehensive national strategy is also a priority for the federal government and is enshrined in the current government program. This strategy is intended to harmonize the institutionalization process across all nine Länder. Work on the strategy is still in its early stages. The Ministry of Social Affairs plans to develop the strategy through a recently established disability platform in cooperation with representatives of all governments of the Länder. to discuss issues at the administrative level, and the first meeting took place three weeks ago on October 19th, 2026. And as mentioned, Austria recognizes that mobile support services are essential for preventing institutionalization. In Austria, personal assistance in the workplace falls in the responsibility of the federation and personal assistance in private sphere of the lander. In order to ensure uniform standards across different domains, up to 130 million euros has been made available by the federal government in the private sphere, which falls within the responsibility of the Länder. The harmonization project has so far been implemented in five of the nine Länder. The evaluation carried out alongside the project identifies successful developments, but as well as challenges. Based on the results of the evaluation and feedback from representatives of the lander and people with disabilities, a process has been launched to further develop and harmonize personal assistance throughout Austria. The findings of this process are currently being compiled in preparation for the formulation of new policy proposals. But to avoid any disadvantages for people receiving personal assistance, the continuation of the pilot project has been secured until 2027. Thank you very much.


Austria · Head of Delegation [1:43:24]:

I now give the floor to Ms. Kirmaier from the Ministry of Health.


Austria · Representative, Ministry of Health [1:43:29]:

Thank you. I would give further information to the topic of safe abortion. Safe abortion services are available in Austria within the existing legal framework, but as you mentioned, the organization availability differ between regions. We also have more information and counseling services available to support women in accessing the care. Austria is working to improve the access to sexual and reproductive health services and information, particularly for women and adolescents. Recent national reports have identified remaining needs regarding affordability, information access, and measures at federal regional level address these areas. First of all, abortion services are provided in both public and private healthcare settings. In Austria, abortion services are provided in all the nine Länder, in eight Länder, except Burgenland, abortion services are available in at least one public hospital. In Burgenland, abortion services are available in at least one gynecological practice. The regional provision of abortion services has been discussed with the nationwide Women's Health Focal Point Network, including at the 26th Women's Health Focal Point meeting in March 2025. For low-income women, some federal states, such as, for example, Vienna and Tyrol, or, for example, the city of Graz, offer financial assistance. In addition, the Ministry of Health has funded the Changes for Women project from 2024 to the present to improve access to abortions. An overview of those offers is published on the webpage oesterreich.gv.at. In Vienna, access to safe abortions and care in the event of complications is guaranteed in the WIGAV clinics. The costs of an abortion are calculated so that women with low incomes are not placed at a disadvantage. And additionally, the costs are covered by social insurance if there is a medical indication. If it's not, the cost may be covered, as I said, in the event of material hardship. The proportion of abortions in the VGF that were financed by the health insurance in 2023 were 55%. That's to the point of abortions. Quick also to the point of nutrition, we have the National Action Plan on Nutrition and the Strategic Plan Healthy Sustainable Nutrition 2025-23 to provide the strategic framework for further considerations and measures aimed at implementing healthy and sustainable nutrition for everyone in Austria. The basic principles for the health goals process as a whole, as well as for the strategic action plan on nutrition, include affordability and projects aimed at especially parents from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. The plan builds on the National Nutrition Action Plan and Health Target 7, includes actions on health, sustainable meals in settings such as schools, care facilities, and hospitals. The European School Scheme subsidizes the supply of fruit, vegetables, and milk in participating educational institutions and includes educational measures. And from July 2026, the VAT on staples like milk, bread, and fruit was halved to 4.9%, saving households about 100 euros per year.


Interpreter [1:46:47]:

In order to provide accurate interpretation, could the speakers please lower the rate at which they read? Thank you.


Austria · Representative, Ministry of Health [1:46:55]:

Numerous projects and programs continue to be implemented to be carried out at these initiatives, like Eat Right from the Start and Kids Eat Healthy. Thank you.


Austria · Head of Delegation [1:47:09]:

I now give the floor to Ms. Austerlher.


Austria · Representative, Social Affairs Ministry [1:47:15]:

Thank you. Regarding social assistance, first of all, I would like to emphasize that we are talking about the draft bill still, so things can still change. In principle, the integration phase applies to everyone who is subject to the integration program. This therefore also applies to those granted asylum. It is foreseen that everyone should make every effort to integrate as quickly as possible. Again, the social assistance is a subsidiary benefit system of last resort. The primary aim is the sustainable integration of social assistance recipients into the labor market. Anyone who completes all requirements will be able to receive the full social assistance rate as soon as possible. Improvements are that housing benefits do not have to be counted against social assistance, and poverty eradication has been included as an objective in the social assistance. Regarding the questions of Mr. Windfuhr, the benefit recipient rate reached 95% in 2024, which is above the EU average of 83%, and the take-up rate was 70% in our last data from 2016. So non-take-up was 30%. Regarding the child poverty questions from Ms. Lee. The child benefits within the new social assistance schemes are foreseen as a fixed rate for the first child, then a corridor for the second until fourth child, and then also a fixed rate for the fifth child. The Austrian National Action Plan for the implementation of the European Child Guarantee contains a binding timetable. All six key objectives of the child guarantee, including the topic of child poverty in general, are accompanied by target indicators and a timetable. So we have targets each until 2030, which includes effective access and free access for early childhood education and care, school-related activities, a healthy meal per school day, health services, and effective access to healthy nutrition and adequate housing. I thank you.


Austria · Head of Delegation [1:49:31]:

I now eventually give the floor to Mr. Kindl.


Austria · Representative, Ministry of Labour [1:49:45]:

About ratifying the International Convention on the Protection of Rights of all Migrant Workers and Members of their Families, Austria does not intend to ratify this convention since In our view, it doesn't sufficiently differentiate between migrants who have entered the country irregularly and those who are legally present. While the rights of migrant workers and their families who are legally present are fully protected within the Austrian law, there may be certain limitations for irregular migrant workers and their families as far as equal treatment for some social benefits is concerned. The protection against labor exploitation as my colleague and myself already explained today and yesterday, is guaranteed nonetheless. We already explained irregular migrant workers are entitled to claim the amount of remuneration which they would have received if he or she had been employed on the basis of a valid authorised employment contract and to damage the same as if they had rightfully terminated their employment prematurely if the lack of a work authorization has been the employer's fault. And we have also explained that the Austrian Chamber of Labor provides free of charge counseling and enforcement of claims, including legal representation at the Austrian law courts, even at the EU Court of Justice, as well as the European Court of Human Rights, or even for irregular migrant workers. So, yeah, we stand by this position.


CESCR · Chair [1:51:30]:

I thank the distinguished delegation of Austria for their responses to the follow-up questions based on the cluster three, and I shall now give the floor to cluster leader, Mr. Aslan Abashidze, for questions in the cluster four.


CESCR · Cluster Leader [1:51:53]:

First of all, i would like to welcome the distinguished government delegation of Austria. Allow me to continue our constructive dialogue on cluster 4, which covers articles 13, 14 and 15 of the Covenant concerning the rights of education and cultural rights. Let me begin with quoting paragraph 244 of Austria’s fifth periodic report. The current educational reform process aims at equal opportunities in increasing education, individualization, inclusion, skill orientation, and attaining the highest level of education possible. Pupils shall receive personalized support accounting for diverse social background, abilities, and special needs. The needs of Roma children are addressed in the education chapter of the Austria Roma Strategy up to 2030. This chapter contains special measures for Roma children, including learning supporting projects, native language teaching, and Roma school mediation. According to statistic data, The Roma are among the six national minorities officially recognized in Austria. The Roma accounts for 1.3% of the country's population. In your replies to our question, you use the expression "indigenous Roma minority members of school" Could you please clarify whether there are other categories of Roma members besides the indigenous Roma minority? If so, how numerous are they and what is Austria's policy towards this segment of the Roma population? As already mentioned, six national minorities are officially recognized in the country. This includes Hungarians, 7 and 8% of the country population, Croats, it's 5 and 9%, Slovenes, 5 and 4%, Czechs, 3 and 3%, and Slovaks, 1%. Is there a separate education strategy for these national minorities and their children similar to the Austria Roma Strategy up to 2030? If so, please describe in detail; if not, why not? Let me return to paragraph 245 of your replies, which states: And I quote, "To improve the educational opportunities and integration of pupils with migration background, pupils in primary and secondary level unable to follow instructions due to insufficient German skills must since their school years 18-19 attend separate German support classes or German support courses in parallel with regular classes." The aim is that they intensively and quickly learn German to that they are follow class instructions pursuant to the curriculum applicable to the specific grades or school type. As we can see, migration background is already being taken into account in this case. This is very important. To your own data, in the 2022-23 school year, 32% of children aged 3 to 6 attended early childhood education facilities had a first language other than Germany. In other words, a significant populations of preschool age school children belong to various national minorities or pupils with migration background and do not have an adequate command of German. This brings us to the key question: the availability of official statistics and aggregated indicators in the field of education, without which it is impossible to establish, as you state in paragraph 244 of your replies, an advanced and uniform quality management system at all levels of the school system. Here is what paragraph 18 of Austria's common core document states, and I quote, "No statistic data is available on the ethnic composition of the population living in Austria. More recent figures are not available as traditional censuses have been replaced by registered based censuses in accordance with the Register Based Census Act 2006. Since this act came into force, registers are used for data reconciliation that do not contain characteristics of colloquium language or mother tongue. In this context, allow me to recall two important constitutional provisions. First, Article 8 of the Federal Constitutional Law states that the language and culture of minorities are to be respected, safeguarded, and promoted in Austria. Second, the Constitutional Court has interpreted Article 1 of the Federal Constitutional Act of 1973 as a requirement of equal treatment of non-nationals relative to one Allow me also to recall the Committee's question set out in paragraph 34 of the list of issues prior to submission of the PIF's periodic report. With reference Reference to the Committee's previous concluding observations, please indicate the measures taken to broaden the criteria for the recognition of a national minority under the Ethnic Groups Act so as to ensure that all minorities, including those who are not traditionally or historically rooted in the State party, can enjoy their economic, social and cultural rights. Your answer to our question, which I emphasized was a repeated question in paragraph 257 of your replies, was, as I quote, currently not envisaged. Unfortunately, this very issue is one of the key considerations in assessing the Austrian government's efforts in the field of education and culture with regards to all national minorities and persons with a migration background. With regard to education, the members of the Committee wishes to know not only what measures were being taken to help members of these population groups learn German, but also what Austria policy was on preserving their native languages. In paragraph 246 of your replies with regard to the Roma, You stated that the education chapter of the Austrian Roma Strategy up to 2023 foresees specific measures for Roma, including native language teaching. Could you tell us more about the teaching of the Roma children's native language? What is the Austrian Government doing in the regard of the provide native language instructions for children belonging to other minorities, such as the Croats, who whose number are more than four times those of the Roma. According to our information, in recent years, an average of approximately 1,002,000 children have enrolled in primary schools each academic year. I maybe not have the exact figure, but this is not the main point of my question. My question concerns another aspect. Under the current rule, all children are required to attend to preschool institution during the year preceding their entry into primary school. Could you provide precise figures showing how many children were required to attend preschool institutions in the year before entering primary school? For example, in 2022-23 school years, how many actually attended, and how many of these children entered primary school in 2023-24 school year? What measures did the government take with regard to those who did not begin schooling in the 23-24 school year? Under the current rules, various measures are available to ensure that parents take a responsibility responsible approach to their children's participation in education. This includes administrative measures. Could you explain how such administrative measures are applied in Austria in relation to parents or the so-called baron of the Roma community? Paragraph 247 of your replies, which sets out illustrative lender measures for Roma indicates that Roma in Vienna have more opportunities than those in the Burgenland. It is understandable that certain forms of assistance depends on a minimum number of pupils and other requirements. However, what about common federal requirements? Given that, for example, Burgenland has its own Minority School Education Act of 1994, how is a uniform quality management systems in education to be achieved at all levels of the school system? And how can equal guarantees of the rights of education be ensured throughout Austria? Under the current rules, all children of compulsory school age are tested for school readiness before starting school. Could you provide statistics indicating what percentage of these children out of 100 underwent this test? assessment, what percentage did not and for what reasons? Could you provide such statistics and information for the 24-25 school year? And please explain what special support was provided to them and what the results were. In paragraph 249 of your replies, in the context of the preventive school dropout, You list factors influencing school and vocational training dropouts, including problems with learning success, acquisitions of skills, and motivation, or psychological problems, or insufficient support. Could you clarify what is meant means by insufficient support? This means insufficient support from the State, or if so, what is the problem? Among the countermeasures for overcoming these difficulties, you mentioned establishing a feedback culture. Could you explain what this means, this feedback culture? Your replies confirm that access to both State schools and private schools is open. My question is, how is the allocation of places or kindergartens and primary schools determined by place of residence, by parents' preferences, or do state established rules apply when place are insufficient or when parents wish to enroll their children in more shall We say prestigious institutions. Are education and childcare services the same throughout the country, or do they differ? Are all such services free of charge, or are some subject to fees? With regard to the enjoyment of cultural rights, we would like, we would ask you, if possible, to provide up-to-date statistics on federal budgetary funding for cultural activities of national minorities, as well as comparative charts showing the amounts or percentages for the most recent post-COVID years, if you have such data available, of course. Thank you very much.


CESCR · Chair [2:05:49]:

Thank you, Mr. Barchidze, for the questions and the cluster four. I now give the floor to the distinguished delegation, which would have approximately 30 minutes for the responses to the questions under cluster 4.


Austria · Head of Delegation [2:06:09]:

Thank you very much for your questions. I now give the floor to Mr. Benes from the Ministry of Education to provide the answers.


Austria · Representative, Ministry of Education [2:06:26]:

Okay, the first thing to start basically is that we do have six recognized groups of minorities within Austria, and it is based on our constitution, actually. And when we are talking about the rights of these minorities, actually, they are the structures, the legal framework, they are totally embedded into our system of education and in our system of administration. In concrete, that means actually, when we, for instance, I mentioned yesterday, had started the process of redeveloping or renewing curriculars in Austria, we did this for these communities with a very special aspect. So by doing this kind of process, making sure of the kind of content that is important for the minorities, for cultural aspects, for issues of language training are important, are included into this kind of materials. that then in the next step are used within our schools. And there also to make it clear to everybody that there is no difference, we do not try to let it look like a difference. That's also important. It's an integral part of our system of education. For instance, take for instance Carinthia in Austria, where we do have the Slovenian minority, regarding structures of schools, curriculars, by design, architecture, everything that's included, it's on the same basis as the curricula and the material basically used for schools with non-minority status in Austria. But of course, with some content, with some materials, information, aspects, issues, things that are that are important for these groups of minority. And the same way within these six groups, as mentioned, especially emphasized the group of Roma minority, is done for the Roma community in Austria. So let me emphasize this once again, the kind of renewing all the content materials has been taking place also for this group or is taking place right now. And by this, we try to make sure that these minorities are fully integrated, fully included part of our system of education. And also in practical, when we do have meetings with our departments by the ministry, We simply do not differ between the groups. It's part of our system of education, and I think that is the best thing that we can do to have these kind of minorities as a full integral part of our country. Regarding the issue, as mentioned, with Roma community, we've seen some kind of situation, especially with migrational movements coming from other countries also, for instance, we've seen this phenomenon during the first years of the Ukraine war, that maybe other groups of Roma come to, for some time, to Austria. They probably maybe stay in Vienna, they probably stay in the Burgenland where we have this community. And as far as we are informed, it has been arranged in some way. But there hasn't been made any kind of difference. Because the other thing I want to mention at this point, there has been a lot of talk about language training. You mentioned the system of German language training, and it is basically right now also written down in our government program, one of the big issues, a big focus of the government to make sure that every child in Austria is able to learn German as the basis, because it is the basis for integration, for full participation and being successful within the system of education. And beside of all the budgetarian strains that have been mentioned before, Austria right now is investing much more money than, for instance, 10, 15 years ago in the field of language training. And I'm not talking only about classical German training. The other thing that hasn't been mentioned right now is that by about 21st languages are offered to pupils that do not have German as a mother tongue. So that's another aspect, another principle that is implemented within our system of education, because we also know the importance of first language and on the basis of first language, learning German as a whole. We do not only have the kind of system of German classes, German support classes, and there I would kindly like to make a kind of amendment. They are not parallel classes. The system was and is defined to make clear that pupils within the class who need some kind of additional German training do get this for a certain period of time more intensively. But they are part of the so-called normal class system. They spend some time in extra groups, in a kind of class setting, for focusing on German learning, also using kind of the materials, the content, everything that needs to be taught in the normal class. And beside of this kind of structure we had in place since now the year 2018, 2019, we now with the beginning of this year have a more flexible system. So when schools in Austria provide concepts, they are permitted to make a more flexible model of German training. And we see right now that by about 50-50% of the schools using the one system or the other one. Beside of that, as I've mentioned yesterday, we have expanded remarkably beside of budgetarian strengths the number of teachers working in this area. We have I do not have the numbers with me right now, and I do have to apologize regarding the many questions regarding statistics. To be honest, I don't have them with me right now, but we'll try to bring it forward as soon as possible. But right now, what we have done and are still doing is trying to hire more teachers in this field who can support German and language training, first language training, and also by that, doing something for the process of integration. right now. Regarding the aspect of preschool education in Austria, it has also been mentioned that there is an obligation for every child in the last year before going to school to attend a preschool institution. And the government and the levels of administration have been very keen on to implement it in a very, very consequent way, because we know right now, as in many other countries, that it is especially vital for children, maybe with another mother tongue, to get into kind of educational setting and thereby being prepared properly based on its interests for the next step of school, and also especially when we are talking about language and integration. We see right now that more than far beyond 90% of the pupils do attend this last year of preschool education. And coming back to the point of minorities, I also want to say that we do not make the difference as a whole. It is a principle. They are simply a part, an integral part, these children coming from the minorities. of our system of education. We do not differ in the way they are. They do have the opportunities to getting additional subsidizes for materials, for maybe for preschool teachers being trained properly in Slovenian, Carinthian, or maybe also Czech, to make sure that this kind of Preparation for school on the basis of interest of the group of minority can also take place within the kindergarten, as it is taking place for other groups of children, maybe the preparation. So it has become, to some extent, normal. It has been a process that all these groups do have their structures. They have maybe the same structures, the same architecture. In principle, they use the same materials, maybe the content is different. And by doing this on the basis of equality regarding the structures and everything we do, we also want to make sure that they are just a part of Austrian society, the minorities. And to some extent regarding all the challenges we face with our system of education, I would say right now that It is in a very stable situation. Furthermore, we are also in a process of constant dialogue with these groups of minorities and their groups of interests, what can be done to expand, to develop the system of education, the branch regarding the minorities. And there are constant groups and processes. In Corinthia, for instance, we do have a process with the communities where we try to find out what can be done additionally over the next years. in preserving and developing the system for the group of minority. We are talking about which subjects additionally could be taken, for instance, in Slovenian, what kind of new materials do you need, what can be done by the system of education to promote the use of, for instance, Slovenian by young people, which is a challenge for all the groups of minority. We still have the same discussions with other groups, for instance. But that's an ongoing process, and I would say a very positive process, and we are looking forward to finish, finalize it, and on the basis of these things, start to implement things we have as the groups and the government agreed on. So, thank you.


Austria · Head of Delegation [2:16:55]:

I now give the floor to Ms. Kasser from the Federal Chancellery.


Austria · Representative, Federal Chancellery [2:17:00]:

As to broadening the criteria for the recognition as a national minority under the National Minorities Act, Austria's National Minorities Act constitutionally recognizes six national minorities, as you mentioned. Slovenian, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, and Roma. It provides no individual right to recognition as an additional national minority, a position which was confirmed by the Constitutional Court in 2026, nor does the Constitution require a formal recognition procedure. The constitutional provision of Section 1, paragraph 1 of the National Minorities Act defines Austria's national minorities. And in 2026, the Constitutional Court confirmed in the context of claims of the recognition of an additional national minority that there is no subjective right to the recognition as a national minority or to the establishment of a national minority advisory council, nor does the Constitution require the legislature to provide for a formal recognition procedure. Recognition is linked to the establishment of a national minority advisory council by a federal government regulation. This requires broad political consensus, as the regulation requires the consent of the main committee of the National Council and consultation with the relevant lender government. Thank you.


Austria · Head of Delegation [2:18:32]:

I think for the time being, that's the answers we can provide right now on your questions.


Speaker 59 [2:18:43]:

Thank you.


CESCR · Chair [2:18:47]:

I thank the distinguished delegation of Austria for the answers, the replies to questions within the cluster 4. The floor is now open for follow-up questions, and I give the floor first to Ms. Ju Young Lee for her follow-up questions.


CESCR · Country Rapporteur [2:19:13]:

Thank you, Chairperson. I would like to ask three follow-up questions under cluster four. First, education for children with disabilities. We understand that a parallel system of special schools persists and is expanding in several lender, and the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities observed in 2023 that inclusive education had regressed in the State Party. Unlike other pupils, children with disabilities currently need the approval of the authorities to attend an 11th and 12th school year. Does the State Party have a plan with a timetable and resources to move from special schools to inclusive education? Will the planned legal entitlement cover all children with disabilities, including in general and vocational upper secondary schools, so that they are not kept in separate settings. Second, in the state party, at the age of 10, children are separated into either an academic secondary school, which leads to university, or a general secondary school. one of the earliest such decisions in the OECD countries. Their educational outcomes depend more on their family background than the OECD average. Does the State Party intend to reconsider early tracking and to take measures to promote equal educational opportunities, regardless of their socio-economic background? Third, algorithms in public services. Algorithms and artificial intelligence are increasingly used in public services, including to assess eligibility for support and to advise job seekers. And there is a risk of reproducing or deepening existing discrimination. Are algorithms used in public services in the State Party assessed for their impact on human rights before they are introduced? How does the State Party ensure that human review of their results is real and not a formality, and that people can challenge these decisions? Thank you very much.


CESCR · Chair [2:21:54]:

Thank you, Mrs. Ju Yong Lee. I see we have no further follow-up questions from the committee. Uh, yes, uh, Mr. Wenfeng.


CESCR · Committee Member [2:22:09]:

Yes. I would like to come back, shall I do it now or shall I do it later on issues which hasn't been answered so far yet? I could do it yet, um, and I have also one additional question on- on inclusive education. Maybe start with this, and then you can decide if I.


CESCR · Chair [2:22:26]:

You can do it now, so yes, please proceed.


CESCR · Committee Member [2:22:30]:

I was just mentioning these special schools for people with disabilities. Do you have any evaluation about the outcome of these schools compared to inclusive education? At least in my country, there's a vast difference. In the special schools, they're really rarely doing the fine outcome, yeah, an exam, but in- in if they are included, the exams rates are much better. Maybe you can let us know what is, uh, if you have an evaluation or some results on this. And maybe concerning the- the questions, I, yeah, I- I just mentioned it, yeah? So, um, I asked for the Social Security Act, which is under consideration. What is the role of private institutions, social organizations in this? So that would be of interest from my side. I asked also yesterday about this work instead of pocket money program. You said it's under discussion, but maybe you can give us an idea if there will be a result coming out of this discussion, if you will have a decision, for example, on minimum wages and how this for people with handicaps. Um, yeah, and, um, that would be at least two questions I have, yeah. Thanks.


CESCR · Chair [2:23:48]:

Thank you, Mr. Winful. So I now give the floor to the distinguished delegation for their response. Thank you.


Austria · Head of Delegation [2:23:55]:

Thank you for your additional questions. I give the floor to Mr. Benesch again.


Austria · Representative, Ministry of Education [2:24:04]:

Start with the, um, questions and the issue of inclusive education right now. Uh, well, um, I would say that we are really trying to take steps to advance with the inclusive education in Austria. And at this point, I would like to mention some of the projects we have implemented and are in the process of implementing. implemented new curricula specialized for the support of the educational needs of pupils with special educational needs. They are, I mentioned before, in the field of groups of minority. They are also based on the same architecture, the same structure, which was also very important to make clear that all the kind additional material that needs to be developed for the implementation of this new curricula. is taking place on the same basis as you're doing it for so-called other subjects and other curriculars for other groups of pupils. So, and we are now in the process of implementation of this kind of new curricula. The second thing, it has been mentioned before, the issue of the so-called 11th and 12th school year. That's an ongoing discussion in Austria, and yes, we had a situation some years ago where the departments and Some institutions were rather strict in giving the kind of provision that pupils with special needs stay an 11th or 12th year within the system of education. The first thing we did, it was three years ago, to make sure by the school management that this kind of process is liberalized and that we are very keen on that right now. as many pupils as want to can attend an 11th and 12th year in the system of education and not in another training institution as a whole. Beside of that, the government has plans right now and is committed to implement a kind of right on this kind of 11th and 12th year of schooling within an educational institution. This kind, it's part of the ongoing discussions in Austria. Something else I would like to mention at this point, we have also implemented a kind of sign language within our system of education within the last two years. Austria was in a delay in implementing the kind of provisions and the international standards right now, and we are now in the process that sign language is an integral and normal part of the system of education. We have provided and developed the kind of materials it is needed for, and pupils will be able to take finals in sign languages if they want to, so making it also become an integral part of our system. of education. You mentioned before that we do have a primary school for the first four years, even though we are in a situation that there you have this kind of first decision whether you can go on to a gymnasium or so-called middle school. Beside of that, there are many opportunities in addition to that, pupils from middle schools can take A-levels and their finals and can then, after some time, switch up to a gymnasium. That basically does exist, especially in the field of secondary education. That's the one thing I just wanted to mention. It's a kind of system of bridges that do exist between these two kind of cornerstones of our system of education in the secondary education. Beside of that, there is right now, there are further programs in developing what can be done to make sure that all pupils can, for instance, come to this kind of education and this kind of training that fits properly to its interest and its needs. And there's also an ongoing discussion about this kind of points of transition within the system of education. There's also right now a project in the work to expand the primary education from four to six years, but that's a program and a project that is right now in the process. Regarding schools, inclusive schools, as you have mentioned, well, we have to see that the decision whether a special school for children with special educational needs is built or not built, or is renewed or used as a whole, is a discussion that is taken in Austria by the regional governments and the so-called lender. And that approach can be different. Another aspect that has to be taken into account is the fact that when we take a look on the group of parents of children with special educational needs, We do see that we have a critical quantity of parents who often demand a kind of specific training and education for their children, not in an inclusive setting. We also do have this kind of situation, and we see that there's some kind of They also insist on that this kind of training is taking place, and therefore you have the structures. Beside of that, with the measures I've mentioned before, we are very interested in to expand the inclusion within our system of education. Something I also wanted to mention at this point, we have also now a process going on in defining in a new way what special educational needs are, so that we can, by this, improve the kind of process of inclusion taking place within our system of education. It's a discussion with experts taking place right now. We are fully aware of that. With the measures I've mentioned before, we try to continue with the inclusion, and we are now working on the next steps. Thank you.


Austria · Head of Delegation [2:31:00]:

As regards your questions on autochthonous Roma, I can report that the National Minorities Act and the rights provided for therein apply only to the autochthonous Roma minority. However, within the framework of the EU Roma Framework, No distinction is made between autochthonous and non-autochthonous Roma. This means that the national Roma strategy and the measures envisaged therein apply to all Roma in Austria. As part of the funding provided for national minorities, cultural projects of the Roma minority are, of course, also supported. In 2024, the Roma minority was allocated 777,900 euros in national minority funding, including for cultural projects run by Roma associations. As regards the 2026 amendment of the National Minorities Act, This really strengthened national minorities in Austria, as the six national minorities are now constitutionally recognized through their exhaustive enumeration. The amendment also comprised a reform of the court system in Carinthia with the aim of safeguarding bilingual jurisdiction in the long term. The annual minority funding report will be expanded into a comprehensive report on the situation of national minorities, giving the advisory councils a stronger voice in the process. The government also plans to establish a national minorities forum to discuss areas for improvement and future support for national minorities. I now give the floor to Ms. Grasso from the Federal Chancellery.


Austria · Representative, Federal Chancellery [2:33:26]:

As to digital public services and accessibility, the legal basis for digital administration in Austria is the e-Government Act. This law took effect on March 1, 2024, and forms the cornerstone of the digital transformation in public administration. A central element of this legal framework is established, it is the right to electronic interaction. This gives citizens the possibility to access government services digitally. It is important to underline, however, that this is a right and not an obligation. So electronic communication remains a voluntary option and does not constitute an obligation. At the same time, the right to use administrative services through traditional, non-digital means remains in effect. Public administration must therefore continue to offer non-digital means of communication and service delivery. The E-Government Act explicitly foresees that an alternative non-digital way to interact with the government must be available unless explicitly foreseen otherwise by law, and that no disadvantages must be connected to the usage of this alternative channels. The Digital Austria Service Center supports the practical implementation of this legal framework by helping citizens to access the digital government services. The key aspects include the voluntary digital use, the analog alternatives that remain available, and the administrative principle, which is the principle of administrative simplification and the guarantee of equal access to government services for all citizens, regardless of their technical proficiency. In general, on the digital skills, digitalization is not an end in itself, and it thrives on the people who shape and use it. Digital skills are key to ensure that everyone in Austria can benefit from the opportunities of digital transformation and that Austria can realize the economic potential of digitalization. The latest Eurostat digital skills indicator shows that Austria has already achieved strong progress with digital skills through the Digital Skills Initiative Austria. In the current EU27 ranking, Austria holds seventh place with 69.8% of people aged 16 to 74 having at least basic digital skills, which is well above the average of the EU, which is 60.4%. Since 2023, this share has increased by almost five percentage points, placing Austria among the group of EU countries with above average basic digital competencies. The trend also reflects a clear positive momentum over time. Austria ranked ninth in 2021, eighth in 2023, and has now moved up to seventh place in 2025. Digital skills among the population are an important prerequisite for innovation, economic growth, and participation in the digital world. The Digital Skills Initiative Austria is coordinated by the Federal Chancellery and aims to enable at least 80% of the population to develop basic digital skills by 2030, while also increasing the number of IT professionals in a sustainable way. Implementation involves five additional ministries and takes place in close cooperation with partners from business, academia, social partners, and civil society. The initiative particularly focuses on population groups with greater needs, such as older adults and people with lower levels of formal education. Over 6,000 free and low threshold Digital Everywhere workshops, along with the advanced workshop series of Digital Everywhere Plus development program, provide basic digital skills in key areas such as e-government, artificial intelligence, and online security, particularly targeting rural regions, senior citizens, and people who are typically harder to reach through traditional education and training formats. This new approach is clearly delivering results, as 61% of participants are older people and nearly 58% had not taken part in any IT training in the past three years. In line with the current government program and against the backdrop of dynamic developments in the field of artificial intelligence, the initiative is now focusing specifically on expanding AI-related skills and empowering women in this future-oriented field. Thank you.


Austria · Head of Delegation [2:38:04]:

I now give the floor to Mr. Switek from the Social Affairs Ministry.


Austria · Representative, Social Affairs Ministry [2:38:11]:

Thank you very much. Mr. Windfur, I would like to refer to your question on wage instead of pocket money, and I would like to refer to my response from yesterday regarding the occupational therapy for persons with disabilities. And as stated, the federal government has established these funding guidelines and allocated 36 million euros to stimulate progress in this area across the lander. And these implemented projects are being incorporated into the ongoing discussions. So, however, the discussion is still ongoing, and there is no outcome or result yet, but the goal is clear, a wage instead of pocket money and social security coverage for persons with disabilities. Thank you.


Austria · Head of Delegation [2:39:04]:

I now give the floor to Mr. Kindl from the Ministry of Labour.


Austria · Representative, Ministry of Labour [2:39:15]:

Regarding your question of artificial intelligence, I might With the Public Employment Service, I might add that the Public Employment Service commissioned the development of an assistance system for labor market opportunities designed to assess job seekers' prospect in the labor market based in part on their personal data. The system drew criticism, including concerns regarding data protection. However, the Federal Administrative Court concluded that the system did not violate the data protection. Nevertheless, the system was discontinued. It's not in force anymore. I might add that there are vocational information, there is a chatbot which is used with artificial intelligence to inform all interested persons who want to know more about the different vocational systems and the different professions, they can use this chatbot. This is an AI system that is still running. And also, I might add that there is some research about the artificial intelligence developments on the labor market and on professions. And on qualification measures, digital skills will, sorry, qualification measures an integral part of measures to further, sorry, help out to qualification measures are implemented. Thank you.


Austria · Head of Delegation [2:41:52]:

I now give the floor to Ms. Austaler from the Social Affairs Ministry.


Austria · Representative, Social Affairs Ministry [2:41:59]:

Thank you. I will answer the question of Mr. Windfu regarding the social assistance and the role of NGOs. It is rather the lender that will need to implement changes. Public opinion does have influence on social assistance. There have been very strong calls from NGOs recently for significant improvements, particularly for persons with disabilities, because in many cases their needs were not being met. The law amendment is intended to go some way towards addressing this. Persons with disabilities are an important aspect of the reform. In accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the CRPD, among the planned improvements for this target group are: first, a waiver of the obligation to pursue legal action for people with disabilities aged 25 or older; second, a double asset exemption to be better able to cover additional costs due to a disability; Third, a clarification that the therapeutic pocket money or care allowances are not counted toward social assistance, and ultimately, supervised shared flats must not be counted as one household. This means that every person in the supervised shared flat is considered a single household. I thank you.


CESCR · Chair [2:43:28]:

I thank the distinguished delegation for the response to the questions in the cluster 4 and the remaining issues which have been raised as well. I shall now give the floor to the country rapporteur, Mrs. Ju Yong Lee, for her closing remarks.


CESCR · Country Rapporteur [2:43:52]:

Thank you, Chairperson. This dialogue is a shared moment of reflection on what the rights in the Covenant mean in the daily lives of people in Austria. A child in a large family, an older woman living on a small pension, a young person looking for a first job, a care worker far from home, a person who has come to Austria seeking international protection, or a family worried about next month's rent. Over the past two days, we have tried to look at the law, policies, and practices of the State Party through their eyes. I thank the delegation for engaging with us in that spirit, openly and constructively. Austria has a strong tradition of social protection, social partnership, and solidarity, and it has much to be proud of. At the same time, our dialogue has addressed a number of important issues, such as the impact of budget consolidation on social security, social services, and education; the adequacy of social security benefits, including social assistance; the affordability of housing and security of tenure; inclusive education and equal educational opportunities; and the State Party's responsibilities beyond its borders in relation to such as climate change, business activities, and development cooperation, among others. We welcome the delegation's assurance that the amendment to the Social Assistance Framework Act is still a draft and may change. We hope that the consultation at the national level will give full consideration to the concerns raised in this dialogue, in particular its impact on children. Let me now express my thanks. I thank the distinguished delegation for its rich and frank engagement and for the information it provided before and during the dialogue. I thank the civil society organizations and the Austrian Ombudsman Board for the valuable information they shared with us. Thank you, Chairperson, for guiding our dialogue. I thank the interpreters who made our exchange possible and the Secretariat for its excellent support. Last but not least, my thanks go to my colleagues on the Committee. in particular, the members of the country task force for Austria, Ms. Laura Elisa Perez, Mr. Giuseppe Parmisano, and Mr. Aslan Abashidze. At the end of this session, the Committee will adopt its concluding observations. We hope they will be widely disseminated and implemented with the broad participation of all relevant actors: federal and local authorities, parliament, the Ombudsman Board, civil society, and the people whose rights are at stake. The Committee is looking forward to continuing this dialogue in the years ahead. I wish the delegation a safe journey home and every success in its important work. Thank you.


CESCR · Chair [2:47:31]:

Thank you, Ms. Joo Young Lee. I shall now kindly invite Your Excellency to make her closing remarks.


Austria · Head of Delegation [2:47:42]:

Thank you. Chair, distinguished members of the Committee, I would like to thank you for your many questions. Constructive dialogue is crucial to the success of the Covenant. I hope that within the limited time available, we were able to provide sufficient clarification and explanation. Austria will carefully review the Committee's conclusions and recommendations and incorporate them into the national process. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank civil society for the really impressive amount of submissions in preparation of this dialogue. Their contributions once again prove that civil society is an important stakeholder when it comes to enhancing the protection of human rights. In closing, I would like to thank all members of the Austrian delegation for their efforts in answering the questions. Thank you.


CESCR · Chair [2:48:56]:

Thank you, Your Excellency, for these closing remarks. We are happy to conclude our fruitful exchanges over the wide range of subjects which confront Austria in the implementation of its obligations under the Covenant. I must express our deep gratitude to the head and members of the distinguished delegation of Austria for their active participation and very informative response to the questions raised by the members of our Committee. The discussions have indeed been most enriching, and we deeply appreciate the positive spirit which has prevailed throughout the proceedings since yesterday. Such a constructive dialogue will no doubt assist our Committee in coming up with fully considered and appropriate recommendations in its concluding observations. And in accordance with the follow-up procedure, the Committee will identify the three recommendations which require your urgent attention and implementation within a period of 24 months. I am also grateful to all the members of our Committee, the country rapporteur and members of the country task force, the Secretariat, as well as the interpreters and technical staff for their valuable contribution and support. My thanks also go to the civil society organizations and the various other bodies and institutions which have provided a useful input for the purpose of the present review exercise. The concluding observations will, following their adoption by the Committee, be communicated to the State Party by Friday, 13 November, and will be made available publicly on Monday, the 16th of November. I would end by wishing Your Excellency, the head of the delegation, and all members of the distinguished delegation who are travelling back to Austria a safe and pleasant return journey home. The meeting is closed. I shall request the members of the Committee to stay over for some announcements.