# Austria - United States Department of State

- Austria HomeReportsBureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices&#8230;Austria				hide	document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function(event) {	if(window.jQuery) {		jQuery( document ).ready(function() {			if (jQuery(".bc_middle").hasClass("collapse")) {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});				jQuery(".bc_hide").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});			} else {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").hide();			}		});	}});																							2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Austria																																					Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor																																																																										Translations																																																																 In this section										/																							EXECUTIVE SUMMARY																																													EXECUTIVE SUMMARY																															Section 1. Respect for the Integrity of the Person																																																									a. Arbitrary Deprivation of Life and Other Unlawful or Politically Motivated Killings																																																																											b. Disappearance																																																																											c. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and Other Related Abuses																																																																			Prison and Detention Center Conditions																																																																																																																		d. Arbitrary Arrest or Detention																																																																			Arrest Procedures and Treatment of Detainees																																																																																																																		e. Denial of Fair Public Trial																																																																			Trial Procedures																																																								Political Prisoners and Detainees																																																																																																																		f. Transnational Repression																																																																											g. Property Seizure and Restitution																																																																											h. Arbitrary or Unlawful Interference with Privacy, Family, Home, or Correspondence																																																																																	Section 2. Respect for Civil Liberties																																																									a. Freedom of Expression, Including for Members of the Press and Other Media																																																																			Internet Freedom																																																																																																																		b. Freedoms of Peaceful Assembly and Association																																																																											c. Freedom of Religion																																																																											d. Freedom of Movement and the Right to Leave the Country																																																																											e. Protection of Refugees																																																																											f. Status and Treatment of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)																																																																											g. Stateless Persons																																																																																	Section 3. Freedom to Participate in the Political Process																																																									Elections and Political Participation																																																																																	Section 4. Corruption in Government																															Section 5. Governmental Posture Towards International and Nongovernmental Monitoring and Investigation of Alleged Abuses of Human Rights																															Section 6. Discrimination and Societal Abuses																																																									Women																																																																											Systemic Racial or Ethnic Violence and Discrimination																																																																											Children																																																																											Antisemitism																																																																											Trafficking in Persons																																																																											Acts of Violence, Criminalization, and other Abuses Based on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity or Expression, or Sex Characteristics																																																																											Persons with Disabilities																																																																																	Section 7. Worker Rights																																																									a. Freedom of Association and the Right to Collective Bargaining																																																																											b. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor																																																																											c. Prohibition of Child Labor and Minimum Age for Employment																																																																											d. Discrimination (see section 6)																																																																											e. Acceptable Conditions of Work																																																																																																							EXECUTIVE SUMMARY				There were no significant changes in the human rights situation in Austria during the year.Significant human rights abuses included serious restrictions on freedom of expression with enforcement of criminal libel laws.The government took credible steps to identify and punish officials who may have committed human rights abuses or engaged in corruption.																														Section 1.													 Respect for the Integrity of the Person												    																																																a. Arbitrary Deprivation of Life and Other Unlawful or Politically Motivated Killings										There were no reports that the government or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings, including extrajudicial killings, during the year.																																				b. Disappearance										There were no reports of disappearances by or on behalf of government authorities.																																				c. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and Other Related Abuses										The constitution and law prohibited such practices, and there were no reports that government officials employed them.Human rights monitors reported a number of complaints of police mistreatment; these were generally investigated internally with minimal public information or oversight and convicted police officers generally received only suspended sentences. In September, the government established an office to investigate allegations of police mistreatment. The office was established as a separate organizational unit within the Federal Corruption Office, which was part of the Ministry of the Interior.																Prison and Detention Center Conditions						There were no significant reports that raised human rights concerns regarding prison or detention center conditions. Nonetheless, a June report of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment alleged that staff shortages led to longer periods of confinement and insufficient psychiatric care.Administration: Authorities conducted investigations of credible allegations of mistreatment.Independent Monitoring: The government permitted visits by independent nongovernmental observers.																										d. Arbitrary Arrest or Detention										The law prohibited arbitrary arrest and detention and provided for the right of any person to challenge the lawfulness of their arrest or detention in court. The government generally observed these requirements.																Arrest Procedures and Treatment of Detainees						Authorities based arrests on sufficient evidence and legal warrants issued by a duly authorized official. The law required that the arrested person be brought before an independent judiciary and charged with a crime and those rights were respected. In criminal cases, the law allowed investigative or pretrial detention for no more than 48 hours, during which time a judge could decide to grant a prosecution request for extended detention. The law specified the grounds for investigative detention and conditions for bail. There were strict checks on the enforcement of pretrial detention restrictions and bail provisions, and a judge was required to evaluate investigative detention cases periodically. Pretrial detention could last up to one year for crimes punishable by a term of imprisonment less than five years, or up to two years for crimes punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding five years. House arrest could be ordered in defined circumstances. There was a functioning bail system. Police and judicial authorities generally respected these laws and procedures.Detainees had the right to an attorney. Although indigent criminal suspects had the right to an attorney at government expense, the law required appointment of an attorney only after a court decision to remand such suspects into custody (at most 96 hours after apprehension). Criminal suspects were not legally required to answer questions without an attorney present. Laws providing for compensation for persons unlawfully detained were enforced.																										e. Denial of Fair Public Trial										The law provided for an independent judiciary, and the government generally respected judicial independence and impartiality.																Trial Procedures						The law provided for the right to a fair and public trial, and an independent judiciary generally enforced this right.						Political Prisoners and Detainees						There were no reports of political prisoners or detainees.																										f. Transnational Repression										Not applicable.																																				g. Property Seizure and Restitution										The government had laws or mechanisms in place, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and advocacy groups reported that the government made some progress on resolving Holocaust-era restitution claims, including by foreign citizens. Property restitution also included an art restitution program. NGOs and advocacy groups reported that the government had taken comprehensive steps to implement these programs.The Department of State’s Justice for Uncompensated Survivors Today (JUST) Act Report to Congress, released publicly in 2020, can be found on the State Department’s website:  https://www.state.gov/reports/just-act-report-to-congress/.																																				h. Arbitrary or Unlawful Interference with Privacy, Family, Home, or Correspondence										The law prohibited such actions, and there were no reports the government failed to respect these prohibitions.																																					Section 2.													 Respect for Civil Liberties												    																																																a. Freedom of Expression, Including for Members of the Press and Other Media										The constitution provided for freedom of expression, including for the press and other media, and the government generally respected this right. An independent media, an effective judiciary, and a functioning democratic political system combined to promote freedom of expression, including for media members.Freedom of Expression: The law prohibited incitement, insult, or contempt against a group because of its members’ race, nationality, religion, or ethnicity if such action violated human dignity, and imposed criminal penalties for violations. The law prohibited public denial, belittlement, approval, or justification of the Nazi genocide or other Nazi crimes against humanity in print media, broadcast media, the publication of books, and online newspapers or journals, and provided criminal penalties for violations. In January, the Vienna Higher Regional Court convicted Austrian neo-Nazi rapper “Mr. Bond” (real name: Philip Hassler) to a 10-year prison sentence for glorifying National Socialism, Adolf Hitler, and the Holocaust through his rap lyrics and video clips. The law also prohibited disparagement of religious teachings in public.Libel/Slander Laws: Libel, slander, defamation, and the denunciation of religious teachings (blasphemy) were criminal offenses and were prosecuted.																Internet Freedom						The government did not restrict or disrupt access to the internet or censor online content.																										b. Freedoms of Peaceful Assembly and Association										The constitution and law provided for the freedoms of peaceful assembly and association, and the government generally respected these rights.																																				c. Freedom of Religion										See the Department of State’s International Religious Freedom Report at  https://www.state.gov/religiousfreedomreport/.																																				d. Freedom of Movement and the Right to Leave the Country										The law provided for freedom of internal movement, foreign travel, emigration, and repatriation, and the government generally respected these rights.																																				e. Protection of Refugees										The government cooperated with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other humanitarian organizations in providing protection and assistance to refugees, returning refugees, or asylum seekers, as well as other persons of concern.Access to Asylum: The law provided for granting asylum or refugee status, and the government had established a system for providing protection to refugees.Abuse of Refugees and Asylum Seekers: Representatives from UNHCR, UNICEF, and the International Organization for Migration expressed concern that children were not systematically tracked until admitted to a provincial care facility, a process that could take several months. The government believed that most children only transited the country; the government also was unable to track fully their movements, in part because of EU regulations prohibiting collection of biometrics for persons younger than 14.Durable Solutions: While the government processed and granted applications for asylum, there was no active program for resettlement of refugees, and UNHCR was not involved in the refugee or asylum process in the country. The integration section in the Ministry for Women, Family, Youth, and Integration at the Federal Chancellery, with the government’s Austrian Integration Fund, and provincial and local integration offices, coordinated measures for integration of refugees. The government offered naturalization to refugees residing on their territory and assisted in refugees’ voluntary return to their homes.Temporary Protection: The government provided temporary protection to approximately 4,025 individuals who might not qualify as refugees.																																				f. Status and Treatment of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)										Not applicable.																																				g. Stateless Persons										According to the government’s statistical office, as of January 1 there were 19,863 persons in the country registered as stateless or having unknown citizenship. The government categorized 4,741 of these individuals as stateless persons, 789 as having unknown citizenship, and 14,333 as persons of undetermined citizenship. Stateless persons in the country were largely Austrian-born children of foreign nationals who were unable to acquire their parents’ citizenship due to the laws in their parents’ country of origin. After a three-year period, such individuals could apply for Austrian nationality.																																					Section 3.													 Freedom to Participate in the Political Process												    																						The law provided citizens the ability to choose their government in free and fair periodic elections held by secret ballot and based on universal and equal suffrage.																										Elections and Political Participation										Abuses or Irregularities in Recent Elections: National elections were widely reported to be fair and free of abuses and irregularities.Participation of Women and Members of Marginalized or Vulnerable Groups: No laws limited the participation of women or members of historically marginalized groups in the political process, and they did participate. Women’s participation in government at the national level increased steadily, with their representation in the lower house of parliament growing from 27 percent in 2008 to 39 percent in 2019. Although gender quotas were not legally mandated, three of the country’s largest political parties had longstanding voluntary quotas for their national candidacies. A 2019 law provided a 3 percent funding bonus to political parties whose parliamentary representation was more than 40 percent women. After the Green Party joined the coalition government in 2020, eight of 18 federal ministers and state secretaries were women, including the defense minister, justice minister, EU minister, and energy minister. Women’s political leadership at the subnational level remained low; only one governor (out of nine) was a woman and only two of the country’s 10 most populous cities had a woman mayor.																																					Section 4.													 Corruption in Government												    																						The law provided criminal penalties for corruption by officials, and the government generally implemented the law effectively. There were isolated reports of government corruption.During the year, the Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO) criticized the government for undue political influence in awarding top jobs in the police force.Corruption: In May 2022, former Family Minister Sophie Karmasin received a 15-month suspended sentence for violating competition law by colluding to fix prices to ensure that her firm would win a bid for public polls, which were allegedly rigged to boost former Prime Minister Sebastian Kurz’s chances for leadership of the party. Karmasin was also found to have unlawfully received continued payment of her salary as minister for five months after stepping down but was acquitted of severe fraud in May after paying back the fraudulently obtained funds.For additional information about corruption in the country, please see the Department of State’s Investment Climate Statement for the country, and the Department of State’s International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, which includes information on financial crimes.																											Section 5.													 Governmental Posture Towards International and Nongovernmental Monitoring and Investigation of Alleged Abuses of Human Rights												    																						A number of domestic and international human rights groups generally operated without government restriction to monitor or investigate human rights conditions or cases and publish their findings. Government officials often were cooperative and responsive to the views of these groups.Government Human Rights Bodies: A human rights Ombuds Board consisting of three independent commissioners examined complaints against the government. The board was independent and had its own budget. Each of the country’s three largest political parties appointed one member, who were then confirmed by parliament. The board effectively monitored government activities, although civil society organizations called for a single ombudsperson without ties to a political party.In addition to the Ombuds Board, a parliamentary human rights committee provided oversight of the government’s actions with respect to human rights. Each federal ministry had a human rights coordinator.																											Section 6.													 Discrimination and Societal Abuses												    																																																Women										Rape and Domestic Violence: Rape of a person, regardless of gender, including spousal rape, was punishable by up to 15 years’ imprisonment; domestic violence was punishable under the criminal code provisions for murder, rape, sexual abuse, and bodily injury. The government generally enforced the law, and the law enforcement response to rape and domestic violence was generally effective. In May, two of three Afghan men involved in the 2021 drugging, rape, and murder of a girl, age 13, were convicted of rape and murder; they received sentences of life and 20 years. The third man involved was convicted in December 2022.Discrimination: The law provided the same legal status and rights for women as for men, and those laws were generally respected. The law required equal pay for equal work, but women occasionally experienced pay discrimination. Women employees in the private sector could file suit against the employer or register a complaint with the Federal Equality Commission, which could award the equivalent of up to four months’ salary to women found to have experienced gender discrimination in promotion, despite being better qualified than their competitors. The courts could also order compensation for women denied a post despite having equal qualifications.Reproductive Rights: There were no reports of coerced abortion or involuntary sterilization on the part of government authorities. Emergency contraception methods were available. The government provided access to sexual and reproductive health services for survivors of sexual violence, and emergency contraception and postexposure prophylaxis were available as part of the clinical management of rape.																																				Systemic Racial or Ethnic Violence and Discrimination										Laws to protect members of racial or ethnic minorities or groups from violence and discrimination were in place, and the government enforced them effectively. The law prohibited incitement, insult, or contempt against a group because of its members’ race, nationality, religion, or ethnicity if such action violated human dignity, and imposed criminal penalties for violations. The law prohibited public denial, belittlement, approval, or justification of the Nazi genocide or other Nazi crimes against humanity in print media, broadcast media, the publication of books, and online newspapers or journals and provided criminal penalties for violations.The Interior Minister’s 2022 report on hate crimes listed 5,865 cases (up from 5,464 reported in 2021), of which 1,840 (down from 2,091) involved physical violence.NGOs asserted police targeted members of minority groups disproportionately frequently for identity checks. Muslim women wearing headscarves sometimes encountered discrimination when trying to obtain retail or customer service positions. The government continued training programs to combat racism among police forces and educate police in cultural sensitivity.																																				Children										Child Abuse: There were laws against child abuse, which the government enforced effectively.Child, Early, and Forced Marriage: The minimum legal age for marriage was 18 and was effectively enforced by the government. Adolescents between the ages of 16 and 18 could legally contract a marriage by special permit and parental consent or court action.Sexual Exploitation of Children: The law prohibited the sale, grooming, or use of children for commercial sexual exploitation, including sex trafficking. The law prohibited child pornography or other forms of online child sexual exploitation and abuse. Authorities enforced these laws. The minimum age for consensual sex was 14.																																				Antisemitism										According to figures compiled by the Jewish Community of Vienna (Israelitische Kultusgemeinde, IKG), there were between 13,000 and 14,000 Jews in the country, of whom 12,000 were in Vienna.The Reporting Office for Anti-Semitism of the IKG reported 719 antisemitic incidents during 2022, compared with 965 in 2021, a decrease of 25.5 percent. These included physical assaults in addition to name-calling, graffiti and defacement, threatening letters, dissemination of antisemitic texts, property damage, and vilifying letters and telephone calls. Of the reported incidents, 14 were physical assaults, 21 involved in-person threats and insults, 140 were letters and emails, 122 were cases of vandalism, and 422 involved insulting or abusive behavior. The IKG noted that a majority (55 percent) of antisemitic incidents involved neo-Nazi and other related right-wing extremist perpetrators but reported that a substantial number of incidents involved left-wing (20 percent) or Muslim (9 percent) perpetrators. The overall decrease was attributed to the receding COVID-19 situation.Following the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel on October 7, the IKG postponed the release of its half-year report on antisemitic incidents. After October 7, according to the IKG, counts of antisemitic incidents sharply increased, some of which were more severe than previous cases.A study commissioned by parliament and released in April found that 36 percent of Austrians believed Jews exploited the Holocaust for their own advantage, and 47 percent thought Jews wielded too much power. The government enforced the laws against antisemitism effectively.The government provided police protection to the IKG’s offices and other Jewish community institutions, such as schools and museums. The government extended the law to receive citizenship from September 2020 to September 2023 for descendants of Austrian victims of National Socialism. Approximately 23,000 foreign-born persons received citizenship under this law.For further information on incidents of antisemitism in the country, whether or not those incidents were motivated by religion, and for reporting on the ability of Jews to exercise freedom of religion or belief, please see the Department of State’s International Religious Freedom Report at  https://www.state.gov/religiousfreedomreport/.																																				Trafficking in Persons										See the Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report at  https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/.																																				Acts of Violence, Criminalization, and other Abuses Based on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity or Expression, or Sex Characteristics										Criminalization: No laws criminalized consensual same-sex sexual conduct between adults. This included cross-dressing and other sexual or gender characteristic-related behaviors.Violence and Harassment: There were no reports that police or other government agents incited, perpetrated, condoned, or tolerated violence or harassment against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex (LGBTQI+) individuals or those reporting such abuse.The Interior Ministry’s 2022 hate crimes report listed 373 incidents related to sexual orientation (nearly identical to the 376 reported in 2021). The Federal Chancellery operated a 24/7 hotline for anonymous reporting of crimes against LGBTQI+ individuals and offered counseling to callers.Discrimination: The law prohibited discrimination by state and nonstate actors based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics, and explicitly recognized LGBTQI+ couples and their families and granted them rights equal to rights of other persons. The government enforced such laws. In May 2022, the country lifted a de facto ban on LGBTQI+ persons from donating blood; individuals could only be banned from donating blood if they had sex with three different partners within the last three months regardless of gender or sexual orientation.Availability of Legal Gender Recognition: Citizens were able to change their gender legally on official documents. For transgender persons, a change of gender required “an irreversible sense of belonging to the opposite sex and a clear approximation to the outward appearance of the opposite sex.” This had to be confirmed by an assessment by a specialist in psychiatry, or psychotherapist, or a clinical psychologist. For intersex persons, the change of sex required an expert opinion confirming that “the applicant cannot be assigned to either the male or the female sex due to their chromosomal, anatomical or hormonal development.” The terms &#8216;diverse&#8217;, &#8216;inter&#8217; or &#8216;open&#8217; were available for the registration of the gender category. It was also possible to delete the gender entry. In February, the Vienna Administrative Court ruled that persons whose physical sex characteristics could be clearly assigned to a binary gender were entitled to the entry &#8216;non-binary&#8217;.Involuntary or Coercive Medical or Psychological Practices: Per a Constitutional Court ruling, intersex constituted an alternative sex development and not an expression of a pathological development. As such, medical personnel were required to avoid sex-assignment medical interventions on newborns and children unless medically necessary.Restrictions of Freedom of Expression, Association, or Peaceful Assembly: LGBTQI+ organizations generally operated freely. LGBTQI+ individuals faced no legal restrictions on freedom of expression. The government did not prevent LGBTQI+ organizations from legally registering or convening meetings. Generally, LGBTQI+ individuals and organizations held rallies and public meetings without major incident.																																				Persons with Disabilities										The law mandated that persons with disabilities be able to access education, health services, public buildings, and transportation on an equal basis with others. Government information and communication on disability issues was provided in accessible formats. The government generally enforced these aspects of the law effectively. The report of the 2023 periodic review on the country’s implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, however, largely echoed criticism voiced by the Austrian Disability Council.The Ministry of Social Affairs, Public Health, Care, and Consumer Protection was responsible for implementing the law. The law prohibited discrimination against persons with physical, sensory, intellectual, and mental disabilities. The government did not always effectively enforce these antidiscrimination provisions. Employment discrimination against persons with disabilities occurred. Companies sometimes chose to pay a fine rather than hire a person with a disability.																																					Section 7.													 Worker Rights												    																																																a. Freedom of Association and the Right to Collective Bargaining										The law provided workers the right to form and join independent unions, conduct legal strikes, and bargain collectively. It prohibited antiunion discrimination or retaliation against strikers and provided for the reinstatement of workers fired for union activity. The law allowed unions to conduct their activities without interference. All enterprise-level unions were part of the Austrian Trade Union Federation, which supported the individual unions in collective bargaining negotiations. Unions were technically independent of government and political parties, although unions in some sectors were closely associated with parties.The government effectively enforced the laws on freedom of association, collective bargaining, and the right to strike. Penalties for violations were civil, with fines imposed, and were commensurate with those under other laws involving denials of civil rights. Administrative, registration, and judicial procedures were not overly lengthy. There were few reports of antiunion discrimination or other forms of employer interference in union functions. The government and employers recognized the right to strike and respected freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining. Authorities effectively enforced laws protecting unions from interference and workers from retaliation for union activities. Penalties were regularly applied against violators.																																				b. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor										See the Department of State’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report at  https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/.																																				c. Prohibition of Child Labor and Minimum Age for Employment										The law prohibited all the worst forms of child labor. The minimum legal working age was 15, with the exception that children who were at least 13 could engage in certain forms of light work on family farms or businesses. Children 15 and older were subject to the same regulations on hours, rest periods, overtime wages, and occupational health and safety restrictions as adults, but were subject to additional restrictions on hazardous work or work detrimental to ethics and morals. Restrictions for hazardous jobs included work with materials considered dangerous for children, work in sawmills, on high-voltage pylons, and in specified construction jobs.The labor inspectorate of the Ministry of Labor was responsible for enforcing child labor laws and policies in the workplace and did so through regular and thorough checks of workplaces and special youth advisors in companies. Penalties in the form of fines could be doubled in cases of repeated violations of the child labor code. Penalties were commensurate with those for analogous crimes.Child labor occurred, but mostly in the context of working in a family business for longer than permitted hours. Children were trafficked to the country and subjected to forced begging and occasionally sexual exploitation. Forced labor or exploitation of children was treated under the criminal code as trafficking in persons, with criminal penalties of one to 10 years in prison, double the penalty for forced labor or exploitation of adults. Penalties were regularly applied to violators.																																				d. Discrimination (see section 6)																																														e. Acceptable Conditions of Work										Wage and Hour Laws: There was no legislated national minimum wage. Nationwide collective bargaining agreements covered 98 percent of the workforce and set minimum wages by job classification for each industry. Where no such collective agreements existed, such as for domestic workers or custodial staff, wages were generally lower than those covered by collective bargaining agreements. The agreements set wages above the poverty line except in a few cases, such as for apprentices early in their programs.The law in general provided for a maximum workweek of 40 hours, although collective bargaining agreements established either 38 or 38.5 hour workweeks for more than half of all employees. Regulations allowed companies to increase work hours to a maximum of 12 hours per day and 60 hours per week for a short period of time and if they could provide a valid reason. Overtime pay took effect after 40 hours. Employees could refuse, without providing a reason, to work more than 10 hours per day.Some employers, particularly in the construction, manufacturing, and information technology sectors, exceeded legal limits on compulsory overtime. Collective bargaining agreements could specify higher limits. An employee had to have at least 11 hours off between workdays. Wage and hour violations could be brought before a labor court, which could fine employers who committed violations.Sectors with immigrant and migrant workers were particularly prone to violations of wage and hour regulations. Foreign workers in both the formal and informal sectors made up 19 percent of the country’s workforce. They constituted 21 percent of officially employed persons and 35 percent of unemployed persons. There were concerns that some migrant workers were misclassified as independent contractors instead of employees. Consequently, these workers did not have access to social safety net benefits, such as unemployment insurance, as well as other benefits, such as paid leave.Occupational Safety and Health: In accordance with applicable federal laws, the labor inspectorate effectively established mandatory occupational safety and health (OSH) standards appropriate for the main industries. OSH experts actively identified unsafe conditions in addition to responding to workers’ OSH complaints. In cases of violations resulting in serious injury or death, employers could be prosecuted under the penal code. Hazardous sectors where the most accidents occurred included construction, manufacturing, and forestry.Workers could file complaints anonymously with the labor inspectorate, which could in turn sue the employer on behalf of the employee. Workers rarely exercised this option and normally relied instead on a nongovernmental workers’ advocacy group and the Chamber of Labor, which filed suits on their behalf.Workers could remove themselves from situations that endangered health or safety without jeopardy to their employment. The Employment and Labor Relations Federal Public Service protected employees in this situation.Wage, Hour, and OSH Enforcement: The labor inspectorate effectively enforced mandatory wage, hour, and OSH standards. The number of inspectors was sufficient to deter violations. Inspectors had the authority to make unannounced inspections and initiate sanctions. Resources and remediation remained adequate. Penalties for wage, hour, and OSH violations were commensurate with those for similar crimes. Penalties were regularly applied against violators.The country’s informal sector was estimated to account for roughly EUR 32 billion ($35 billion), approximately 8 percent of GDP in 2022, the latest year for which data were available. The government enforced labor laws – including wage, health, and safety regulations – wherever it detected a violation, including in informal economic activity.																																				    							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- Fentanyl Precursor Scheduling at the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs Office of the SpokespersonThis week at the 67th Session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna, Austria, the international community came together and agreed to new controls for multiple precursor chemicals used in the illicit manufacturing of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs. The international scheduling of these chemicals will strengthen law enforcement efforts to counter trafficking of dangerous drugs that are devastating communities in the United States and around the world.At the request of the United States, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) recommended two fentanyl precursors be placed under international control under the 1988 Convention: 4-piperidone and 1-boc-4-piperidone. The CND unanimously agreed to schedule these substances, allowing for new and stronger control of these chemicals.The INCB also recommended that 16 additional substances that can be used in the illicit manufacture of methamphetamine and MDMA be placed under international control under the 1988 Convention: P-2-P methyl glycidic acid and its methyl ester along with seven additional esters of P-2-P methyl glycidic acid; the ethyl ester of 3,4-MDP-2-P methyl glycidic acid and six additional esters of 3,4-MDP-2-P methyl glycidic acid.The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended the addition of the synthetic opioid butonitazene to the 1961 Convention and that four additional substances be added to the schedules of the 1971 Convention: 3-chloromethcathinone or 3-CMC, dipentylone, 2-fluorodeschloroketamine, bromazolam.All recommendations were approved unanimously.For further information, please contact INL-PAPD@state.gov or follow @StateINL on Twitter/X
- Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with Austrian President Van der Bellen Office of the SpokespersonThe below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller:Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with Austrian President Van der Bellen today in Vienna, Austria.  Secretary Blinken and President Van der Bellen emphasized the strength of the U.S.-Austria partnership in supporting humanitarian needs in Ukraine and continuing to enforce the integrity of EU sanctions on Russia.  The Secretary thanked Austria for critical humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians in Gaza and support for Israel’s right to ensure October 7 can never be repeated.
- Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg at a Joint Press Availability Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of StateVienna, AustriaFederal ChancelleryMODERATOR:  Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the press conference on the occasion of the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Vienna.  Following the remarks of the two ministers, there will be time for some questions.  And I would like Mr. Schallenberg to give his remarks.FOREIGN MINISTER SCHALLENBERG:  To the Secretary of State, dear Tony, ladies and gentlemen, a very warm welcome to you.  It’s a real treat and pleasure to have you here in Vienna, and I believe your presence is not only a visible sign of our strong partnership – only a year ago, I had the pleasure to visit you in Washington, D.C. – it is also – very much appreciate sign of your support for the work of the UN, or the United Nations, and in particular, the UNODC, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.  And I can tell you that Austria is a very committed member of your Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats.  I believe the fight against the scourge of organized crime and drug trafficking needs our full attention and more than less international cooperation.  And you can be assured that we will stand together with our partners in this fight.Together with the chancellor, Karl Nehammer, we had a very good exchange on a number of geopolitical hotspots which are on top of our, again, agenda on both sides of the Atlantic – either Russian continued war of aggression against Ukraine, the dire situation in the Middle East, or the stabilization of the Western Balkans.  And the convergence – our convergence on these issues illustrates a strong and solid foundation on which the Austrian-American strategic partnership is built.  And our partnership, and if I may say so, our friendship – also personal friendship – is not only based on common interests, it is more based even on common values and our common commitment to the rule of law, to checks and balances, to democracy, and to fundamental freedoms.And, yes, you have probably heard me very repeatedly say that I believe that Europe and the U.S. have probably taken each other too much for granted over the last couple of years, but this has fundamentally changed, I believe.  And in these trying times, we realize that we do not only share but we also have to defend the values that unite us.  And in face of Russian’s aggression against Ukraine, including its hybrid actions and activities, it is more important than ever that we continue to stand together side by side.  And I believe very strongly that how we act together now will significantly impact on the way we are seen for the decades to come.  We all know that others, other actors on this planet, watching us.And talking about the Middle East, here we are equally strongly like-minded countries.  Our commitment to Israel’s security and right to self-defense remains ironclad, but it is very clear that more needs to be done to protect civilians in Gaza.  Humanitarian law, and that is very clear, applies to everyone, everywhere.  And without doubt, we know that the military offenses – offensive in Rafah, without a credible plan what to do to protect the civilians, will trigger only terror and disaster.  We urgently need a humanitarian pause to get the hostages out of Gaza and more humanitarian aid into Gaza.  And we should never forget that among these over 130 hostages, there’s one Austrian-Israeli family father who now for 161 days is in the hands of Hamas.And in this respect, I’m extremely thankful, not only to the vital role of the United States, but also to your personal tireless and extraordinary commitment of engagement in the region.  And I welcome any initiative that enables more humanitarian aid to reach the people in Gaza.  The Austrian Republic itself has offered 23 million euro in support, and I know that we are talking now about the sea or airborne help.  I believe we have to do everything together to protect the people in need there.And we also discussed a region, which is a neighboring region to Austria which is close to our heart, which is the Western Balkans.  And here again we are both committed to the European future of this region and its citizens.  And I just wanted to point out, among the many things we do together, the Austrian – the Austrian-American program Speak Up – and Bosnia and Herzegovina is for me a prime example of the cooperation between the United States and Austria can really do a difference on the ground.And we know now that we have important decisions coming up: European Council on Bosnia and Herzegovina opening the accession talks.  And there are still very strongly advocates for this step because in view of the – you could say the circle of fire surrounding Europe, we have to make sure that our immediate neighborhood is stabilized.  And there’s no vacuum in politics.  So, either we manage to export our model of life, our stability, our security, or we risk being confronted with growing insecurity and instability.And let me add finally on a more bilateral note that the United States is not only our second biggest trade partner in export market, and significant investments are actually ongoing in United States, but I’m also extremely happy to see how our strategic partnership is prospering, also thanks to the work of the – of our Austrian ambassador and Washington ambassador – American ambassador here in Vienna.  I’m happy to say that we – just a couple of weeks ago – signed the Working Holiday Program, which is a very good thing; and the Austrian-American Media Fellowship Program, which we already launched a couple of years ago, is proving to be a true success story.So, I believe with these programs we push our strategic partnership on a new level, and this level should be even expanded.  We need more than less people-to-people contact.  We want more exchange, more dialogue.  We have to understand each other.  And I believe in this year, 2024, it’s probably more important than in others.  We have important elections coming up in Austria and in the United States.On all these issues, I can assure you Austria is a strong partner, and for us, you are an indispensable friend.  And again, on this note, thank you for being here.  And I’m happy to welcome you and happy for the talks we have here in Vienna, and we had already in the past.  Thank you.MODERATOR:  Thank you, Minister.  Mr. Secretary, the floor is yours.SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Well, Minister Schallenberg, Alexander, my friend, my colleague, thank you.  Thank you for the incredibly warm welcome, and my thanks as well and especially to the chancellor for the extremely productive, and in-depth conversation that we just had.  I greatly appreciate it and value it.And yes, the fundamental fact is that we have deep appreciation for the friendship between Austria and the United States and the partnership between our countries, a partnership for freedom, for security, for prosperity.  In so many ways, in so many places, our countries are working together to try to continuously move in that direction.Here in Europe, the Russian aggression against Ukraine continues, but Austria has been a stalwart supporter of Ukraine from day one and a key member of an alliance of more than 50 countries coming together in different ways to support Ukraine.  Austria may be militarily neutral, but it is very much not politically neutral.  And we see that in the extraordinarily generous support that the Austrian people have provided to Ukrainian refugees.  We see it in the humanitarian assistance that Austria is providing to people in Ukraine and, of course, the strong support for the European Union sanctions to try to make sure that the Russians and Putin don’t have the resources to continue to fuel the war machine that continues this aggression against Ukraine.We discussed this.  We discussed as well the energy situation for Europe, and here, I have to say what’s happened over the last couple of years is quite remarkable: the move away from dependence on Russian energy.  The United States has very much supported this move, including with liquefied natural gas.  And we discussed the ongoing transition that countries are making really redrawing the energy map of Europe at a critical time.As the foreign minister mentioned, we’re also collaborating on other key regional priorities, and notably the Western Balkans.  And here, I really have to commend Austria’s longstanding leadership and the foreign minister’s personal leadership and engagement.  This is something that is near and dear to our hearts, and especially President Biden, because for the President and for me – when I started out the 1990s, so much of the focus of the world was on the Balkans, on Bosnia, on Kosovo.And one thing we don’t need, that Europe doesn’t need, and especially the people of the Western Balkans don’t need is a back-to-the-future moment, where we find ourselves back in the 1990s.  And thanks to the engagement of Austria, the leadership of Austria, we’re moving decisively in a different direction, a positive direction, a direction in which the Western Balkans is genuinely integrated with Europe.  We share the goal of a democratic, prosperous, peaceful region integrated with the rest of Europe.The European Commission’s recommendation to open accession talks and negotiations with Bosnia Herzegovina is something that’s very welcome.  We fully support their Euro-Atlantic path, including with the European Union.  And we also encourage the leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina to move past divisions to pursue reform, reform necessary to move down the path toward the EU.  And here, we really benefited from the foreign minister’s insights, not just from his recent visit but from all his engagement.And here, we will continue to partner strongly.  The foreign minister mentioned the emerging voices program that we have together.  We want to make sure that this new generation and the region that its voice is heard, because it’s a voice for peace, for security, for stability, for opportunity, and that comes with the path toward the European Union.We’re also working together to support an improvement of relations between Kosovo and Serbia.  There, the EU-facilitated dialogue is the only viable mechanism, the only viable path forward.  We need to see good-faith, constructive efforts by both Kosovo and Serbia to stabilize the relationship and to move down that path, keep tensions low, to increase coordination, to increase transparency with international partners, to implement all of the commitments that are in the dialogue.Austria is also, has long been, and remains a vibrant crossroads for the world and for the international community, hosting here so many UN agencies and organizations that are doing critical work to actually address the challenges that people are facing all around the world.  One of my priorities for this visit was to spend time with the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs at their 67th session.  It’s the first time that someone in my position as secretary of state has actually taken part in this very, very important meeting.  And I think it’s a testament to our commitment to and our conviction that partnerships are the best way to address shared challenges.Now, why are we here today for that?  It’s pretty simple.  In the United States, there is virtually not a town, a city, or a state that has not been affected and in some cases devastated by synthetic opioids – and notably fentanyl.  More than 40 percent of the American people knows someone who died from an opioid overdose.  The number one killer of Americans age 18 to 45 is fentanyl.  So, this has to be – and this is – a priority for President Biden, for our administration, for our country.We’ve also seen that while we may have been the canary in the coalmine on one synthetic opioid, fentanyl, while we were first, unfortunately we’re not last.  And we see that as markets get saturated in the United States and even in our own hemisphere, the cartels, the criminal organizations, are trying to make markets elsewhere.  That’s one of the reasons, along with the fact that other drugs – methamphetamines, ketamine, Captagon – in different parts of the world, are having devastating impacts.And so, you’re seeing countries increasingly come together because we know, because of the international nature of this challenge, that we have to work together if we’re going to be effective.  Last July the United States put together a global coalition to address synthetic drugs.  We had about 80 countries at our first meeting; we’re now up to over 151 countries and 14 international organizations.  And that, again, is evidence of the fact that so many countries are seeing that this is a problem that already is or could soon be coming to them.And together, we are sharing best practices, we are developing initiatives, new policies, new programs, new approaches, to be more effective in dealing with the challenge of synthetic drugs.  This global coalition has developed, through its working groups – 1,500 participants from all of these countries and these working groups – 120 new specific initiatives for how to effectively address the problem.  And we very much appreciate Austria’s very active participation in all three of the working – major working groups that we established.Today we announced the United States Government is taking some additional steps.  We’re advocating for the addition of two chemical precursors to the international control list.  These are the ingredients that go into making synthetic drugs.  And making sure that those key ingredients are controlled is one of the most effective ways to make sure that they’re not illicitly transferred and turned into something like fentanyl.  We’ll sponsor a resolution on overdose prevention and response, on harm reduction, and we just pledged an additional $170 million for international efforts to address synthetic drugs through the UNODC, on top of the 100 million that we announced back in September.Finally, I had a chance as well to spend time at the IAEA, and met with Director General Grossi.  We discussed the dangers to global security from Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and in particular, the threat that that has posed to the Zaporizhya nuclear power facility.  The IAEA’s efforts to prevent a nuclear catastrophe are in service of quite literally everyone on this planet.  We also expressed support for the IAEA safeguards and verification mandate, something that is critical in a variety of places around the world.  And in particular, we discussed how we can best support the director general’s efforts to support full Iranian cooperation with its obligations.Beyond the regional, beyond the global partnership, as the foreign minister said, we have an incredibly strong bilateral partnership between our countries.  And especially in times of challenge, there’s no greater source of confidence, no greater source of strength, than the kind of friendship and partnership that we have with Austria.  Thank you.MODERATOR:  Thank you, ministers.  The first question – Mr. Schutz, APA.QUESTION:  I wanted to ask a question to both of you.  It’s about Middle East because there are some brand-new issues.  The Israel Government today has approved a military offensive on Rafah.  What do you think about that?  Is there a risk of a humanitarian disaster?FOREIGN MINISTER SCHALLENBERG:  Okay.  As I said already at the beginning – and I was just recently, 10 days ago, in the Middle East, and I had discussions on this issue among them with the – our Israeli colleague, Israel Katz, but also in Amman and in Ramallah.  At the time, the Israeli – our Israeli friends told us that if an offensive on Rafah were to start, they would supply us with a credible plan on how to deal with the 1-point-plus million refugees, you might say – internally displaced Palestinians – who are now amassed in south of Gaza Strip.  And I believe this is necessary.As I said, Israel has – it is in a dilemma.  As a rule-of-law state fighting terrorists, it’s a very unequal sort of fight – unequal fight.  On the one side you have a terrorist organization, Hamas, not abiding, not respecting any rule, less even humanitarian law.  But Israel has to measure itself by international law.  And the decision or the plan, as far as I understand, is – doesn’t mean yet that it will be executed immediately, simply that the prime minister was presented with a plan and that he has given a green light.SECRETARY BLINKEN:  And I could – the easiest thing for me to do would be to say exactly what the foreign minister said because we have exactly the same position.  But simply to repeat, President Biden has been very clear that given the large number of civilians in Rafah – about 1.4 million, many of whom, as the foreign minister said, have been displaced from other parts of Gaza – we have to see a clear and implementable plan not only to get civilians out of harm’s way, but also to make sure that, once out of harm’s way, they are appropriately cared for with shelter, with food, with medicine, with clothing, and we have not yet seen such a plan.MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Bloomberg, Mr. Marlow.QUESTION:  Thank you.  Mr. Secretary, thanks.  I just have a few questions on Israel-Gaza, also.SECRETARY BLINKEN:  A few?  (Laughter.)QUESTION:  Yeah.  Please bear with me.FOREIGN MINISTER SCHALLENBERG:  (Off-mike.)QUESTION:  We’ve seen increasingly critical comments from President Biden on Gaza in recent weeks, sanctions on West Bank settlers this week from the State Department, and Senator Schumer’s call for Netanyahu to be replaced on Thursday, prompting Israel to say they’re not a banana republic.  What do you make of this broader deterioration in ties?  And have relations gotten so bad that it could undermine broader U.S. efforts on negotiations about what happens the day after the war?Secondly, President Biden did call an invasion of Rafah a redline, and I know you just discussed this proposal, but it seems that Netanyahu’s – the prime minister’s office in Israel said that they’re now reviewing a plan.  Have U.S. officials seen that plan?  And is a safe evacuation even possible given that there’s 1.5 million people sheltering there?And just thirdly, a quick last one:  Israel also said it’s seen Hamas’s counteroffer on the hostage ceasefire deal.  Have U.S. officials reviewed that counteroffer?  And does it look like a deal is within reach?And Foreign Minister Schallenberg, a senior U.S. Treasury official visited Vienna earlier this month, telling financial institutions here about the risk of potentially violating sanctions on Russia.  Did you discuss this with the Secretary today?  And have Austria’s business ties with Russia affected diplomatic ties with the U.S. in any way?  Thank you.SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Iain, thank you, and I also want to thank you on behalf of your colleagues since you were able to ask presumably their questions as well.  (Laughter.)So, look, we are working every single day with the Israeli Government on all of the challenges that the situation poses to Israel, to Palestinians, to other countries in the region, and that’s happening across our governments and it’s happening on a whole variety of issues, including our commitment to help make sure Israel is able to defend itself and not ever see a repeat of October 7th; to make sure, though, at the same time, that more and better is being done to protect civilians in harm’s way in Gaza, to get the humanitarian assistance they so desperately need to the children, to the women, and the men; to look at everything that needs to be done to prevent the conflict from spreading, including to the north with Hizballah, Lebanon, or more broadly in the region.And in each of these instances and so many more – and I’ll come to the hostage question in a moment – we’re working on a – almost more than daily basis with the Government of Israel.  As past administrations have worked with Israeli governments, whatever party or persuasion they were, whatever party or persuasion our own government was, that’s the nature of the relationship.  Also, the nature of the relationship – and this is particularly true of President Biden, who has such a longstanding history with Israel – as he said and I’m sure you’ve heard him say, he’s worked with every Israeli prime minister going back to Golda Meir.  He speaks very directly, very candidly, very openly about our views, our perspectives, our thoughts with our partners.  That’s fundamental to the relationship.  That’s actually the strength of the relationship, to be able to speak clearly, candidly, and directly.On Rafah, as I’ve said – I won’t repeat it, but you asked specifically have we seen the plan that has been alluded to now in the press, and the answer is no, we’ve not yet seen it.On the hostages, yes, there has been a counterproposal put forward by Hamas.  I obviously can’t get into the details of what that involves.  But what I can tell you is we’re working intensively with Israel, with Qatar, with Egypt to bridge the remaining gaps and to try to reach an agreement.  We have conversations that are happening now as we speak here, and I am convinced they’ll go on into the coming days.  Israel has sent back a negotiating team to pursue this.  And I think it reflects the sense both of possibility and of urgency to get an agreement, to get a ceasefire, to get the hostages back, to get even more humanitarian assistance in.  This is something that we’re committed to, and we will work as long and as hard as it takes to get it done.FOREIGN MINISTER SCHALLENBERG:  May I add to this last point here?  We see again very much eye to eye with our American friends.  We talk about acts of violence of radical settlers, we talk about provocations on holy sites, settlements or calls for displacement.  We are friends of Israel as well, but I believe it’s up to friends to find open words, and our line is very clear, very much like yours.  I’ve been already in the past calling for sanctions by the European Union on violent extremist settlers.  I think their actions are extremely dangerous, and an act of lack of solidarity in the country which is in a fundamental crisis and fight for the time being.  And to ignite a fire in the West Bank while the fighting has gone in Gaza is irresponsible and – fully irresponsible.On your question on Russia, we discussed the whole area of relationship with Ukraine, Russia.  And it’s no secret that Austria is heavily engaged, was heavily engaged in Ukraine and in Russia.  We’re the sixth biggest investor in Ukraine.  Two hundred companies are still there and have remained, although war is raging there.  And yes, Austrian companies were also present in Russia and are partly still present, as about 95 percent of all Western companies.There are American companies, a lot of them, that are in Russia too.  From my perspective and as the foreign minister of Austria, it’s very clear and there’s no doubt and cannot be any doubt about it:  Sanctions have to be respected fully, all sanctions in place.  There cannot be any exceptions.  And we talk very – in a very transparent and open manner on these issues with all our partners within the European Union, and also with our American friends.MODERATOR:  Thank you.  ORF.QUESTION:  Alexander Kofler, Austrian Broadcasting Corporation.  A question for Mr. Secretary:  What do you think – because you spoke about the energy markets in Europe, what do you think about the still strong dependency of Austria on Russian fossil fuels, gas, and so on?  Is there a way for the U.S. to support Austria to become more independent from Russia?  Thank you.SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Thank you very much.  I think the reason that we’re all – and by “all,” I mean the United States, Europe, and others – are so focused on this issue is because Putin uses energy as a weapon.  He’s very effectively weaponized it over the years, and the dependence that built up over many decades in Europe on Russian energy, well, we see the consequence and the price of that.  That’s why what’s happened over the last couple of years in Europe more broadly, moving away in ways that I don’t think people could have imagined just a few years ago from that dependence, is so important – because it takes away the strategic weapon that Putin has made of energy.Now, different countries have different energy relationships with Russia, again, that had built up over many, many decades.  So, it’s not always easy to change these things in one moment.  It’s a process and it’s a transition, but I think we see some very important steps that Austria has taken and is taking.  And to that end, for the United States, as we’ve done with many partners in Europe, we want to be able to help, and we have with LNG, liquefied natural gas.  We’ll continue to do that.The other thing that’s, I think, very beneficial in this moment is it’s also an opportunity for countries to focus and double down on the transition away from fossil fuels.  Again, it’s a transition, it’s not a light switch, but Austria is a company – is a country that’s leading by remarkable example when it comes to renewables in its energy economy, setting a very, very strong example.  But I think there are opportunities here to do even more.And, by the way, one of the things that we talked about at the IAEA, again not specific to Austria but just in general, are the opportunities that now exist for nuclear power, including small modular reactors and other new technology that can make a big difference.FOREIGN MINISTER SCHALLENBERG:  May I add maybe &#8212;SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Please.FOREIGN MINISTER SCHALLENBERG:  &#8212; for the American journalists – the line of the Austrian Government is very clear.  We want to move out of Russian gas, because as you said, rightly, for the first time we saw that it can be weaponized.  It can be used to exercise pressure.  And that is something which I have to point out we – the first agreement between the OMV, the Austrian company, and Gazprom goes back – dates back to 1968.  Soviet Union fell apart, they delivered, we paid.  Iron Curtain fell, they delivered, we paid.Nobody ever, ever used gas or grain or any other of these products as a leverage.  Putin is the first one.  It wasn’t Andropov; it wasn’t Chernenko.  It wasn’t anybody of those.  It wasn’t the Soviet Union.  Putin was the first one.  So, we – and yes, we, we have probably over the decades – because it was comfortable, it was possible – created a dependency, but we have moved out now aggressively to a certain degree, and we will continue doing so.  The aim of the Austrian Government is to be 100 percent independent of Russian gas by 2027.MODERATOR:  Thank you.  And there’s one last question.  New York Times – Mr. Crowley, please.QUESTION:  Thank you both.  Secretary Blinken, the good news is I have no more questions than my colleague did.  (Laughter.)  The bad news is I do have a multipart question.  On Iran, there was a report this week that the U.S. has conducted secret indirect talks with Iran, in part about its nuclear program.  Is there any chance you would comment on that and say what our current message to Iran about its nuclear program might be?  Also related to Iran and since you have both talked about Ukraine, what is your latest sense of the possibility that Iran will supply missiles to Russia, presumably for use on the battlefield in Ukraine?  And what would be the U.S. and Western response to that?And then very briefly on Haiti, it’s now been more than three days since your trip to Jamaica and the agreement that established plans for this transitional council to appoint members.  We were told that would happen within a day or two.  We’re now about three or four days past that.  There are some reports that that process is not going so well.  Are you concerned that that process is breaking down, and is there a plan B if it does?And Mr. Minister, a question that I’m sure is a very familiar part of the debate here in Austria but less familiar to Americans:  Now that Sweden and Finland have abandoned their own military neutrality, and joined NATO because of their concerns about Russian aggression, I wonder if you could talk about whether there’s any rethinking of Austria’s own neutrality and any prospect that you might consider NATO membership in the foreseeable future.  Thank you both.SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Michael, with regard to Iran, our message is clear and it’s public and it’s a message that’s shared by many others countries, notably by France, by the UK, by Germany, by the European Union, which is to stop taking steps to increase its nuclear capacity by spinning more centrifuges and by enriching more uranium, and to move in the other direction.  And we’ve been very clear about that.  One of the reasons I was here at the IAEA today was precisely to talk about the work the IAEA is doing to try, despite the very challenging circumstances, to make sure that it’s monitoring, verifying, and also holding Iran to its safeguard agreements and requirements that it has under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.So, this is something that we’ve been very clear on, and we’re in very close coordination with European countries on this, with the EU, and also supporting the IAEA.  And look, beyond that, I don’t have anything to add, but I think there’s – it’s very clear what we – and by we, I mean all of these countries plus, more broadly, many in the international community – expect of Iran.On the question of Iranian missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine, there too we’ve sent very clear messages to Iran not to do it.  And this has been the subject of considerable conversation among a number of countries in Europe and the United States, and I think that the concern about that eventuality and the commitment to address it – if necessary, is very real and very strong.On Haiti – so this is never going to be smooth, never going to be linear.  An agreement was reached – a Haitian-led agreement was reached to move to a new transitional administration, a presidential council, one that would be inclusive, that would bring in all the major stakeholders, all the major parties; that would have responsibility for naming a new prime minister – an interim prime minister – naming a national security council, an electoral commission – all with the objective of putting Haiti clearly on the path to elections and to restrengthening its democracy.What we’ve seen over the last 24 hours is there’s seven seats on this transitional council, and most of the parties or stakeholders that were given a seat have actually named their representative to the council.  There are a couple that still haven’t so that’s a work in progress, but we’ve seen that move forward.Relatedly, but separately, is the whole question of security in Haiti, because moving forward on a political transition and getting to elections – being able to provide humanitarian assistance to get it to people who need it, as well as helping the economy develop – that – none of that happens if there is profound insecurity, which is what we’ve seen now with the gangs taking over parts of the capital city, Port-au-Prince, challenging the airport, challenging the ports, et cetera.So, as you know, we’ve been working for some many months now on having a Multinational Security Support force led by Kenya with the participation of other African countries, Caribbean countries, go in and support the Haitian National Police, help them regain control of Haiti.  And that too is moving forward.  We have made additional commitments to that force in terms of our financial contributions, our in-kind contributions.  Other countries have stood up in recent weeks, including Canada, with substantial contributions to that force.Once the new council – the – is fully stood up – and again, I would anticipate that happens in the coming days – that process with the force will be able to move forward, and then we have a trajectory that has at least the chance of putting Haiti in a more stable place.But having said all of that, every single day there are challenges to that process.  There are political challenges.  There’s security challenges.  And we’re working to address them, but the Haitian people are leading this process.  This is their process, but they have strong support from countries throughout the region in the Caribbean and well beyond.  And we’ll continue to try to marshal that support and help them move forward.  It’s – look, it’s challenging, but it is moving and we’re committed to doing everything we can to support it.FOREIGN MINISTER SCHALLENBERG:  On your question of neutrality – thank you, by the way, because it gives me the opportunity to maybe clarify one of the other point – you’re right to point out that Sweden and Finland took the decision to join NATO.  I believe we have to take – we have to be aware that the geographic position – the history of neutrality in these countries, which were actually non-aligned – that’s neutral – is very different.  And after the experience of the First and Second World War, which actually started in Central Europe, when we adopted the constitutional law on everlasting – and we call it everlasting neutrality – it was a very important intellectual and emotional step for us, and it became part of our self-perception to a certain degree in this country.  According to the Swiss model at the time was – the Swiss neutrality was actually the buzzword.And I want to point out one thing.  Our neutrality is a strictly military neutrality.  We are not neutral as far as values and principles are concerned.  So, if a country – and it might be a permanent member of the UN Security Council – believes that he can kick out all the principles of the UN Charter and simply invade a neighboring country, we won’t stand by idly and simply watch on.  We have a very clear position.  And that is not new.  This is not invented by this government.  I always point out in 1956, when Soviet tanks were driving through Budapest, the very young then, fully sovereign Austria – already then at the General Assembly of the UN – supported every resolution against the Soviet Union and even issued one or put one on the table themselves.So, our position has been always very clear, and if you ask why, then I can be very clear, too – because international law is for us not a luxury.  It keeps us safe.  We need a rule-based international order.  We need other countries – whether they’re big or small, whether they have nukes or not – to stick to the rules, to the principle of pacta sunt servanda.  So, on these issues, Austria will never be neutral.  But in military terms, and we show it in Ukraine, we don’t deliver lethal equipment, but we deliver more humanitarian aid per capita than other countries.  That is our approach in this crisis, and we continue on this policy.And I might add that the neutrality has a very strong public support in Austria.  Nearly 80 percent of the people stand behind it.  So, there is no question on this matter.  We fully respect the decision by our friends in Finland and Sweden, but this is not the way we have an intention of going down this now.MODERATOR:  Thank you, Excellencies.  Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.  And for those of you who are lucky enough, have a good weekend.  Thanks.
- Secretary Antony J. Blinken at the 67th Session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs Side Event  “Protecting Global Public Health and Safety: Mounting a Unified International Response to Synthetic Drugs and Their Precursors” Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of StateVienna, AustriaVienna International CentreSECRETARY BLINKEN:&nbsp; Thank you.&nbsp; Good afternoon.&nbsp; Thank you very much.&nbsp; (Applause.)&nbsp; Thank you.&nbsp; Thank you.It is genuinely an honor to join all of you as the first American secretary of state to participate in the high-level session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs.&nbsp; And I am joined today by the most senior delegation the United States Government has ever sent to this gathering.&nbsp; Agencies, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Justice, Drug Policy, Drug Enforcement, everyone is here, and it, simply put, reflects the importance that President Biden places on addressing the shared challenge of synthetic drugs and the whole-of-government approach that we brought to meeting the challenge.We’ve come to Vienna to continue to sound the alarm – to sound the alarm around the dangers of synthetic drugs and to rally a more coordinated and vigorous global response, and here’s why.&nbsp; First, every region is experiencing a dramatic increase in synthetic drug use, addiction, and overdose deaths, from tramadol in Africa, to fake Captagon pills in the Middle East, to ketamine and amphetamine in Asia.Now these are far from the only harms.&nbsp; Criminal organizations that manufacture and traffic synthetic drugs are also extorting local businesses, corrupting politicians, security forces, trafficking women and children.&nbsp; Second, this is a problem that no one country can effectively solve alone.&nbsp; In an interconnected world, criminal organizations quickly exploit weak links to make, to move, and to market their increasingly potent and dangerous synthetic drugs.&nbsp; Chemical precursors manufactured in one country transit through others, get to a third where they’re synthesized, and then come into the United States or other countries, hitting our streets, killing our people.&nbsp; So we have to work together to get at every link in this chain.Finally, no country, no government, no institution has a monopoly on good ideas.&nbsp; Innovative solutions are being tried, they’re being tested everywhere, and the more we can bring these ideas together, the more effective each of us is going to be.&nbsp; So we have to do more to learn from one another and work with one another.&nbsp; And that’s the focus of today’s gathering.The good news is we already have so many of the tools that we need to tackle this challenge thanks to decades of work by leaders in government, in multilateral organizations, in civil society, including right here at the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs, which has the authority to place synthetic drugs and their precursors under international control.&nbsp; The UN Office on Drugs and Crime, also based here in Vienna, has worked with experts around the globe to develop a synthetic drug strategy and practical toolkits for action.&nbsp; The International Narcotics Control Board has created platforms that allow governments, law enforcement, justice officials around the world to exchange information in real time about legitimate chemical and pharmaceutical shipments as well as suspected trafficking incidents.We’ve also created new tools to foster greater global awareness and cooperation on this issue.&nbsp; Last July, we launched the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats.&nbsp; We started with about 80 partner countries.&nbsp; It’s now grown to 151 countries, 14 international organizations and counting.&nbsp; From the outset, the coalition is focused on three main lines of effort: preventing the illicit manufacture and trafficking of synthetic drugs and precursors, detecting emerging trends and threats, promoting public health solutions.&nbsp; In the short space of time since July when the coalition came together, we’ve held 70 working group sessions with more than 1,500 participants, including public health experts, law enforcement officers, diplomats, civil society leaders.&nbsp; In all, the working sessions generated more than 120 proposals for programs, for policies, for actions, nearly all of them now searchable on the coalition’s website.And let me just give you a couple of quick examples.&nbsp; Training countries on how to safely dispose of seized precursor chemicals and how to collect evidence from clandestine labs that can be used to prosecute criminal groups; deepening awareness among and coordination with private sector partners, particularly online platforms and the manufacturing and shipping sectors; funding laboratories and trainings for experts in countries that lack the capacity to analyze new synthetic drugs; identifying better treatments for addiction to stimulants, the most widely used synthetic drug with some 80 billion&nbsp;users annually.Now we’re bringing the coalition to a new stage.&nbsp; We’re asking every member of the coalition and every government, every institution, every organization here today to make concrete commitments to address the crisis.&nbsp; That could be passing new laws and regulations, implementing new policies, funding new research, or acting on any one of 120 initiatives recommended by the coalition’s working groups.&nbsp; And because countries have different needs, different capacities, different resources, we will work to marshal support to help countries that have the will to take action but lack the resources to do it.Here’s what the United States will do to support these collective efforts.&nbsp; In September, we committed $100 million to fund global efforts aimed at tackling synthetic drug threats.&nbsp; Given the ongoing urgency of this threat, today we’re committing to with our Congress to significantly expand that support with an additional $170 million next year.&nbsp; We’ll continue to put more resources than ever before into addressing the challenge at home, such as our efforts to significantly increase access to Naloxone and to prevent overdose deaths as part of a broader health-centric approach for people who use drugs.I mentioned a short while ago that for the first time, the resources we’re dedicating to dealing with the demand side will surpass those that we’re dedicating to addressing the supply side.&nbsp; We are stepping up to our responsibilities.&nbsp; Over the last three years, President Biden has programmed $170 billion to counter narcotic threats.&nbsp; And again, so much of that is at home – public awareness, public health, prevention, treatment.We’ll leverage all of these tools to target key drivers of the challenge, such as the request we put forward internationally to control two additional precursors of synthetic opioids.&nbsp; And here, we simply have to make sure that we’re not only keeping up, but hopefully seeing around the curve, because we know that even as we control ingredients that go into making synthetic opioids, those engaged in that practice are finding new ways, new combinations, new chemicals, and even as we control one, something else may come to market.&nbsp; So we have to stay ahead of this.We’ll look to all of you to hold us to our own commitments, and we’ll do the same, because we can’t afford to come up short.&nbsp; I have the honor and pleasure in just a moment to hand it over to Executive Director Waly and to Justice Tettey and also our distinguished panel.&nbsp; But let me just in closing remind you why we’re here.The World Health Organization estimates that in 2019, approximately 600,000 people worldwide died of drug overdoses, the vast majority from synthetic drugs.&nbsp; That’s the most recent year for which we have that overall tally.&nbsp; Today, that number is almost certainly much higher, and let me just speak to my own country for a minute.&nbsp; We’ve seen the scourge of synthetic drugs touch virtually every town, every city, every state in the United States.&nbsp; More than 40 percent of the American people know someone who died from an opioid overdose, the number one killer of Americans between the ages of 18 and 45 is fentanyl.So the impact this has had cannot be overstated, and on something like fentanyl, we’ve been something of a canary in the coal mine.&nbsp; It hit us hard, it hit us first, but now we’re seeing, as markets are saturated, criminal enterprises trying to make markets in other parts of the world.&nbsp; And so what came to us one day, alas, may be coming to you another.&nbsp; And of course there are many other synthetic drugs that are already afflicting so many countries in this room.Those numbers are almost hard to digest, so I’d ask you to think for just a moment, not so much of the numbers but what they represent, of all the losses that they contain, all the pain experienced by loved ones and friends, all the empty seats left in classrooms and at dinner tables – or in businesses, places of worship – all the contributions those hundreds of thousands of people might have made to our shared world if they were still alive.Now, think about all the people who will live longer, healthier, more secure lives with greater opportunity if we achieve what we’ve set out to do, if we come together to surmount the profound threats posed by synthetic drugs, if we prevent more citizens, more communities from being consumed by this crisis.&nbsp; That’s why we’re all here.&nbsp; That is why it is so important that we succeed and succeed together.I thank you so very much and it’s now my honor and pleasure to hand the podium over to UNODC Director Waly.&nbsp; Welcome.&nbsp; (Applause.)&nbsp;million
- Travel to Austria, South Korea, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Israel, March 14-23, 2024 HomeTravels with the Secretary of State &#8230;Travel to Austria, South Korea, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Israel, March 14-23, 2024				hide		if(window.jQuery) {		jQuery( document ).ready(function() {			if (jQuery(".bc_middle").hasClass("collapse")) {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});				jQuery(".bc_hide").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});			} else {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").hide();			}		});	}																										Travel to Austria, South Korea, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Israel, March 14-23, 2024																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																																											Close																																																	Tags																					Austria																								Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs																								Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs																								Philippines																								The Secretary of State																								South Korea
- Secretary Antony J. Blinken at the 67th Session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of StateVienna, AustriaVienna International CentreSECRETARY BLINKEN:  Well, good afternoon to everyone, and Executive Director Waly, Ambassador Johnson, representatives of the member-states, today marks the first time the United States Secretary of State has taken part in a session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs.I’m here because, more than ever, fulfilling the mission of this institution is critical to the security, to the prosperity, to the health of the American people, just as it is to people of all of our nations.Since this commission’s last high-level session three years ago, the number of Americans who have died of overdoses caused by synthetic opioids has nearly doubled – 74,000 people over that year.  More than 40 percent of the American people know someone who has died from an opioid overdose.  Synthetic drugs are now the number one killer of Americans aged 18 to 45.Many of you are here for similar reasons.  Now, the types of synthetic drug affecting your nations may vary.  In some, it may be methamphetamines or ketamine; in others, tramadol, Captagon, fentanyl.  The scale of the problem may be different.But in every region, use, dependence, overdose deaths by synthetic drugs are rising rapidly.My message to this gathering is urgent.  If we want to change the trajectory of this crisis, there is only one way to succeed, and that’s together.Now, for each one of us, for every nation, that has to start at home, including in the United States.  Over the past three years, we’ve invested an unprecedented $169 billion to combat harmful drugs.Under President Biden, the United States for the first time is dedicating more resources to tackling demand for drugs than to halting the supply.That means more resources for public awareness, for health interventions and services to prevent and reduce drug use, overdoses, and other harms, alongside measures to prevent, to detect, and stop the illicit manufacturing and trafficking of drugs.This reflects the fundamental fact that untreated substance use and rising trafficking are two sides of the same coin.  The more that we can help people break the cycle of use and dependence, the smaller the illicit market for drugs.  The more we can reduce the illicit supply of harmful drugs, the fewer people will be exposed to them.But while our efforts to address synthetic drug – the synthetic drug crisis start at home, they can’t end at home.  This is, simply put, a problem that no one country can solve alone.The criminal groups that produce these drugs are agile.  When one country cracks down on the production of a synthetic drug or the chemical precursors that go into making them, criminals quickly find another place to produce them.  When one trafficking route is shut down, they shift to another.They are constantly creating new drugs, too.  Criminal organizations produce around 80 new synthetic drugs every year – many that are more potent than ones already circulating.  And they’re always looking for new markets and new users to boost their profits.So, if we want to successfully protect people in all of our countries, we simply can’t go it alone.  I want to suggest four ways that we can work together to take effective action.First, we can accelerate efforts to regulate the precursor chemicals that are used to illicitly make synthetic drugs.  We’ll have a chance to do that next week, when the CND will vote on adding new and emerging precursors to the list of chemicals we already control.  Doing so places responsibility on governments to more effectively monitor the manufacturing and trade of these chemicals to reduce their use for illicit purposes, and that in turn makes them harder to traffic.We urge every member to support this effort – and to fulfill its obligations to control these substances.Second, we can redouble our efforts to reduce overdose deaths.  There’s a growing body of evidence that demonstrates how we can bring together prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery to save lives.Next week, we’ll sponsor a resolution calling on countries to implement measures like these.  I urge you to join us in adopting it.Third, we can deepen collaboration with key actors outside of government, because just as no one country can solve this alone, governments alone can’t solve the problem.  Public health professionals, civil society groups, affected communities, academics, other experts have long led the way in identifying effective solutions.  We can do more – we must do more – to partner with them, and with the private sector, particularly given the central role that private sector platforms and products play in the illicit manufacture, the movement, and the marketing of synthetic drugs.The United States and the UNODC recently launched a new collaborative effort with Meta, Snap, and others to disrupt synthetic drug activity online and instead to have these platforms use their influence to educate users about the risks.  We hope that this is something that you’ll all be part of as well and encourage more platforms to come on board.Finally, join the now 151 countries and 14 international organizations in the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats.  Just since last July when this coalition came together, we’ve been working to identify ways that we can cooperate to prevent the manufacture and trafficking of synthetic drugs, to detect emerging threats, to strengthen public health interventions.Together, the coalition has developed specific recommendations for actions that countries can take, as well as identified more than 120 initiatives to support these efforts.  Now we’re moving to implement these actions, and we ask everyone:  Partner with us.I opened by highlighting the catastrophic rise in overdose deaths in the United States, and in many ways we’ve been a canary in the coalmine, particularly when it comes to fentanyl.  It’s hit us hard, it hit us first, but unfortunately not last, and we can see its ravages beginning to take hold in other countries.But that’s not where the story ends.  We have recent data that suggests that for the first time in years, the number of Americans who died of overdoses did not increase significantly.  The number has leveled off.Now, with one American still dying of a drug overdose every five minutes, our work is far from finished.But the change suggests that the steps we’re taking – many in partnership with countries here in this room – are making a difference, are starting to turn the tide.That’s why we’ll keep pressing forward with efforts like the ones I described today. And for the health, security, and prosperity of people in your countries, I hope that you’ll join us and that we can continue and indeed deepen our work together.I thank you each of you very much for your extraordinary dedication to this task, something that I know will be to the benefit of people all around the world.  And now it’s my pleasure to announce that the United States pledges to significantly expand our assistance to combat illicit synthetic drug threats around the world, and we’ll seek approximately $170 million to advance these efforts next year.  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Thank you very much.
- Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with IAEA Director General Grossi  HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases&#8230;Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with IAEA Director General Grossi 				hide		if(window.jQuery) {		jQuery( document ).ready(function() {			if (jQuery(".bc_middle").hasClass("collapse")) {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});				jQuery(".bc_hide").click(function(){					jQuery(".bc_hide").toggleClass("visible");					jQuery(".bc_middle").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_ellipse").toggle();					jQuery(".bc_content").toggleClass("noflex");					jQuery(".block_breadcrumbs_content").toggleClass("noflex");				});			} else {				jQuery(".bc_ellipse").hide();			}		});	}																										Secretary Blinken’s Meeting with IAEA Director General Grossi 																																		Readout																														March 15, 2024																																							The below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller:Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi today in Vienna, Austria.&nbsp; The Secretary and Director General Grossi discussed nuclear safety, security, and safeguards issues, including the IAEA’s presence at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The&nbsp;Secretary reiterated the United States’ strong support for the IAEA’s global nuclear nonproliferation verification mission, including in addressing&nbsp;outstanding verification issues in Iran.&nbsp; He also noted the IAEA’s critical role in helping&nbsp;Member States develop and benefit from the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, science, and technology to aid in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including to meeting the challenge of global climate change.						Tags																					Austria																																International Atomic Energy Agency																															Office of the Spokesperson																																Official International Travel																																							Secretary Trip																															The Secretary of State
- The United States and Austria: Decades of Partnership Office of the SpokespersonThe United States and Austria have enjoyed diplomatic relations for more than 220 years.  In the post-World War II era, the United States played an essential role in the country’s reconstruction and in the Austrian State Treaty which declared Austria to be a free, independent, and neutral state.  Our nations share democratic values, including support for human rights and the rule of law, and a vision of peace and freedom for all.  The two countries are bound together through myriad people-to-people contacts in business and entrepreneurship, the arts, education, science and technology, and a host of exchanges.The United States and Austria reaffirmed in 2023 our commitment to advancing our joint interests through the U.S.-Austria Strategic Dialogue, including on global and regional security issues; the importance of upholding the international rules-based order; condemning Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine; issues concerning the Middle East and the PRC; defending and advancing human rights and democracy; the fight against racism, antisemitism, and anti-Muslim hatred; support for Holocaust survivors; disarmament and non-proliferation; and the Western Balkans.Austria and the United States are partners in promoting global security, strengthening economic cooperation, and collaborating to promote and defend our shared values around the world.People to People ConnectionsAustria is one of 51 countries worldwide with a Fulbright educational exchange program managed by an autonomous binational commission.  The State Department has provided opportunities for more than 4,000 Austrians to participate in U.S. government-funded exchange programs since 1951.A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in September 2020 creating an exchange program between the U.S. Naval Academy and the Theresian Military Academy, which already has a similar program with the United States Military Academy at West Point.In February 2024, a first of its kind Memorandum of Understanding was signed expanding professional development exchanges between the United States and Austria to include opportunities for technical and vocational students.Bilateral Economic RelationsAustria was one of the top ten fastest growing U.S. trade partners and foreign direct investors as of 2019, and the United States remains Austria’s second largest export destination after Germany.  Austria is a member of the European Union and World Trade Organization, offering export opportunities for U.S. companies of all sizes with no significant trade barriers.  The country represents a desirable, affluent market for U.S.-made products in Europe.  The trade and investment relationship with Austria is robust and supports thousands of new jobs in both countries.Austria’s Membership in International OrganizationsAustrian leaders emphasize the country’s role as both an East-West hub and a moderator between industrialized and developing countries.  Austria hosts the International Atomic Energy Agency and several other UN bodies, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).  Austria and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the UN, OSCE, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization.  Austria is not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) but participates in its Partnership for Peace program and has military personnel embedded in NATO, EU, and UN peacekeeping operations worldwide.  Austria also is an observer to the Organization of American States.  It is a member of the Three Seas Initiative.Standing Together in Support for UkraineThe United States and Austria – in coordination with other Allies and partners – are collaborating to support Ukraine and its people in the face of Russia’s war of aggression.  Austria has welcomed and assisted more than 85,000 refugees since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.In accordance with its status as a neutral country, Austria has focused its assistance on non-military support, including more than $200 million in humanitarian aid for the people of Ukraine, and donating 2 million Euros to the International Trust Fund to support demining efforts.  Austria has also supported EU Russia sanctions and continues to collaborate with the EU on improving the integrity of the sanctions regime.RestitutionDuring the immediate postwar period Austrian authorities introduced certain restitution and compensation measures for Nazi victims, but Austrians later viewed these initial measures as inadequate and/or unjust.  Beginning in 1995, the government set up several programs to address gaps and deficiencies in post-war restitution and compensation programs.  It continues to work with partners on such Holocaust issues as compensation, restitution, education, and commemoration.  Since 1994, Austria has committed to providing victims and heirs some $1 billion in restitution.  In accordance with a September 2019 amendment to the Austrian Citizenship Act, as of September 1, 2020, direct descendants of victims of the Nazi regime previously resident in Austria can obtain dual Austrian citizenship.  Austria helped draft the Best Practices for the Washington Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art, which the Secretary of State welcomed on March 5, 2024 and 23 governments have endorsed to date.  Austria is a partner in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and other international institutions.
- 67th Session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs Office of the SpokespersonThe United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) will convene in Vienna, Austria from March 14 – 22. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will serve as Head of Delegation for the United States during the High-Level Segment from March 14 – 15 with support from Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) Todd D. Robinson and the White House Director of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Dr. Rahul Gupta. INL Deputy Assistant Secretary Maggie Nardi and Ambassador Laura Holgate will serve as the Co-Heads of Delegation for the Regular Session.The CND provides a unique opportunity for countries to work collectively to advance solutions to the most challenging drug issues. Synthetic drugs are fueling a public health crisis that affects communities across the United States and around the globe. The United States aims to set international action to address the threats posed by synthetic drugs as a top CND priority.The United States will work to place two additional fentanyl precursor chemicals under international control, advance the efforts of the U.S.-led Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats, and drive concrete action to address synthetic drug-related challenges including overdose prevention and responses.For further information, please contact INL-PAPD@state.gov or follow @StateINL on Twitter/X.