COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 2025 Environmental Implementation Review Country Report - AUSTRIA Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions 2025 Environmental Implementation Review for prosperity and security
Date: 2025-07-07
Institutions: Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission
Subjects: Austria, EU environmental policy, application of EU law, biodiversity, circular economy, climate change policy, environmental law, governance, pollution control measures, waste management

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 7.7.2025  SWD(2025) 300 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 2025 Environmental Implementation Review                            Country Report - AUSTRIA                                 Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions 2025 Environmental Implementation Review for prosperity and security {COM(2025) 420 final} - {SWD(2025) 301 final} - {SWD(2025) 302 final} - {SWD(2025) 303 final} - {SWD(2025) 304 final} - {SWD(2025) 305 final} - {SWD(2025) 306 final} - {SWD(2025) 307 final} - {SWD(2025) 308 final} - {SWD(2025) 309 final} - {SWD(2025) 310 final} - {SWD(2025) 311 final} - {SWD(2025) 312 final} - {SWD(2025) 313 final} - {SWD(2025) 314 final} - {SWD(2025) 315 final} - {SWD(2025) 316 final} - {SWD(2025) 317 final} - {SWD(2025) 318 final} - {SWD(2025) 319 final} - {SWD(2025) 320 final} - {SWD(2025) 321 final} - {SWD(2025) 322 final} - {SWD(2025) 323 final} - {SWD(2025) 324 final} - {SWD(2025) 325 final} - {SWD(2025) 326 final}  
 
 
Austria  2 

Contents 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................... 3 

PART I: THEMATIC AREAS ...................................................................................................................................... 4 

1. CIRCULAR ECONOMY AND WASTE MANAGEMENT ............................................................................................................. 4 
Transitioning to a circular economy ..................................................................................................................... 4 
Waste management ............................................................................................................................................. 6 
2. BIODIVERSITY AND NATURAL CAPITAL ........................................................................................................................... 12 
Global and EU biodiversity frameworks ............................................................................................................. 12 
Nature protection and restoration – Natura 2000 ............................................................................................. 12 
Recovery of species ............................................................................................................................................ 14 
Recovery of ecosystems ..................................................................................................................................... 16 
Prevention and management of invasive alien species ...................................................................................... 19 
Ecosystem assessment and accounting ............................................................................................................. 21 
3. ZERO POLLUTION ..................................................................................................................................................... 22 
Clean air ............................................................................................................................................................. 22 
Industrial emissions ............................................................................................................................................ 23 
Major industrial accidents prevention – Seveso ................................................................................................. 25 
Mercury Regulation ............................................................................................................................................ 27 
Noise .................................................................................................................................................................. 27 
Water quality and management ........................................................................................................................ 27 
Chemicals ........................................................................................................................................................... 32 
4. CLIMATE ACTION ..................................................................................................................................................... 35 
The EU emissions trading system ....................................................................................................................... 36 
Effort sharing ..................................................................................................................................................... 36 
Land use, land-use change and forestry ............................................................................................................. 37 
Adaptation to climate change ............................................................................................................................ 37 

PART II: ENABLING FRAMEWORK – IMPLEMENTATION TOOLS ............................................................................ 38 

5. FINANCING ............................................................................................................................................................. 38 
Climate finance landmarks ................................................................................................................................. 38 
Environmental financing and investments ......................................................................................................... 39 
Public financial management ............................................................................................................................. 43 
6. ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE ................................................................................................................................. 46 
Information, public participation and access to justice...................................................................................... 46 
Compliance assurance ........................................................................................................................................ 49 
EU-supported environmental capacity building ................................................................................................. 51 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Austria  3 

Executive summary 

In  May  2016,  the  European  Commission  launched  the 
Environmental  Implementation  Review  (EIR), a  regular 
reporting  tool  based  on  analysis,  dialogue  and 
collaboration  with  EU  Member  States  to  improve  the 
implementation of existing EU environmental policy and 
legislation (1).  Following  previous  cycles  in  2017,  2019 
and 2022, this report assesses the progress made while 
describing  the  main  outstanding  challenges  and 
opportunities 
legal 
implementation in Austria. The purpose of this report is 
implementation 
to  provide 
performance  and  highlight  the  most  effective  ways  to 
address  the  implementation  gaps  that  impact  human 
health and the environment and hamper the economic 
development  and competitiveness of the country. The 
report  relies  on  detailed  sectoral 
implementation 
reports  collected  or  issued  by  the  Commission  under 
specific environmental legislation. 

information  on 

environmental 

regarding 

the 

The main challenges set out below have been selected 
from Part I of this report, ‘Thematic  areas’, taking into 
consideration  factors  such  as  the  gravity  of  the 
environmental  implementation  issue  in  light  of  the 
impact on the quality of life of citizens, the distance to 
target, and financial implications. 

for 

Austria  is  progressing  in  the  level  of  protection  and 
its  Natura  2000  sites. 
restoration  efforts 
Nevertheless,  the  status  of many  habitats  and  species 
continues  to  deteriorate.  There  has  been  a  negative 
trend  for  most  species  protected  under  the  Habitats 
Directive. Austria also needs to find a consistent policy 
in  terms  of  dealing  with  its  populations  of  large 
carnivores.  Illegal  poaching,  shooting  and  poisoning 
seems to be the main reason for the lack of success of 
introducing the lynx in the Austrian Alps and to establish 
the wolf more widely as a reproductive species. 

Land-take and soil sealing remain very high in Austria. 
It  needs  to  be  observed  if  the  newly  adopted  “Soil 
strategy for Austria” will lead to a significant reduction 
by 2030. 

Austria  performs 
regarding  waste 
very  well 
management.  The  recycling  rate  of  packaging  waste 
stands at 63% in 2022 and the landfill rate is below 2%. 
However, Austria generates far more waste than the EU 
average. Overall, waste generation appears not to have 
been decoupled from economic growth. 

The overall environmental investment needs to enable 
Austria to meet its objectives in the main environmental 
areas stand at EUR 11.3 billion per year, broken down as 
follows:  circular  economy  (EUR  6.5  billion);  pollution 
prevention and control (EUR 1.9 billion); water (EUR 1.5 
billion);  and  biodiversity  and  ecosystems  (EUR  1.3 
billion).  To  meet  these  four  environmental  objectives 
beyond climate change, the additional investment need 
over the current levels – the investment gap – reaches 
an  estimated  EUR  2.9  billion  per  year  in  Austria, 
representing around 0.65% of the national GDP, being 
lower than the EU-average (0.77%). 

In  terms  of  governance,  an  infringement  procedure 
relating  to  the  insufficient  implementation  of  the 
Aarhus Convention – in particular the right of recognised 
NGOs to have access to effective judicial review of self-
executing ordinances – is ongoing and could be referred 
to  the  CJEU  if  Austria  does  not  remedy  the  breaches 
identified by the Commission.  

On  the  positive  side,  Austria  adopted  its  Circular 
Economy  Strategy  and  has  launched  a  number  of 
initiatives  to  reduce  waste  generation.  A  repair  bonus 
scheme provides funding for households in the form of 
vouchers  that  cover  50%  of  the  costs  for  repairing  or 
renewing electrical and electronic equipment. 

Austria  also  has  by  far  the  highest  share  of  organic 
farming, covering almost 26% of the agricultural land. 

(1) 

Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  European 
Parliament,  the  Council,  the  European  Economic  and  Social 
Committee and the Committee of the Regions – Delivering the 
benefits  of  EU  environmental  policies  through  a  regular 

environmental  implementation  review,  COM(2016) 316 
final  of  27 May  2016,  http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM%3A2016%3A316%3AFIN. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
 
 
Austria  4 

Part I: Thematic areas 

1. Circular economy and waste management 

Transitioning to a circular economy 

Figure 1: CMUR (%), 2013–2023 

Advancing the transition to a circular economy in the EU 
will reduce the environmental and climate impact of our 
industrial systems  by  reducing  input  materials,  keeping 
products  and  materials  in  the  loop  for  longer  and 
reducing  waste  generation,  thus  decoupling  economic 
growth from resource consumption. A circular economy 
has  considerable  potential  to  increase  competitiveness 
and  job  creation  and  will  also  promote  innovation  and 
provide  access  to  new  markets.  With  the  2020  circular 
economy action plan (CEAP) (2) measures either in place 
or legislatively advanced, Member States will now have 
to focus on a swift and effective implementation. 

The 2020 CEAP launched the legislative process for a set 
of  initiatives  that  will  now  have  to  be  implemented  by 
national  governments  across  the  EU.  These  initiatives 
were  all 
life-cycle 
introduced  following  a  holistic 
approach, with measures addressing the different stages 
of a product’s life cycle, from design through use to end 
of life. 

In the CEAP, the EU sets as its overarching objective the 
doubling of its circular material use rate (CMUR) by 2030. 

The CMUR is a measure of one aspect of circularity: the 
share  of  the  total  amount  of  material  used  in  the 
economy  that  is  accounted  for  by  recycled  waste.  A 
higher  CMUR  value  means  that  more  secondary 
materials  were  used  as  a  substitute  for  raw  materials, 
thus  reducing  the  environmental  impacts  of  extracting 
primary material. 

The  circular  use  of  material  in  Austria  has  risen  since 
2020 and reached 14.3 % in 2023, against the EU average 
of 11.8 %, continuing the country’s upward trend since 
2021. This rise puts Austria among the top 10 countries 
in the EU in terms of CMUR. 

(2) 

from  the  Commission  to  the  European 
Communication 
Parliament,  the  Council,  the  European  Economic  and  Social 
Committee and the Committee of the Regions – A new circular 
economy action plan for a cleaner and more competitive Europe, 

20

15

10

5

0

2013

2015

2017

2019

2021

2023

Austria

EU-27

Source: Eurostat, ‘Circular material use rate’, env_ac_cur, last updated 
13 November 
2024, 
accessed 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/product/view/env_ac_cu
r. 

10 December 

2024, 

product 

Improving 

Resource  productivity  measures  the  total  amount  of 
materials directly used by an economy in relation to gross 
resource 
(GDP). 
domestic 
productivity  can  help  to  minimise  negative  impacts  on 
the environment and reduce dependency on volatile raw 
material  markets.  As  shown  in  Figure 2,  with  EUR 2.54 
generated per kg of material consumed in 2023, Austria’s 
resource  productivity 
is  above  the  EU  average  of 
EUR 2.23 per kg. 

Figure 2: Resource productivity (EUR/kg), 2013–2023 

3,0

2,0

1,0

0,0

2013

2015

2017

2019

2021

2023

Austria

EU-27

NB:  The  unit  of  measurement  used  is  EUR/kg  chain-linked  volume 
(2015). Chain-linked volumes focus on changes on quantities and prices 
of commodities in previous years, taking account of inflation, and are 
indexed to the nearest appropriate year, in this case 2015. 

Source:  Eurostat,  ‘Resource  productivity’,  env_ac_rp,  last  updated 
2024, 
7 August 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/product/view/env_ac_rp. 

10 December 

accessed 

2024, 

final 

COM(2020) 98 
lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM%3A2020%3A98%3AFIN. 

11 March 

2020, 

of 

https://eur-

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
 
Policies and measures 

In  parallel  with  European  initiatives  under  the  CEAP, 
Member States are encouraged to adopt and implement 
circular strategies at the national, regional and city levels. 
These  should  be  tailored  to  each  national  and  local 
reality, to harness the proximity economy’s (3) potential, 
while following the principles of a holistic whole-value-
chain approach. 

Since  the 
launch  of  the  online  European  Circular 
Economy  Stakeholder  Platform  in  2017 (4)  national, 
regional and local authorities have used the platform to 
share their strategies, roadmaps and good practices, for 
example  alternative  business  models  and  innovative 
technologies. 

its  circular 
On  7 December  2022,  Austria  adopted 
economy strategy (5), following public consultations that 
concluded in January of the same year. After reviewing 
the public feedback, the country set several key targets: 
reducing  domestic  material  consumption  to  14 t  per 
person  per  year  by  2030  and  lowering  the  material 
footprint to 7 t per person per year by 2050. Austria also 
aims  to  increase  resource  efficiency  by  50 %  by  2030 
(using 2015 as the reference year) and raise the material 
use  rate  from  the  current  12 %  to  18 %,  which 
nevertheless 
falls  short  of  the  EU  CEAP  goals. 
Additionally, private household material consumption is 
to be reduced by 10 % by 2030. 

The  Reset2020  initiative,  which  focuses  on  integrating 
resource  efficiency  into  environmental  technologies, 
sustainable  production  and  consumption,  continues  to 
play  a  key  role  in  promoting  the  circular  economy  in 
Austria. 

In 2020, the green chemistry initiative ‘Plattform Grüne 
Chemie’  was  launched.  With  its  principles  of  design, 
efficient synthesis, the use of renewable raw materials, 
safe  production,  low-toxicity  chemicals  and  waste,  and 
recycling,  it  has  a  strong  connection  to  the  circular 
economy. 

In  May  2022,  the  Austrian  government  adopted  its 
microplastics  action  plan (6),  outlining  key  measures  in 
several  areas:  improving  data  collection,  advancing 
research  and  innovation,  enhancing  regulation  and 
enforcement,  raising  public  and  school  awareness, 

Austria  5 

encouraging  voluntary  initiatives  and  promoting  action 
at the global level. The plan also includes a ban on adding 
microplastic particles to cosmetics and cleaning agents, 
pending the adoption of a preferred Europe-wide ban. 

In  April  2022,  Austria 
launched  the  repair  bonus 
scheme (7),  supported  by  the  recovery  and  resilience 
plan  (RRP).  This 
investment  aims  to  give  broken 
electronic devices a second chance, thus increasing the 
number  of  refurbished  and  repaired  items  of  electrical 
and electronic equipment, in line with circular economy 
objectives. The support programme provides funding for 
households  in the  form  of  vouchers  that  cover  50 %  of 
the  costs  for  repairing  or  renewing  electrical  and 
electronic equipment and, since 2024, bikes as well. 

On 23 September 2024, Austria published its action plan 
on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This plan 
calls  for  measures  to  reduce  the  pollution  caused  by 
these  dangerous  chemicals,  promotes  communication 
on dangers and risks, and supports coordinated action. It 
will be reviewed within four years. 

Green public procurement 

Public  procurement  accounts  for  a  large  proportion  of 
European 
consumption,  with  public  authorities’ 
purchasing power representing around 14 % of EU GDP. 
Public procurement using green or circular criteria (life-
cycle analysis, PaaS (platform as a service), second hand) 
can help drive the demand for sustainable products that 
meet reparability and recyclability standards. 

including  all 

federal  authorities, 

A national strategy for sustainable public procurement8 
has been in place in Austria since 2010 and was adopted 
by the Council of Ministers. It covers 16 product groups, 
which  are  partly  based  on  the  core  criteria  in  the  EU 
green public procurement toolkit and which are binding 
federal 
for  the 
ministries, the central purchasing body and the Federal 
Procurement  Agency.  All  other  public  entities,  like 
federal  states,  cities,  municipalities  and  other  public 
institutions, are subject to federal procurement law and 
are  advised  to  use  the  criteria.  The  action  plan  for 
sustainable public procurement was updated in 2020 to 
reflect, among other things, the EU plastics and farm-to-
fork  strategies.  In  2023,  the  revision  process  began  for 
the  existing  construction  criteria.  Monitoring  through 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

‘Proximity  and 

European  Commission, 
social  economy 
ecosystem’,  European  Commission  website,  https://single-
market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/proximity-and-social-
economy_en. 
Circular 
(https://circulareconomy.europa.eu/platform/en/strategies). 
Federal  Ministry  for  Climate  Action,  Environment,  Energy, 
Mobility,  Innovation  and  Technology,  Austria  on  the  path  to  a 
sustainable and circular society – The Austrian circular economy 
2022, 
strategy, 

Stakeholder 

Economy 

Platform 

Vienna, 

(6) 

(7) 

(8)  

https://www.bmk.gv.at/en/topics/climate-environment/waste-
resource-management/ces.html. 
Federal  Ministry  for  Climate  Action,  Environment,  Energy, 
Mobility,  Innovation  and  Technology,  Aktionsplan  Mikroplastik 
2022–2025, 
2022, 
https://www.bmk.gv.at/themen/klima_umwelt/kunststoffe/mi
kroplastik.html. 
Reparaturbonus. 
https://www.oesterreich.gv.at/themen/umwelt_und_klima/en
ergie_und_ressourcen_sparen/reparaturbonus.html.  
https://www.nabe.gv.at.  

Vienna, 

See 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
Austria  6 

surveys has been carried out regularly at various levels. 
Automatic  monitoring  based  on  purchases,  and 
in 
relation to the criteria for all product groups determined 
in the action plan, is planned at the federal level. 

and stimulating demand for recycled content  in all 
products; 

(v)  limiting energy recovery to non-recyclable materials; 

and 

(vi)  phasing  out  landfilling  of  recyclable  or  recoverable 

The EU Ecolabel and the eco-management and audit 
scheme 

waste. 

The  number  of  EU  Ecolabel  product  groups  and  the 
number of eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS)-
licensed  organisations  in  each  country  provide  some 
indication of the extent to which the private sector and 
in  that  country  are  actively 
national  stakeholders 
engaged in the transition to a circular economy. The EU 
Ecolabel  is  awarded  to  products  with  best-in-class 
environmental  performance.  EMAS 
is  a  voluntary 
environment  management  scheme  aimed  at  reducing 
the environmental impacts of organisations. 

As of September 2024, Austria had 1 100 products out of 
98 977, and 311 licences out of 2 983 registered in the EU 
Ecolabel scheme. As of October 2024, 282 organisations 
from  Austria  were  registered  in  EMAS (9).  Since  2021, 
there have been 14 new EMAS registrations. 

As Austria adopted its circular economy strategy at the 
end  of  2022,  the  2022  report’s  priority  action  was 
fulfilled. Implementation is now needed. 

2025 priority action 

• 

Speed  up  the  transition  to  a  circular  economy  by 
implementing an updated national strategy and the 
EU framework and recommendations,  in particular 
to  complement 
it  with  upstream  circularity 
measures. 

Waste management 

Turning waste into a resource is supported by: 

(i)  addressing  the  full  life  cycle  of  products,  from 
conception to end of life, by setting requirements on 
the design of products to ensure that they are more 
sustainable; 

(ii)  fully 

implementing  EU  waste  legislation,  which 
includes  the  waste  hierarchy,  the  obligation  to 
landfill 
ensure  separate  collection  of  waste, 
diversion targets, etc.; 

(iii)  reducing  waste  generation  per  capita  and 

in 

absolute terms; 

(iv)  increasing  the  recycling  rates  of  waste  containing 
critical raw materials (CRMs), with a view to reducing 
dependencies  and  building  resilient  value  chains, 

One  of  the  main  objectives  of  the  EU  Waste  Law  is  to 
its  environmental 
decouple  economic  growth  from 
impacts. 

The EU’s approach to waste management is based on the 
waste  treatment  hierarchy:  prevention,  preparing  for 
reuse,  recycling,  recovery  and,  as  the  least  preferred 
option,  disposal 
landfilling  and 
includes 
incineration without energy recovery). 

(which 

All legislative proposals in the field of waste management 
put forward by the Commission since 2021 are intended 
to encourage Member States to promote better product 
design,  to  require  producers  to  cover  the  costs  of 
managing the waste resulting from their products and to 
ensure that waste is managed at the higher levels of the 
waste hierarchy. 

Austria’s  total  waste  generation  shows  a  significant 
increase  from  2012  onwards  (Figure 3).  This  trend  is 
primarily  driven  by  the 
largest  waste  categories – 
namely, soils and mineral waste from construction and 
demolition.  Excluding 
the  major  mineral  waste 
categories results in the stabilisation of the overall level 
of  waste  generation.  Recyclable  waste  increased  while 
the  generation  of  mixed  waste  decreased,  indicating 
improvements  in  waste  management.  Austria’s  GDP 
shows steady growth over the time period covered, but 
dropped in 2020,  which  is  most  likely  to be  due to the 
COVID-19 outbreak. While a longer time series is needed 
to  confirm  decoupling  from  GDP,  waste  generation 
appears  not  to  have  been  decoupled  from  economic 
growth. 

Figure 3:  Generation  of  waste  (total  and  excluding 
major mineral waste), population and GDP, 2010–2022 

income)’, 

Sources:  Eurostat,  ‘GDP  and  main  components  (output,  expenditure 
and 
2024, 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/nama_10_gdp__cu
stom_9301905/default/table; Eurostat, ‘Generation of waste by waste 
category,  hazardousness  and  NACE  Rev. 2  activity’,  env_wasgen,  last 

nama_10_gdp, 

15 October 

accessed 

(9) 

European  Commission,  ‘Eco-management  and  audit  scheme 
(EMAS)’,  European  Commission  website,  November  2021, 

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/emas/emas_registrations/st
atistics_graphs_en.htm. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
Austria  7 

right  to  favour  preparing  for  re-use  and  recycling  over 
incineration and landfilling. If available technology were 
to  be  applied,  it  is  estimated  that  the  increase  in 
preparing  for  re-use  and  recycling  would  save  an 
additional 33 Mt of GHG emissions annually (more than, 
for example, the combined annual GHG emissions from 
Estonia, Latvia and Luxembourg).  

The rate of recycling and preparation for reuse of mineral 
construction and demolition waste in Austria in 2022 was 
69.2 %, compared with the EU average of 79.8 %. There 
has  been  a  drop  since  2020,  which  has  not  been 
explained.  Measures  to  further  increase  the  rate  of 
recycling and preparation for reuse of construction and 
demolition  waste  include  separating  collection  at  the 
source – for instance, through digitalised pre-demolition 
audits (13)  (‘resource  assessments’);  extended  producer 
responsibility  and  other  economic  instruments;  and 
upstream  measures  such  as  increasing  the  recycled 
content 
in  construction  products  and  the  circular 
design (14) of construction works. 

Boosting implementation – the 2023 Waste Early 
Warning Report 

In 

This  section  focuses  on  the  management  of  municipal 
waste  (15)  and  packaging  waste,  for  which  EU  law  sets 
mandatory  recycling 
the 
targets. 
the  Waste  Early  Warning 
Commission  published 
Report (16) 
in  waste 
identifying  the  general  trends 
management and the Member States at risk of missing 
2025 waste targets (see Figure 4). Austria is not at risk of 
missing  the  municipal  waste  target  or  the  packaging 
waste target. 

June  2023, 

2024, 

accessed 

22 October 

30 September 

2024, 
updated 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/env_wasgen/defaul
t/table?lang=en; Eurostat, ‘Population change – Demographic balance 
and  crude  rates  at  national  level’,  demo_grind,  accessed  15 October 
2024, 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/demo_gind/default
/table?lang=en&category=demo.demo_ind. 

Critical raw materials 

In the 2023 national waste management plan (10), Austria 
highlights waste streams related to CRMs and the status 
of these streams. In a few areas, an accumulation of CRM 
waste  streams 
in 
photovoltaic panels. CRM recycling is often carried out in 
cooperation with other Member States, as is the case for 
lithium  batteries.  Austria  has  recycling  capacity  for 
certain metals, such as wolfram or vanadium. 

is  recognised,  such  as  CRMs 

In  the  national  master  plan  for  raw  materials  for 
2030 (11),  Austria  gives  further  information  on  ways  to 
increase  recycling  rates  for  waste  containing  CRMs. 
Austria wants to cooperate with international companies 
working  in  the  field  of  circular  economy,  increase  the 
traceability of CRMs by setting up an information system 
and 
increase  collaboration  between  stakeholders 
through  dialogue  and  a  dedicated  platform.  Moreover, 
Austria takes the circularity of CRMs into consideration 
in its research efforts. 

Construction and demolition waste 

Construction and demolition waste accounts for almost 
40 %  of  all  waste  generated  in  the  EU.  In  Austria,  the 
generation  of  construction  and  demolition  waste  has 
steadily increased since 2010. A recent study (12) by the 
Joint  Research  Centre  shows  that  preparing  for  re-use 
and recycling operations are preferred over incineration 
and  landfilling  from  an  environmental  perspective  for 
most  of  the  individual  fractions  of  construction  and 
demolition waste. However, the economics are often not 

(10) 

(11) 

Innovation 

Technology, 
Vienna, 

Federal  Ministry  for  Climate  Action,  Environment,  Energy, 
Bundes-
and 
Mobility, 
Abfallwirtschaftsplan 
2023, 
2023, 
https://www.bmk.gv.at/themen/klima_umwelt/abfall/aws/bun
des_awp/bawp2023.html. 
Federal  Ministry 
Masterplan 
https://www.bmf.gv.at/themen/bergbau/mineralrohstoffpoliti
k/oesterreich/masterplan-rohstoffe-2030.html. 

for  Agriculture,  Regions  and  Tourism, 
2021, 

Rohstoffe 

Vienna, 

2030, 

(12)   European Commission: Joint Research Centre, Cristóbal García, 
J.,  Caro,  D.  et  al.,  Techno-economic  and  environmental 
assessment of construction and demolition waste management 
in  the  European  Union,  Publications  Office  of  the  European 
Union, 
2024, 
Luxembourg, 
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC135
470. 
European Commission: Directorate-General for Internal Market, 
Industry,  Entrepreneurship  and  SMEs,  EU  Construction  & 
Demolition Waste Management Protocol including guidelines for 
pre-demolition  and  pre-renovation  audits  of  construction 

(13) 

Luxembourg, 

works –  Updated  edition  2024,  Publications  Office  of  the 
European 
2024, 
Union, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/d63d5a8f-64e8-11ef-a8ba-
01aa75ed71a1/language-en. 
European  Commission,  Circular  Economy –  Principles 
buildings 
https://ec.europa.eu/docsroom/documents/39984. 

for 
2020, 

Brussels, 

design, 

(14) 

(15)  Municipal  waste  consists  of  (i)  mixed  waste  and  separately 
collected  waste 
including  paper  and 
from  households, 
cardboard,  glass,  metals,  plastics,  biowaste,  wood,  textiles, 
packaging,  waste  electrical  and  electronic  equipment,  waste 
batteries  and  accumulators,  and  bulky  waste, 
including 
mattresses  and  furniture;  and  (ii)  mixed  waste  and  separately 
collected waste from other sources, where such waste is similar 
in nature and composition to waste from households (Directive 
2008/98/EC, Article 3.2b). 
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/publications/waste-early-
warning-report_en. 

(16) 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
Austria  8 

In  the  Waste  Early  Warning  Report,  the  Commission 
recommended  that  Member  States  accelerate  their 
efforts  to  improve  their  recycling  performance.  The 
Commission is, on one hand, working together with the 
national  authorities  and  stakeholders  to  speed  up  the 
implementation  of  measures  necessary  to  meet  the 
targets,  including  through  dedicated  financing.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  Commission  is  pursuing  enforcement 
actions against those Member States that, based on data 
submitted to the Commission, do not achieve the targets 
of the Waste Framework Directive (17), the Packaging and 
Packaging  Waste  Directive  (18)  and  the  Directive  on 
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (19). 

Austria  is  on  track  to  meet  the  2025  targets  for  the 
recycling  of  municipal  waste  and  packaging  waste, 
except  for plastic packaging. Austria reports a recycling 
rate of 63 % for municipal waste for 2022 and a rate of 
66 % for total packaging waste for 2021, above the target 
rates  of  55 %  and  65 %,  respectively.  Austria  also 
reported  material-specific  recycling  rates  that  were 
above the 2025 targets for all packaging materials except 
plastics  and  aluminium.  The  new  reporting  rules  have 
been  applied  since  reference  year  2020  for  municipal 
waste  and  for  packaging.  The  reported  landfill  rate  for 
municipal  waste  of  only  2 %  is  already  well  below  the 
2035 target set out in the Landfill Directive of reducing 
landfill to a maximum of 10 %. 

Municipal waste 

Municipal  waste  generation 
in  Austria  remained 
relatively  stable  until  2019  (around  580 kg  per  capita), 
but increased significantly from 2020 onwards (Figure 5) 
due  to  changes  in  the  reporting  methodology –  the 
coverage of the reported municipal waste was extended 
to include waste that is similar to household waste  but 
from  other  sources,  such  as  services  or 
comes 
commercial  and  industrial  operations.  In  2022,  the 
country generated 803 kg of municipal waste per capita, 
which is significantly above the estimated EU-27 average 
of 515 kg per capita. 

Figure 4:  Member  States’  prospects  of  meeting  the 
preparing for reuse and recycling targets for municipal 
waste and packaging waste 

Member  States  not  at  risk  of  missing  the  55 % 
preparing  for  reuse  and  recycling  target  for 
municipal waste and the 65 % recycling target for 
packaging waste 

Member  States  at  risk  of  missing  the  preparing 
for reuse and recycling target for municipal waste 
but not at risk of missing the recycling target for 
packaging waste 

Member States at risk of missing both targets 

Outside coverage 

Source: European Environment Agency (EEA), ‘Many EU Member States 
not  on  track  to  meet  recycling  targets  for  municipal  waste  and 
packaging waste’, briefing No 28/2022, Copenhagen, 2023. Reference 
data © ESRI. 

targets 

Under  certain  conditions,  EU  waste  legislation  enables 
some  Member  States  to  postpone  the  deadlines  for 
reaching  certain  waste  management 
for 
municipal  and  packaging  waste.  Member  States  that 
want to use this possibility have to notify the Commission 
24 months  in  advance  of  the  deadline  and  submit  an 
implementation  plan 
laying  down  the  steps  they 
envisage  to  reach  the  postponed  targets  within  a  new 
time  frame.  Regarding  the  2025  targets,  11  Member 
States, not including Austria, have used this prerogative. 

(17)   Directive  2008/98/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council  of  19  November  2008  on  waste  and  repealing  certain 
Directives, Directive - 2008/98 - EN - Waste framework directive 
- EUR-Lex. 

(19)  Directive  2012/19/EU  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council  of  4 July  2012  on  waste  electrical  and  electronic 
equipment  (WEEE)  (OJ  L 197,  24.7.2012,  p. 38),  Directive  - 
2012/19 - EN - EUR-Lex. 

(18)   European  Parliament  and  Council  Directive  94/62/EC  of  20 
December  1994  on  packaging  and  packaging  waste  (OJ  L  365, 
31/12/1994, p. 10–23), Directive - 94/62 - EN - EUR-Lex.  

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 5:  Municipal  waste  management  and  recycling 
(including preparation for reuse), 2010–2022 

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ENV_WASMUN/def
ault/table. 

Austria  9 

Packaging waste 

Packaging  waste  generation  in  Austria  has  moderately 
increased  since  2010  (Figure 7).  The  country  generated 
163 kg per capita in 2022, which is significantly below the 
estimated European average of 186 kg per capita in the 
same year (20). 

Figure 7: Packaging waste generation, 2010–2022 

Source: Eurostat, ‘Municipal waste by waste management operations’, 
env_wasmun, 
2024, 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ENV_WASMUN/def
ault/table. 

22 October 

accessed 

The recycling and landfill rates for municipal waste have 
stagnated  in Austria  over the past  few years (Figure 6). 
Notably, the recycling rate stood at 63 % in 2022, which 
is  significantly  above  the  estimated  EU-27  average  of 
49 %  in  the  same  year.  The  landfill  rate  remained  very 
low throughout the period covered and reached  2 % in 
2022. The share of waste incinerated has remained quite 
stable since 2010 as well and was 35 % in 2022. 

Figure 6: Recycling (including preparation for reuse) and 
landfill rates (%), 2010–2022 

Source: Eurostat, ‘Packaging waste by waste management operations’, 
env_waspac, last updated 23 October 2024, accessed 28 October 2024, 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ENV_WASPAC__cus
tom_842634/default/table?lang=en. 

Austria’s  overall  packaging  waste  recycling  rate  has 
stagnated  at  a  high  level  since  2010,  reaching  66 %  in 
2022.  The  same  applies  for  most  material-specific 
recycling  rates,  except  that  of  plastic  packaging 
(Figure 8). 

Source: Eurostat, ‘Municipal waste by waste management operations’, 
2024, 
env_wasmun, 

22 October 

accessed 

(20) 

The EU average might have been influenced by not all Member 
States fully applying the reporting rules for packaging waste set 
out in Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/665. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
 
 
Figure 8:  Packaging  waste  recycling  rates  (%),  2010–
2022 

Commission’s  Environmental  Implementation  Review 
(EIR) in 2022. 

Austria  10 

Austria’s  national  waste  prevention  programme  for 
2023–2028 (22) includes specific targets alongside waste 
prevention  measures  related  to  prevention.  The  plan 
envisages  reducing  the  (currently  slightly  increasing) 
level of waste generation in Austria. 

In 2022, Austria developed a  circular economy strategy 
in  which  the  reduction  of  resource  use,  consumption, 
waste  and  emissions  is  of  particular  importance  within 
the context of sustainable development (e.g. in terms of 
forming a legal framework for a sharing economy). 

Policies to encourage separate collection and recycling 

Austria has extended producer responsibility systems in 
place  for  packaging  waste  but  does  not  yet  apply 
advanced  fee  modulation.  The 
introduction  of  fee 
modulation  is  currently  assessed  by  a  ministry  working 
group  (focusing  on  multilayer  packaging  and  plastic 
packaging). 

From  1 January  2025,  Austria  has  applied  a  deposit 
return  system  for  single-use  beverage  containers  (cans 
and  plastic  containers).  Through  this  system,  Austria 
aims to reach a collection rate of 80 % in 2025 and 90 % 
in 2027. 

to 

tubes –  and 

Since 1 January 2023, rules on the uniform collection of 
the 
lightweight  packaging  have  applied  due 
amendment of the Packaging Ordinance. This means that 
all plastic packaging – such as yoghurt pots, plastic bags 
or 
lightweight  packaging  made  of 
composites, wood or textiles  is collected together with 
plastic bottles and beverage cartons in the yellow bins or 
yellow  bags  throughout  Austria.  In  2025,  the  joint 
collection  of  plastic  and  metal  packaging  will  be 
mandatory  throughout  Austria.  The  federal  states  of 
Carinthia, Lower Austria, Salzburg and Vienna and some 
districts in Upper Austria implemented this step in 2023. 

Policies to discourage landfilling or incineration 

Austria has had a landfill tax since 1989. The tax depends 
on the composition of the waste and the standards of the 
landfill, varying between EUR 9 and EUR 30, and has not 
been  adapted  since  2012.  For  outputs  of  mechanical 
biological  treatment  or  of  sorting  plants  that  are 
landfilled,  a  tax  has  to  be  paid  as  well.  Residues  from 

Source: Eurostat, ‘Packaging waste by waste management operations’, 
env_waspac, last updated 23 October 2024, accessed 28 October 2024, 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ENV_WASPAC__cus
tom_842634/default/table?lang=en. 

The  overall  packaging  waste  recycling  rate  is  strongly 
influenced  by  paper  and  cardboard  packaging,  as  this 
constitutes the largest share of recyclable waste and has 
a  high  recycling  rate  (Figure 7).  The  recycling  rate  for 
wooden packaging increased in 2020 when the repair of 
wooden  pallets  was  included  in  the  category.  The 
recycling rate for plastic packaging is quite low and has 
been  moderately  decreasing  since  2010,  reaching  just 
25 %  in  2022  (Figure 8).  In  2022,  the  recycling  rate  of 
steel packaging waste exceeded the 2025 target. 

Policies to encourage waste prevention 

Waste  management  plans  and  waste  prevention 
programmes are instrumental to the full implementation 
of EU waste legislation. They set out key provisions and 
investments to ensure compliance with existing and new 
legal  requirements  (e.g.  on  waste  prevention,  on 
separate  collection  for  certain  waste  streams,  on 
recycling and on landfill targets). 

The most important legal basis for waste management in 
Austria is the Waste Management Act (21), as amended in 
2021,  and  associated  ordinances.  The  national  waste 
management  plan  for  2023,  which  includes  the  new 
waste  prevention  programme,  was  published  in  2023 
and  reflects  the  requirements  of  the  EU  Waste 
Directives, as amended in 2018. Publishing the plan was 
one  of  the  priority  actions  set  out  by  the  European 

(21) 

Federal  Ministry  for  Climate  Action,  Environment,  Energy, 
Mobility,  Innovation  and  Technology,  ‘Abfallwirtschaftsgesetz’, 
Federal  Ministry  for  Climate  Action,  Environment,  Energy, 
Mobility, 
website, 
and 
https://www.bmk.gv.at/themen/klima_umwelt/abfall/recht/a
wg.html. 

Technology 

Innovation 

(22) 

Federal  Ministry  for  Climate  Action,  Environment,  Energy, 
Mobility, 
Technology, 
Innovation 
2023, 
Abfallvermeidungsprogramm 
https://www.bmk.gv.at/themen/klima_umwelt/abfall/abfallver
meidung/publikationen/avprog.html. 

Vienna, 

2023, 

and 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
Austria  11 

incineration and co-incineration are exempted from the 
landfill tax. 

Waste with total organic carbon (TOC) content above 5 % 
is  banned  from  being  landfilled,  except  for  mechanical 
biological treatment output, waste with a calorific value 
of a maximum of 6 600 kJ/kg dry substance, and residues 
from mechanical waste treatment with a calorific value 
of  a  maximum  of  6 600 kJ/kg  dry  substance  and  TOC 
content of a maximum of 8 %. 

In addition, Austria applies  a tax on  the  incineration of 
waste,  including  on  the  production  of  refused  derived 
fuel, which has been kept stable at EUR 8/t since 2012. 
No further increases are expected at the moment. If the 
waste  is  exported  for  incineration,  the  same  rules  and 
procedures apply as for domestic incineration, including 
regarding the production of refused derived fuel. 

In the 2022 EIR, Austria had three priority actions in the 
field  of  waste  management.  Some  progress  was  made 
regarding the extended producer responsibility systems, 
and the shifting of  reusable and recyclable waste away 
from incineration. Austria’s national waste management 
plan and waste prevention programme  are  in line with 
the revised Waste Framework Directive. 

2025 priority actions 

• 

Increase  the  collection  and  recycling  rate  of  waste 
electronic and electric equipment (WEEE). 

•  Adopt  measures  to  increase  the  recycling  rate  of 

• 

CRMs. 
Invest in waste prevention measures to reduce the 
total amount of waste generated. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
2. Biodiversity and natural capital 

Austria  12 

Global and EU biodiversity frameworks 

Biological  diversity  and  healthy  ecosystems  are  critical 
for our societies, underpin our economies and well-being 
and  are  essential  for  climate  change  adaptation  and 
mitigation.  The  Kunming–Montreal  global  biodiversity 
framework  (GBF),  adopted  in  December  2022,  sets 
comprehensive  and  measurable  targets  to  tackle 
biodiversity  loss  by  2030.  To  implement  this  global 
framework and integrate biodiversity considerations into 
national decision-making, the EU – as well as all Member 
States –  had  to  submit  national  biodiversity  strategies 
and  action  plans,  or  to  communicate  national  targets 
aligned with the global targets, by the end of 2024. The 
EU  biodiversity  strategy  for  2030  (BDS)  aims  to  put  EU 
biodiversity  on  a  path  to  recovery  by  2030.  It  sets 
quantified targets intended to protect and restore nature 
and manage ecosystems in a sustainable manner, as well 
as  measures 
and 
commitments  to  support  global  biodiversity.  A  BDS 
actions  tracker (23)  and  a  dashboard  of  indicators (24) 
provide  information  on  implementation  progress.  The 
recently adopted EU Nature Restoration Regulation (25) is 
the first EU-wide, comprehensive law of its kind and a key 
instrument  for  the  EU  to  deliver  on  the  global 
biodiversity targets for 2030. It lays down an overarching 
objective  at  the  EU  level  to  put  in  place  effective 
restoration measures on 20 % of EU land and sea by 2030 
and for all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050. To 
achieve this, it sets binding targets for Member States to 
restore and maintain ecosystems, as well as an effective 
implementation 
national 
restoration plans. 

implementation 

framework 

enable 

based 

on 

to 

The BDS is the main instrument used by the EU to deliver 
on  its  obligation  under  the  GBF.  The  Commission  has 
submitted  to  the  Convention  on  Biological  Diversity  its 
report on GBF-aligned EU targets that stem from the BDS 
and from other policy instruments under the European 
Green Deal. 

(23) 

(24) 

(25) 

Actions 

Tracker 

Strategy 

Strategy 

Dashboard 

Biodiversity 

Biodiversity 

EU 
(https://dopa.jrc.ec.europa.eu/kcbd/actions-tracker/). 
EU 
(https://dopa.jrc.ec.europa.eu/kcbd/EUBDS2030-
dashboard/?version=1). 
Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 of the European Parliament and of 
the Council of 24 June 2024 on nature restoration and amending 
Regulation  (EU)  2022/869  (OJ  L,  2024/1991,  29.7.2024), 
see  also 
the 
http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1991/oj; 
Commission 
law 
the 
on 
(https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/nature-and-
biodiversity/nature-restoration-law_en). 

page 

web 

Member  States’  NBSAPs  need  to  provide  coherent 
frameworks  for  national  delivery  on  the  global  and  EU 
2030  biodiversity  targets. 
line  with  the  global 
obligations,  NBSAPs  should  also  include  a  biodiversity 
financing  plan  and  a  capacity-building  plan,  based  on 
needs  assessments,  as  well  as  an  overview  of  the 
national indicators used to measure progress.  

In 

thematic  and 

Austria  published  its  biodiversity  strategy  for  2030 
onwards (26) 
in  December  2022,  following  a  broad 
participatory  process  of 
scientific 
workshops,  public  consultations  and  discussions  across 
government  bodies.  Drawing  on  the  EU  and  global 
biodiversity  targets,  the  strategy  sets  out  a  10-point 
programme  with  100  specific  targets,  more  than  400 
measures  and  a  set  of  headline  indicators  to  track 
progress. It also provides an overview of the key sectors 
and  actors  for  its  implementation.  In  August  2024, 
Austria uploaded its national targets to the Convention 
on Biological Diversity’s online reporting tool (27). 

A new biodiversity fund has been set up to finance nature 
protection 
restoration  measures,  monitor 
biodiversity and raise awareness. It will receive a top-up 
of EUR 50 million from the RRP. 

and 

The EU aims to allocate to biodiversity objectives at least 
7.5 % of annual spending under the EU budget in 2024, 
rising  to  10 % 
in  2026  and  2027.  For  details  on 
biodiversity  financing  and  investments  for  Austria,  see 
‘Biodiversity and ecosystems’ in Chapter 5. 

Nature protection and restoration – Natura 
2000 

Natura  2000 (28),  the  largest  coordinated  network  of 
protected areas in the world, is key to the achievement 
of  the  objectives  set  out  in  the  Birds  and  Habitats 
Directives. These objectives are to ensure the long-term 
protection,  conservation  and  survival  of  Europe’s  most 
valuable  and  threatened  species  and  habitats  and  the 
ecosystems  they  underpin.  Key  milestones  towards 

(26)

https://www.bmk.gv.at/themen/klima_umwelt/naturschut
z/biol_vielfalt/biodiversitaetsstrategie/biodiversitaetsstrategie_
2030.html. 
https://ort.cbd.int/national-targets?countries=at. 

(27) 
(28)  Natura  2000  comprises  sites  of  community  importance  (SCIs), 
designated pursuant to the Habitats Directive, as well as special 
protection  areas  (SPAs),  classified  pursuant  to  the  Birds 
Directive. Numbers of protected areas in Figure 9 do not add up 
to  the  total  of  SCIs  plus  SPAs,  because  some  SCIs  and  SPAs 
overlap. An SAC is an SCI designated by a Member State. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
Austria  13 

meeting  the  objectives  of  the  Birds  and  Habitats 
Directives  are  (i)  the  setting  up  of  a  complete  and 
coherent  Natura  2000  network;  (ii)  the  designation  of 
sites of community importance (SCIs) as special areas of 
conservation (SACs) (29); and (iii) effective management 
of  all  Natura  2000  sites  through  the  setting  of  site-
specific conservation objectives and measures. 

Setting up a complete and coherent network of Natura 
2000 sites 

The  setting  up  of  a  complete  and  coherent  network  of 
is  a  cornerstone  of  the  EU’s 
Natura  2000  sites 
international commitments, under the BDS and GBF, to 
legally  protect  a  minimum  of  30 %  of  its  land  area  and 
30 % of its sea area by 2030. 

The proportional coverage of many species and habitats 
(including priority habitats with bad conservation status) 
remains  unsatisfactory.  Many  of  the  recently  proposed 
Natura 2000 sites are too small and disconnected to be 
able  to  deliver  sustainable  conservation  outcomes, 
whereas others that have long been recognised as sites 
of  national  and  international  importance  for  priority 
habitats  or  species  are  still  waiting  to  be  proposed  as 
SCIs. 

Considering  both  areas  covered  by  Natura  2000  and 
other  nationally  designated  protected  areas,  Austria 
legally  protects  29.3 %  of  its  terrestrial  areas  (EU-27 
coverage: 26.1 %) (33). 

Figure 9:  Natura  2000  terrestrial  protected  area 
coverage per Member State (%), 2023 

the 

these 

requires 

commitments 

full 
Meeting 
implementation of Article 3 of the Habitats Directive. The 
Natura 2000 network should represent a complete and 
coherent  ecological network composed of sites hosting 
natural habitat types and species of community interest. 
Natura 2000  shall enable the natural habitat types and 
the  species’  habitats  concerned  to  be  maintained  or, 
where 
favourable 
a 
restored 
conservation status in their natural range. 

appropriate, 

to 

Austria  hosts  71  habitat  types (30)  and  207  species (31) 
covered by the Habitats Directive. The country also hosts 
populations of 90 bird taxa listed in the Birds Directive 
Annex I (32). 

As shown in Figure 9, in 2023, 15.4 % of Austrian territory 
was covered by Natura 2000 sites (EU coverage: 18.6 %), 
with special protection areas (SPAs) classified under the 
Birds  Directive  covering  12.3 %  (EU  coverage:  12.8 %). 
SCIs under the Habitats Directive covered 11.2 % of the 
country (EU coverage: 14.3 %). 

Despite significant progress being made in the number of 
sites  proposed  over  the  last  10 years,  the  ecological 
coherence of the Austrian Natura 2000 network remains 
questionable. Several key areas in the Alpine  region do 
not  have  any  site  protection,  despite  carrying  labels 
recognising  their  outstanding  value  as  wetlands  of 
international importance under the Ramsar Convention. 

(29) 

(30) 

(31) 

SCIs are designated pursuant to the Habitats Directive, whereas 
SPAs are designated pursuant to the Birds Directive. Figures of 
coverage do not add up because some SCIs and SPAs overlap. 
European Environment Agency (EEA), ‘Number of habitats and 
species per Member State’, Article 17 dashboard, Annex I total, 
19 December 
2019, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/biodiversity/state-of-
nature-in-the-eu/article-17-national-summary-
dashboards/general-information-on-habitats-and-species. 
EEA,  ‘Number  of  habitats  and  species  per  Member  State’, 
Article 17 
2019, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/biodiversity/state-of-

19 December 

dashboard, 

Source: European Environment Agency (EEA), ‘Natura 2000 Barometer’, 
data of 2023, accessed March 2025, https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-
and-maps/dashboards/natura-2000-barometer. 

Designating special areas of conservation and setting 
site-specific conservation objectives and measures 

To  ensure  that  SCIs  contribute  to  the  objectives  of  the 
Habitats Directive, Member States must designate them 
as  SACs,  setting  site-specific  conservation  objectives 
based on the ecological needs of the species and habitats 
present  on  the  sites.  Such  site-specific  conservation 
objectives  should  define  attributes  and  targets  that 
describe the habitats’ or species’ condition as favourable 

(32) 

nature-in-the-eu/article-17-national-summary-
dashboards/general-information-on-habitats-and-species. 
EEA,  ‘Number  of  bird  species/populations  per  Member  State’, 
Article 12 dashboard, Annex I total, last updated 11 May 2023, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/biodiversity/state-of-
nature-in-the-eu/article-12-national-summary-
dashboards/general-information-on-bird-species-populations. 
This  counting  only  takes  into  account  bird  taxa  for  which 
information was requested. 

(33)  Eurostat dataset env_bio4, protected area percentage for 2022, 

accessed 12 March 2025 

. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
or unfavourable. Under Article 6 of the Habitats Directive 
Member States must establish and implement measures 
to achieve these objectives. 

As nature conservation is an exclusive competence of the 
Länder,  Austria  does  not  have  a  unified  approach  to 
setting site-level conservation objectives and measures. 
Given  the  lack  of  coherence  in  the  way  the  Länder 
publicise  their  information  about  SAC  designations, 
conservation objectives and conservation measures, it is 
currently not possible to provide reliable statistics on the 
quality and completeness of conservation objectives and 
measures.  Generally  speaking,  however,  given  the 
general  absence  of  clear  site-specific  objectives  for 
restoring  species  and  habitats  with  unfavourable 
conservation  status,  the  current  site-specific  objectives 
(and  therefore  also,  presumably,  the  conservation 
measures)  cannot  be  considered  to  be  in  compliance 
with  the  requirements  of  the  Habitats  Directive.  The 
Commission  has 
infringement 
procedures to improve the transposition and application 
of the EU Law on Nature Conservation. 

therefore 

initiated 

Compliance would require  the  full  consideration of the 
Article 17  conservation  status  assessments  in  setting 
site-specific  conservation  objectives  and  a  coherent 
approach to all sites in a given biogeographical region, so 
as to ensure that the Natura 2000 network can facilitate 
the  recovery  of  favourable  conservation  status  for  all 
species  and  habitats  currently  reported  by  Austria  as 
having bad conservation status. 

Recovery of species 

One  objective  set  by  the  BDS  is  that,  by  2030,  there 
should be no further deterioration in conservation trends 
or  the  status  of  any  protected  species.  The  BDS  also 
states  that  Member  States  should  ensure  that  at  least 
30 % of species not currently in favourable conservation 
status  achieve  that  status  or  show  progress  towards 
doing so (e.g. by exhibiting positive population dynamics 
or stable or increasing range and habitat size), by 2030. 
According  to  the  European  Environment  Agency  (EEA), 
based  on  reporting  required  under  Article 17  of  the 
Habitats Directive, a quarter of species in the EU were of 
good conservation status as of 2018 (34). 

One of the primary objectives of the Habitats Directive is 
the  maintenance  of  or  restoration  to  favourable 
conservation status of all species of community interest. 
Moreover, the Birds Directive also aims to ensure that all 
wild  birds  in  the  EU  enjoy  a  secure  status.  In  order  to 
achieve these objectives, it will be necessary to address 

(34) 

EEA, State of Nature in the EU: Results from reporting under the 
Nature  Directives  2013–2018,  Publications  Office  of  the 
2020, 
European 

Luxembourg, 

Union, 

Austria  14 

key  pressures  and  threats.  The  Birds  Directive  and  the 
Habitats  Directive  lay  down  a  framework  of  species 
protection rules and rules on the conservation of habitats 
and species in order to combat these threats. 

Despite  evident  improvements  in  the  level  of  site 
protection and increased restoration efforts over recent 
decades,  the  status  of  many  habitats  and  species  in 
Austria  have  continued  to  deteriorate  over  the  most 
recent  six-year  reporting  period,  in  particular  in  the 
continental biogeographical region. 

Under  Article 17  of  the  Habitats  Directive,  Member 
States are required to report on the conservation status 
of  habitats  and  species  every  six  years.  The  current 
reporting cycle, covering the years 2019 to 2024, is due 
for submission in July 2025. Figures 10 and 11 show the 
latest available conservation status data. 

Figure 10:  Assessments  of  conservation  status  of 
habitats  for  the  2007–2012  and  2013–2018  reporting 
periods 

NB:  The  values  shown  for  2007–2012  and  2013–2018  are  not 
necessarily directly comparable because changes in area conservation 
status in a Member State may result from changes to methods or use 
of better data, rather than reflecting genuine changes. 

Source: EEA, ‘Conservation status and trends of habitats and species’, 
19 December 
2021, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/maps-and-
charts/conservation-status-and-trends-article-17-national-summary-
dashboards-archived.  

December 

accessed 

2019, 

According to the most recent report on Article 17 of the 
Habitats Directive, covering 2013–2018, 18 % of habitats 
in Austria are classed as having a favourable status, 35 % 
a poor status and 44 % a bad status. 

The  groups  of  habitat  types  of  highest  concern  are  (i) 
species-rich grasslands, (ii) bogs and fens, (iii) floodplain 

https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/state-of-nature-in-
the-eu-2020. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
Austria  15 

State  where  a  large  carnivore  species  has  gone  extinct 
since  EU  accession  (brown  bears  in  the  Central  Alps). 
Furthermore, high levels of illegal poaching appear to be 
the main reason for the lack of success in introducing the 
lynx  into  the  Austrian  Alps,  despite  the  presence  of 
suitable habitats and a very good, appropriate food base 
(in the form of the abundant roe deer population). Illegal 
shooting and poisoning seem to be more widespread in 
Austria  than  other  Member  States  (as  was  recently 
shown through satellite-tracking research as part of EU-
wide research on the red kite), and this also seems to be 
one  of  the  main  reasons  why  the  wolf  is  still  not 
established  more  widely  as  a  reproductive  species  in 
Austria. 

Most  of  the  Austrian  regions  have  adopted  regulations 
permitting  the  hunting  of  strictly  protected  species 
(beavers,  otters  and  wolves)  that  cause  economic 
damage; this is a derogation from the provisions of the 
Habitats  Directive.  A  recent  judgment  of  the  Court  of 
the  European  Union(35)  has  provided 
Justice  of 
clarification on the granting of derogations, stating that 
Member  States  must  assess  the 
impact  of  such 
derogations on the conservation status at both local and 
national levels. Derogations may only be granted if it can 
be guaranteed that they will not have a negative effect 
on  the  favourable  conservation  status.  In  Austria,  the 
granting  of  derogations  will  have  to  be  carefully 
regulated,  particularly since the favourable conservation 
status has yet to be achieved. 

In 2022, Austria received a priority action to improve the 
quality, completeness and ambition level of site-specific 
including 
conservation  objectives  and  measures, 
management  plans,  for  species  and  habitats  in  Natura 
2000 sites. 

Some  formal  deficiencies  in  the  site-level  designation 
acts  have  been  improved  by  early  2025,  but  for  most 
Natura  2000  sites  the  description  of  site-specific 
conservation  objectives  still  remains  rather  superficial. 
The  formal  improvements  made  in  the  legal  acts  are 
therefore unlikely to lead to any genuine improvement 
in the condition of the species and habitats in the sites, 
let  alone  to  any  improvement  of  their  conservation 
status at national level.  

2025 priority actions 

• 

of 

the 

establishment 

Finalise 
site-specific 
conservation objectives and measures for all Natura 
2000 sites (including by adopting their management 
plans) and ensure their effective implementation. 
•  Reinforce  action  for  habitats  and  species  with 
unfavourable  conservation  status  through,  for 

forests; (iv) rivers and other freshwater habitats and (v) 
the  priority  habitats  Pannonic  inland  dunes,  Pannonic 
salt  steppes  and  salt  marshes.  None  of  these  habitat 
types have favourable status in either the continental or 
Alpine biogeographical regions. 

The  only  habitat  types  found  to  be  consistently  in 
favourable condition are rocky habitats, and heath and 
scrubs. 

The picture  for species is similar to that for habitats. It 
shows little change from the last reporting period, and a 
high  proportion  of  the  species  in  unfavourable  status 
have seen their numbers decline continuously over the 
past 12 years. 

Figure 11:  Assessments  of  conservation  status  of 
species  for  the  2007–2012  and  2013–2018  reporting 
periods 

NB:  The  values  shown  for  2007–2012  and  2013–2018  are  not 
necessarily directly comparable because changes in area conservation 
status in a Member State may result from changes to methods or use 
of better data, rather than reflecting genuine changes. 

Source: EEA, ‘Conservation status and trends of habitats and species’, 
19 December 
2021, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/maps-and-
charts/conservation-status-and-trends-article-17-national-summary-
dashboards-archived.  

December 

accessed 

2019, 

Populations of bird species listed in Annex I to the Birds 
Directive  mostly  appear  to  be  faring  better  than  those 
listed  in  the  Habitats  Directive,  but  some  species  have 
decreased in numbers or have become extinct recently 
(e.g.  ortolan  bunting  and  roller).  Many  populations  of 
formerly  common  farmland  bird  species  have  declined 
and are continuing to decline further (e.g. whinchat and 
meadow pipit). 

Austria currently lacks any consistent policy dealing with 
its populations of large carnivores. It is the only Member 

(35) 

Judgment  of  11 July  2024,  WWF  Österreich  and  Others,  C-
601/22, EU:C:2024:595. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
increased 
restoration  measures, 
example, 
connectivity,  better  policy  coordination  and 
integration and increased funding. 

Recovery of ecosystems 

Agricultural ecosystems 

The BDS works alongside the common agricultural policy 
(CAP) to support the transition to sustainable agriculture. 

The  strategy  has  set  five  common  agriculture-related 
targets for 2030, namely to: 

—  reduce by 50 % the overall use of – and risk from – 

chemical pesticides; 

—  reduce  by  50 %  the  use  of  more  hazardous 

pesticides; 

—  reduce  by  50 %  losses  of  nutrients  from  fertilisers 
(which  will result in a  20 % reduction in the use of 
is  no 
fertilisers)  while  ensuring 
deterioration of soil fertility; 

there 

that 

—  restore  at  least  10 %  of  agricultural  area  to  have 

— 

high-diversity landscape features; and 
increase the area under organic farming to at least 
25 %. 

The “Vision for agriculture and food” (36), adopted by the 
European Commission in February 2025, sets a roadmap 
to  an  agri-food  system  that  is  attractive,  competitive, 
sustainable and fair for current and future generations. 
To  ensure  a  sustainable  future  for  EU  agriculture,  it  is 
crucial  that  these  four  priority  areas  are  pursued 
together,  and  that  public  and  private  support  are 
adequately targeted toward this objective.  

The  CAP  and  national  CAP  strategic  plans  (SPs)  that 
establish the framework for the transition to sustainable 
agriculture  are  key 
instruments  to  facilitate  and 
strengthen  the  efforts  of  European  farmers  to  protect 
biodiversity  and 
large.  The 
Commission approved Member States’ CAP SPs in 2022. 
CAP 
the 
implementation  of  EU  environment  policy  and  SPs 

the  environment  at 

largest  source  of 

funding 

the 

for 

is 

Austria  16 

should lead to better protection of soil, water, air quality 
and biodiversity. 

While certain CAP result indicators focus on the national 
measures  favouring  sustainable  agriculture  practices 
that  regenerate  ecosystems,  the 
impact  of  these 
measures  is  difficult  to  assess,  as  uptake  of  the  eco-
schemes is voluntary for farmers. 

The utilised agricultural area  in Austria decreased from 
2 863 580 ha in 2012 to 2 655 560 ha in 2017, decreasing 
further to 2 599 510 ha in 2022 (37). 

Landscape  features  are  small  fragments  of  non-
productive  and  typically –  but  not  exclusively –  semi-
natural vegetation present in or adjacent to agricultural 
land.  They  provide  ecosystem  services  and  support  for 
biodiversity.  The  indicator  ‘share  of  agricultural  land 
covered  with  landscape  features’  is  the  ratio  between 
the  area  covered  by  landscape  features  and  the  area 
land.  Based  on  the  Land 
covered  by  agricultural 
Use/Cover  Area  Frame  Survey 
landscape  features 
estimates, the share of agricultural land covered by non-
productive landscape features in Austria is 4.4 %, below 
the EU average. At the EU level, landscape features cover 
5.6 % of agricultural land. 

In  2024,  the  CAP  basic  regulations  were  amended (38) 
regarding, inter alia, the standards for good agricultural 
and  environmental  condition  of  land.  These  changes 
removed the obligation for farmers benefiting from CAP 
area-related support to have a minimum share of 3–4 % 
of  non-productive  area  or  landscape  features  in  their 
farms.  The  amended  regulations  set  out,  however,  an 
obligation  for  Member  States  to  establish  and  provide 
support  for  eco-schemes  covering  practices  for  the 
maintenance of non-productive areas, such as land lying 
fallow,  and  for  the  establishment  of  new  landscape 
features on arable land. 

The recently adopted Nature Restoration Regulation (39) 
focuses on the restoration of agricultural ecosystems and 
requires  Member  States  to  put  in  place  measures  that 
aim to achieve an increasing trend at the national level in 
at  least  two  out  of  three  indicators  for  agricultural 

(36) 

(37) 

(38) 

https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/overview-vision-agriculture-
food/vision-agriculture-and-food_en  
Eurostat,  ‘Utilised  agricultural  area  by  categories’,  tag00025, 
accessed 
2024, 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tag00025/de
fault/table?lang=en. 
Regulation (EU) 2024/1468 of the European Parliament and of 
the  Council  of  14 May  2024  amending  Regulations  (EU) 
2021/2115 and (EU) 2021/2116 as regards good agricultural and 

5 December 

environmental  condition  standards,  schemes  for  climate, 
environment  and  animal  welfare,  amendment  of  the  CAP 
strategic plans, review of the CAP strategic plans and exemptions 
from  controls  and  penalties  (OJ  L,  2024/1468,  24.5.2024), 
http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1468/oj. 
Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 of the European Parliament and of 
the Council of 24 June 2024 on nature restoration and amending 
Regulation  (EU)  2022/869  (OJ  L,  2024/1991,  29.7.2024), 
http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1991/oj. 

(39) 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
 
ecosystems (40). One of these indicators is the ‘share of 
agricultural land with high-diversity landscape features’. 

mitigation. 

Austria  17 

Organic  farming  practices  are  highly  beneficial  to 
biodiversity. As shown in  Figure 12, it is estimated that 
25.69 % (41)  of  Austria’s  land  area  is  used  for  organic 
farming. This is the best result in the EU, far above the EU 
average of 10.50 % (42). Austria is currently contributing 
significantly to achieving the target  of 25 % of the EU’s 
agricultural land being used for organic farming by 2030. 

Figure 12:  Share  of  total  utilised  agricultural  area 
occupied  by  organic  farming  per  Member  State  (%), 
2022 

The EU soil strategy, adopted in November 2021, aims to 
support  soil  protection,  sustainable  soil  management 
and  the  restoration  of  degraded  soils  to  achieve  the 
Green  Deal  objectives  as  well  as  land  degradation 
neutrality by 2030. 

This entails: 

—  preventing further soil degradation; 
—  making  sustainable  soil  management  the  new 

normal; 

—  taking action for ecosystem restoration. 

The  proposed  directive  on  soil  monitoring  and 
resilience (43) aims to introduce the first comprehensive 
legislation on the protection of all soils in the EU. Should 
the  directive  be  adopted,  Member  States  will  have  to 
transpose  it  into  national  legislation  and  implement  it, 
starting  with  putting  in  place  the  governance  systems 
and a sound monitoring framework building on existing 
national  soil  monitoring  frameworks.  The  objective  of 
the  proposed  directive  is  to  provide  better  and  more 
comparable  soil  health  data  with  the  view  of  attaining 
healthy soils by 2050. 

Source:  Eurostat,  ‘Area  under  organic  farming’,  sdg_02_40,  accessed 
5 December 
2024, 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/sdg_02_40/default/
table?lang=en. 

2025 priority action 

• 

Implement  eco-schemes  and  agri-environmental 
measures 
the 
environmental needs of Austria. 

practices 

address 

and 

to 

Soil ecosystems 

Soil is an essential, finite and extremely fragile resource. 
Its  increasing  degradation  poses  a  threat  to  EU  food 
resilience,  adaptation  and 
security  and  climate 

Degradation  of  soil  ecosystems  encompasses  several 
aspects. The proposed directive requires Member States 
to  assess  soil  health  according  to  a  set  of  common 
indicators  and  to  define  the  necessary  regeneration 
measures. The area of soil that is sealed is an important 
factor in monitoring land-use change and represents an 
important pressure on nature and biodiversity. Other soil 
issues  related  to  land degradation  are  soil  erosion,  soil 
compaction, 
soil 
contamination, soil salinisation and the presence in soil 
of  nitrogen  and  phosphorus  in  excess.  The  impact 
assessment accompanying the proposal, which builds on 
the data available in the EU Soil Observatory, points to 
the following soil degradation issues in Austria (44). 

soil  organic 

loss  of 

carbon, 

10 % of Austria’s soils are affected by unsustainable soil 
erosion 
tillage  and  harvest), 
representing  68 %  of  croplands.  9 %  of  the  national 
territory  experiences  loss  of  soil  organic  carbon  in 

(by  water,  wind, 

(40) 

The  three  indicators  are  ‘grassland  butterfly  index’,  ‘stock  of 
organic  carbon 
‘share  of 
agricultural land with high-diversity landscape features’. 

in  cropland  mineral  soils’  and 

(41)  Data for Austria are only available for 2020. 
(42) 

This is based on the latest available information from Eurostat, 
which 
is  currently  under  review;  European  Commission, 
Agriculture biologique au sein de l’union européenne, factsheet, 
Brussels, 
2024, 
https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/document/download/c67458e
d-ec50-4762-ae68-341763ab93c2_fr?filename=factsheet-
organic-farning_fr.pdf&prefLang=en. 

(43) 

(44) 

of 

final 

5 July 

2023, 

Proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the 
Council on soil monitoring and resilience (Soil Monitoring Law), 
COM(2023) 416 
https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52023PC0416. 
Commission  staff  working  document –  Impact  assessment 
report: Annexes – Accompanying the proposal for a directive of 
the European Parliament and of the Council on soil monitoring 
and  resilience  (Soil  Monitoring  Law),  SWD(2023) 417  final  of 
2023, 
5 July 
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-
07/IMPACT 
REPORT_ANNEXES_SWD_2023_417_part4.pdf. 

ASSESSMENT 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
mineral soils (45), with a high concentration in the north-
east of the country, and 8 % of the total surface contains 
mercury concentrations of above 200 µg/kg. 

Land  take  and  soil  sealing  remain  high  in  Austria.  The 
total  land  use  in  Austria  in  2022  was  5 648 km².  This 
corresponds to 6.7 % of the country’s area and 17.3 % of 
the  permanent  settlement  area (46).  Austria  adopted  a 
new national soil strategy for Austria – strategy to reduce 
further land use and soil sealing by 2030 (47) – with the 
target of substantially reducing land use by 2030. 

Grasslands 

Grasslands  are  among  the  most  diverse  ecosystems  in 
the EU; they can contain as many as 80 different  plant 
species per square metre and are home to a large variety 
of animals, ranging from small insects, birds and rodents 
to 
for 
large  herbivores.  Grasslands  are  essential 
agriculture and livestock herding. Natural grasslands also 
play  an  important  role  in  storing  carbon.  However, 
changes  in  agricultural  practices  and  land  uses  have 
caused  grasslands  to  disappear  at  an  alarming  rate, 
making  them  one  of  Europe’s  most  threatened 
ecosystems.  Extensively  managed  grasslands  include 
meadows, mountain pastures, dry calcareous grasslands 
and steppic grasslands. 

In the most recent report  produced in accordance with 
Article 17 of the Habitats Directive (published in  2019), 
severe area losses and serious declines in habitat quality 
are reported for most Annex I grassland habitat types in 
Austria. 

Only 2 out of 12 grassland habitats in the Austrian Alpine 
region are reported to be in a favourable status; none of 
the  14  habitat  types  in  the  continental  regions  are 
reported to be in favourable status. 48 % of assessments 
of grasslands reported bad status. 

Not a single grassland habitat, in the continental or in the 
Alpine  region  of  the  country,  is  reported  to  have  a 
positive conservation status trend. 

The  main  reasons  for  the  reported  deterioration  are 
land-use  intensification  (excessive  use  of  fertilisers  and 
high  mowing  frequencies)  and 
land-use  conversion 
cornfields). 
grasslands 
(transformation 
Agricultural land abandonment seems to explain some of 
the losses of species-rich grasslands in the higher parts of 
the  Alps,  whereas  atmospheric  nitrogen  has  negative 

into 

of 

Austria  18 

impacts on the species composition and the structure of 
grasslands in Alpine valleys and lowland areas. 

improvements 

Genuine 
in  the  overall  conservation 
status  for  grasslands  seems  unlikely  to  be  achieved, 
unless 
and 
atmospheric nitrogen deposition are reduced. 

abandonment, 

intensification 

land 

Wetlands/peatlands 

Wetlands act as water sources and purifiers; they are the 
planet’s  greatest  natural  carbon  stores  and  they  are 
crucial  to  agriculture  and  fisheries.  Peatlands  are  a 
special  type  of  wetlands  dominated  by  peat-forming 
plants such as Sphagnum mosses. Nearly all peatlands in 
the EU are habitat types listed in Annex I to the Habitats 
Directive. Drained peatlands under intensive agricultural 
use  constitute  only  3 %  of  the  EU’s  utilised  agricultural 
area. At the same time, they are responsible for 25 % of 
the  greenhouse  gas  (GHG)  emissions  from  the  EU’s 
agricultural  sector.  Restoring  peatlands  brings  multiple 
benefits,  as  peatlands  improve  water  retention  and 
quality,  store  carbon,  reduce  GHG  emissions  and 
increase biodiversity. 

In the most recent report  produced in accordance with 
Article 17 of the Habitats Directive (published in  2019), 
all Annex I wetland habitat types in Austria are reported 
to be in unfavourable conservation status. 

Of particular concern is the status of active raised bogs, 
given  that  their  status 
is  reported  as  not  only 
‘unfavourable –  bad’  but  also  still  ‘declining  further’  in 
both biogeographical regions of Austria. 

The main pressures on wetlands in Austria are related to 
(former  or  ongoing)  agricultural  drainage, 
land-use 
conversion and an excessive abstraction of groundwater 
for intensive agricultural needs, especially in Burgenland 
and Lower Austria. 

Forest ecosystems 

Forests are important carbon sinks, and conserving them 
is vital if the EU is to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. 
The EU forest strategy for 2030, adopted in July 2021, is 
a  plan  of  actions  to  promote  the  many  services  that 
forests  provide.  Its  key  objective  is  to  ensure  healthy, 
diverse  and  resilient  EU 
forests  that  contribute 
significantly to the achievement of the EU’s biodiversity 
and climate ambitions. About 27 % of the forest area in 

(45)  De  Rosa,  D.,  Ballabio,  C.,  Lugato,  E.  et  al.,  ‘Soil  organic  carbon 
stocks in European croplands and grasslands: How much have we 
lost in the past decade?’, Global Change Biology, Vol. 30, No 1, 
2023, e16992, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16992. 

https://www.oerok.gv.at/raum/daten-und-
grundlagen/ergebnisse-oesterreich-2022. 

(47)  ÖROK, ‘Bodenstrategie für Österreich’, ÖROK website, accessed 
7 January 2025, https://www.oerok.gv.at/bodenstrategie.  

(46)  Österreichische  Raumordnungskonferenz  (ÖROK),  ‘Ergebnisse 
2022, 

Österreich’, 

website, 

ÖROK 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
the EU is covered by habitat types listed in Annex I to the 
Habitats  Directive.  Moreover,  forests  host  several 
species  protected  under  the  Birds  and  Habitats 
Directives, 
is  a 
requirement  to  designate  Natura  2000  sites  and  to 
protect breeding sites and resting places. 

including  those  for  which  there 

Several  guidelines  on  forestry  management  were 
published  in  2023.  They  covered  biodiversity-friendly 
afforestation, reforestation and tree planting; closer-to-
nature  forest  management;  and  defining,  mapping, 
monitoring  and  strictly  protecting  primary  and  old-
growth  forests.  Further  guidance  on  payment  schemes 
for ecosystems services has also been published. 

In  2023,  the  Commission  proposed  a  new  forest 
monitoring law (48) that aims to create a comprehensive 
forest  knowledge  base,  address  information  gaps  and 
enable  a  better  response  to  growing  pressures  on 
forests. 

Assessments  show  that,  of  the  27 %  of  EU  forest  area 
protected under the Habitats Directive, less than 15 % is 
of  favourable  conservation  status (49).  The  share  of 
forested areas in the EU with a bad conservation status 
increased from 27 % in 2015 to 31 % in 2018. 

In Austria, forests covered 47.3 % of the territory in 2020 
(50). More than 75 % of the assessments in Austria show 
these  areas  have  a  bad  or  poor  status (51).  In  total, 
63 000 ha in Austria is covered by primary forests (52). 

(48) 

(49) 

(50) 

(51) 

The law will apply to large and medium-sized companies starting 
on  December  30,  2025,  and  to  micro  and  small  enterprises 
starting on June 30, 2026. 

Union, 

Luxembourg, 

EEA, State of Nature in the EU: Results from reporting under the 
Nature  Directives  2013–2018,  Publications  Office  of  the 
European 
2020, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/state-of-nature-in-
the-eu-2020. 
EEA  forest  information  system  for  Europe,  ‘Countries –  FISE 
country  factsheets’,  forest  information  system  for  Europe 
website, https://forest.eea.europa.eu/countries. 
Commission staff working document – Stakeholder consultation 
and 
document 
evidence 
Communication 
from  the  Commission  to  the  European 
Parliament,  the  Council,  the  European  Economic  and  Social 

Accompanying 

base: 

the 

Austria  19 

Figure 13:  Conservation  status  of  forests  protected 
under  the  Habitats  Directive  per  Member  State  (%  of 
assessments), 2013–2018 

Source: Commission staff working document – New EU forest strategy 
for  2030,  SWD(2021) 652 
final  of  16 July  2021,  p. 24,  eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52021SC0652. 

The  EU  Timber  Regulation  (EUTR) (44)  prohibits  the 
placing on the EU market of illegally harvested timber.  

(EUDR) (45)  entered 

On  29 June  2023,  the  Regulation  on  Deforestation-free 
(53).  The 
Products 
regulation  seeks  to  guarantee  that  products  in  the  EU 
list  of  seven 
that  are  produced  using  any  of  a 
commodities  have  no  links  to  deforestation.  The  EUDR 
repeals the EUTR. 

force 

into 

Prevention and management of invasive alien 
species 

Invasive  alien  species  (IAS)  are  a  major  cause  of 
biodiversity  loss  in  the  EU.  Besides  inflicting  direct  and 
indirect damage on nature and the economy, some IAS 
also carry and spread infectious diseases, posing a threat 
to  humans  and  wildlife.  Regulation  (EU)  No 1143/2014 
(the  IAS  Regulation)  aims  to  prevent,  minimise  and 
mitigate  the  adverse  impacts  of  IAS  on  biodiversity.  It 

(52) 

Committee and the Committee of the Regions – New EU forest 
strategy  for  2030,  SWD(2021) 652  final  of  16 July  2021, 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/NL/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52021SC0652. 
European  Commission:  Joint  Research  Centre,  Mapping  and 
assessment  of  primary  and  old-growth  forests  in  Europe, 
Publications  Office  of  the  European  Union,  Luxembourg,  2021, 
p. 13, 
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC124
671. 

(53)   The law will apply to large and medium-sized companies starting 
on  December  30,  2025,  and  to  micro  and  small  enterprises 
starting on June 30, 2026. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
 
 
focuses action on a list of IAS of EU concern (the ‘Union 
list’), which is regularly updated (54). 

Figure 14:  Number  of  IAS  of  EU  concern,  based  on 
available georeferenced information for Austria, 2024 

Austria  20 

The third update of the Union list (55) entered into force 
on 2 August 2022. The fourth update is in preparation. 

The IAS Regulation (56) currently lists 88 species subject 
to  restrictions  on  keeping,  importing,  selling,  breeding, 
growing  and  releasing  into  the  environment.  Member 
States are required to take measures to (i) prevent the 
introduction of IAS, (ii) ensure early detection and rapid 
eradication  of  IAS  and  (iii)  manage  species  that  are 
already widespread on their territory. 

This  aligns  with  target 6  of  the  GBF  to  reduce  the 
introduction of IAS by at least 50 % by 2030 and minimise 
their impact. 

Preventing  the  introduction  and  spread  of  IAS,  and 
managing  them, 
including  through  eradication  and 
control,  can  result  in  a  substantial  cost  saving.  Studies 
estimate  that  the  total  cost  of  IAS  in  Europe  (damages 
and  management)  amounted  to  EUR 116.61 billion 
between  1960  and  2020 (57).  More  recent  studies  have 
put  this  cost  at  USD 28 billion  per  year  in  the  EU, 
increasing  to  USD 148.2 billion  by  2040 (58),  and  at 
USD 423 billion annually at the global level (59). 

(54) 

(55) 

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1141 of 13 July 
2016 adopting a list of  invasive alien species of Union concern 
pursuant  to  Regulation  (EU)  No 1143/2014  of  the  European 
Parliament  and  of  the  Council  (OJ  L 189,  14.7.2016,  p. 4),  as 
amended  by  Commission 
Implementing  Regulations  (EU) 
2017/1263,  (EU)  2019/1262  and  (EU)  2022/1203,  https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:02016R1141-
20220802&from=EN. 
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1203 of 12 July 
2022  amending  Implementing  Regulation  (EU)  2016/1141  to 
update  the  list  of  invasive  alien  species  of  Union  concern  (OJ 
L 186,  13.7.2022,  p. 10),  https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32022R1203. 

The total number of IAS of Union concern in the country 
is 39. This includes 28 species recorded in the previous 
EIR  (2021)  and  11  additions.  Of  these  11  additions,  3 
were  already  on  the  Union  concern  list  in  2021,  and  8 
were  added 
later  under  Commission  Implementing 
Regulation (EU) 2022/1203. 

2025 priority actions 

• 

Step  up  implementation  of  the  IAS  Regulation, 
including  with  regard  to  enforcement  and  the 
capacity of inspection authorities. 

•  Ratify the International Convention for the Control 
and  Management  of  Ships’  Ballast  Water  and 
Sediments of 2004 (BWM Convention). 

(56) 

Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014 of the European Parliament and 
of  the  Council  of  22 October  2014  on  the  prevention  and 
management  of  the  introduction  and  spread  of  invasive  alien 
species (OJ L 317, 4.11.2014, p. 35). 

(57)  Haubrock, P. J., Turbelin, A. J., Cuthbert, R. N. et al., ‘Economic 
costs of invasive alien species across Europe’, NeoBiota, Vol. 63, 
2021, pp. 153–190. 

(59) 

(58)  Henry, M., Leung, B., Cuthbert, R. N. et al., ‘Unveiling the hidden 
economic  toll  of  biological  invasions  in  the  European  Union’, 
Environmental Sciences Europe, Vol. 35, No 1, 2023, p. 43. 
Platform 
IPBES 
on 
for 
Summary 
Biodiversity 
Policymakers –  Invasive  alien  species  assessment,  Bonn,  2023, 
https://www.ipbes.net/document-library-catalogue/summary-
policymakers-invasive-alien-species-assessment. 

Science-Policy 
Services), 

(Intergovernmental 

Ecosystem 

and 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
Austria  21 

Ecosystem assessment and accounting 

The  BDS  calls  on  Member  States  to  better  integrate 
biodiversity  considerations  into  public  and  business 
decision-making  at  all  levels  and  to  develop  natural 
capital accounting. 

Similarly, target 14 of the GBF (60) aims to ensure the full 
integration  of  biodiversity  and  its  multiple  values  into 
policy  and  planning  and,  as  appropriate,  national 
accounting.  This  requires  effective  and  coherent 
biodiversity  observation  and  reporting  on  ecosystem 
condition in the EU (61). 

The amended Regulation (EU) No 691/2011 on European 
environmental  economic  accounts (62)  introduces  new 
requirements  for  Member  States  to  report  on  the 
condition  of  ecosystems  including  urban  ecosystems, 
croplands,  grasslands,  forest  and  woodlands,  coastal 
beaches,  dunes  and  wetlands.  Data  reported  by  the 
Member  States  will  feed  into  the  second  European 
ecosystem assessment, due in 2027, and can also be used 
to support policy decisions. 

An ecosystem assessment is an analysis of the condition 
of ecosystems and the pressures acting on them, as well 
as  the  benefits  that  they  provide  to  people,  either 
directly or indirectly through the economy. 

increasing  number  of  platforms,  networks  and 
An 
communities of practice involve businesses in protecting 
biodiversity,  including  the  EU  Business  &  Biodiversity 
Platform (63). These platforms and communities are key 
tools  for  promoting  and  facilitating  natural  capital 
assessments  among  businesses  and  financial  services 
providers. 

Natural  capital  assessments  help  private  businesses  to 
better  understand  both  the  negative  and  positive 
impacts that they have on nature, and to appreciate how 
nature contributes to their success. Such understanding 
contributes to the implementation of the EU’s BDS. 

their 

In  2022,  Austria  received  a  priority  action  to  continue 
supporting the mapping and assessment of ecosystems 
and 
services,  and  ecosystem  accounting 
development,  as  well  as  to  continue  supporting  the 
development  of  national  business  and  biodiversity 
platforms. 

There  is  still  no  Austrian  business  and  biodiversity 
network  member  of  the  EU  Business  &  Biodiversity 
Platform. 

2025 priority action 

• 

Support  the  development  of  the  national  business 
and biodiversity network.

(60)  Decision 15/4 adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the 
Convention  on  Biological  Diversity:  Kunming–Montreal  global 
framework 
biodiversity 
(https://www.cbd.int/doc/decisions/cop-15/cop-15-dec-04-
en.pdf). 
European  Commission:  Joint  Research  Centre  and  EEA,  EU 
Ecosystem 
policymakers, 
Publications  Office  of  the  European  Union,  Luxembourg,  2021, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/81ff1498-b91d-11eb-8aca-
01aa75ed71a1/language-en. 

Assessment – 

Summary 

(61) 

for 

(62) 

(63) 

final 

Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the 
Council  amending  Regulation  (EU)  No 691/2011  as  regards 
introducing  new  environmental  economic  accounts  modules, 
COM(2022) 329 
https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM:2022:329:FIN. 
The  EU  Business  &  Biodiversity  Platform  (https://green-
business.ec.europa.eu/business-and-biodiversity_en)  aims  to 
promote  the  business  case  for  biodiversity  to  businesses  and 
financial institutions through workshops, seminars, reports and 
a cross-media communication strategy. 

11 July 

2022, 

of 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
 
Austria  22 

3. Zero pollution

Clean air 

EU  clean  air  policies  and  legislation  have  successfully 
reduced  emissions  of  key  air  pollutants  and  significantly 
improved  air  quality,  which  is  now  moving  towards  the 
levels  recommended  by  the  World  Health  Organization 
(WHO).  This  has  resulted  in  clear  health  benefits  and 
reduced adverse impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity. 
However, to achieve the WHO-recommended levels, more 
efforts  are  needed,  including  full  compliance  with  EU 
legislation.  To  guide  these  efforts,  the  EU  zero  pollution 
action plan sets targets for 2030 relative to 2005. These 
are to reduce the health impacts of air pollution by 55 % 
and  to  reduce  the  EU  ecosystems  threatened  by  air 
pollution by 25 %. 

The EU has developed a comprehensive suite of air quality 
policies (64).  These  set  health-based  EU  air  quality 
standards (65)  and  stipulate  Member  States’  national 
emission  reduction  commitments (66)  for  several  air 
pollutants. 

The  air  quality  in  Austria  is  generally  good,  with  some 
exceptions. 

The  latest  available  annual  estimates  (for  2022)  by  the 
EEA (67)  for  Austria  attribute  3 300  deaths  each  year  (or 
31 300 years  of  life  lost  (YLL))  to  fine  particulate  matter 
(PM2.5) (68),  780  deaths  each  year  (or  7 300 YLL)  to 
nitrogen dioxide (NO2) (69) and 1 400 deaths each year (or 
13 600 YLL) to ozone (70). 

The  emissions  of  several  air  pollutants  have  decreased 
significantly in Austria since 2005, while GDP growth has 
continued  (see  Figure 15).  According  to  the  inventories 
submitted  under  Article 10(2)  of  the  National  Emission 
Reduction  Commitments  Directive  (NECD) (71)  in  2024, 
Austria  has  met  its emission reduction commitments for 
2020–2029 for air pollutants  nitrogen oxides (NOx), non-

methane  volatile  organic  compounds  (NMVOC),  sulphur 
dioxide  (SO2)  and  PM2.5,  and  has  not  met  them  for 
ammonia  (NH3).  According  to  the  latest  projections 
submitted under Article 10(2) of the NECD in 2023, Austria 
is projected to meet its emission reduction commitments 
for 2030 onwards for NOx, NMVOC, SO2 and PM2.5, but not 
for NH3. 

Austria  submitted  its  updated  national  air  pollution 
control programme (NAPCP) to the Commission on 8 April 
2024,  according 
‘with  additional 
measures’, Austria projects to meet its emission reduction 
commitments for 2030 onwards for NH3, too.  

the  scenario 

to 

Figure 15:  Emission  trends  of  main  pollutants /  GDP  in 
Austria (%), 2005–2022 

200%

150%

100%

50%

0%

NH₃

PM₂,₅

NMVOC

SO₂

NOₓ

GDP

Source: EEA, ‘National air pollutant emissions data viewer 2005–2022’, 
25 June 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/topics/in-depth/air-
pollution/national-air-pollutant-emissions-data-viewer-2005-2022. 

2024, 

(64) 

(65) 

(66) 

(67) 

(68) 

European  Commission,  ‘Air’,  European  Commission  website, 
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/air_en. 
European  Commission,  ‘EU  air  quality  standards’,  European 
Commission 
website, 
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/air/air-quality/eu-air-
quality-standards_en. 
European  Commission,  ‘Reducing  emissions  of  air  pollutants’, 
European 
website, 
Commission 
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/air/reducing-
emissions-air-pollutants_en. 
EEA, Harm to human health from air pollution in Europe: Burden 
of  disease  2024,  briefing  No 21/2024,  Copenhagen,  2024, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/publications/harm-to-
human-health-from-air-pollution-2024. 
Particulate matter (PM) is a mixture of aerosol particles (solid and 
liquid) covering a wide range of sizes and chemical compositions. 
PM10  refers  to  particles  with  a  diameter  of  10 µm  or  less.  PM2.5 

refers to particles with a diameter of 2.5 µm or less. PM is emitted 
from many human sources, including combustion. 

(69)  Nitrogen  dioxide  (NO2)  here  pertains  to  a  group  of  gases  called 
NOx, which also comprises nitrogen monoxide (NO). NOx is emitted 
during fuel combustion – for example, from industrial facilities and 
the road transport sector. 
Low-level  ozone 
is  produced  by  photochemical  action  on 
pollution.  This  year,  for  the  first  time,  the  impact  of  long-term 
exposure to ozone has also been taken into account. In previous 
analysis by the EEA, only the impact of short-term exposure was 
estimated. 

(70) 

(71)  Directive (EU) 2016/2284 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council  of  14 December  2016  on  the  reduction  of  national 
emissions of certain atmospheric pollutants, amending Directive 
2003/35/EC  and  repealing  Directive  2001/81/EC  (OJ  L 344, 
17.12.2016, 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2016.344.01.0001.01.ENG. 

p. 1), 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
Figure 16: PM2.5 and NOx emissions by sector in Austria 
(%), 2022 

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

Waste

Transport

Residential,
commercial &
institutional

Manufacturing
and extractive
industry

Energy supply

Agriculture

PM2.5
PM2.5
2,7%

24,0%

45,1%

NOₓ

0,024%

54,904%

9,596%

19,2%

17,780%

7,1%

1,8%

8,441%

9,255%

Source: EEA, ‘National air pollutant emissions data viewer 2005–2022’, 
25 June 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/topics/in-depth/air-
pollution/national-air-pollutant-emissions-data-viewer-2005-2022. 

2024, 

In 2023, no exceedances above the limit values set by the 
Ambient Air Quality Directive (AAQD) (72) were registered 
in  Austria.  However,  for  several  air  quality  zones,  the 
target  values  for  ozone  concentrations  have  not  been 
met (73). 

Infringement procedures have been opened for Member 
States not meeting the emission reduction commitments 
for  2020–2029;  this  includes  a  procedure  for  Austria  for 
NH3. 

In the 2022 EIR, Austria received three priority actions. The 
first priority action was to further reduce emissions in the 
context of the NAPCP. Austria has not made progress on 
this,  as  the  latest  reported  data  show  continued  non-
compliance  with  the  2020–2029  emission  reduction 
commitment  for  NH3.  The  second  priority  action  was  to 
ensure full compliance with EU air quality standards and 
maintain downward emission trends. Based on the latest 

(72)  Directive  2008/50/EU  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council of 21 May 2008 on ambient air quality and cleaner air for 
Europe 
https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32008L0050. 
Data 
‘Eionet 
EEA, 
https://cdr.eionet.europa.eu.  

Repository’, 

11.6.2008, 

Central 

L 152, 

p. 1), 

(73) 

(OJ 

(74)  Directive  2010/75/EU  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council of 24 November 2010 on industrial and livestock rearing 

Austria  23 

data, Austria has made substantial progress in this regard. 
Full compliance has been ensured for all limit values and 
target values, with the exception of those for ozone. Since 
2019, downward emission trends have been reported for 
all  main  air  pollutants.  However,  for  NH3,  the  levels  are 
above  2005  levels  and  require  further  action.  The  third 
priority  action  received  by  Austria  was  to  ratify  the 
amended Gothenburg Protocol, which has been done. 

2025 priority actions 

•  As part of the NAPCP, take actions towards reducing 

• 

emissions of air pollutants. 
Ensure  full  compliance  with  the  current  AAQD 
standards, also in light of future stricter requirements 
under the revised AAQD. 

Industrial emissions 

The  main objectives of EU policy on industrial emissions 
are to: 

(i)  protect  air,  water  and  soil  and  to  prevent  harmful 
effects on human health and the environment; 

(ii)  prevent and manage waste; 
(iii) 

improve  energy  and  resource  efficiency,  including 
water; 

(iv)  contribute to decarbonisation. 

The  cornerstone  of  the  policy  is the  Industrial  Emissions 
Directive (IED), which was revised in 2024 (74). The revision 
improves the directive’s contribution to the zero pollution 
objective. It has a strong focus on innovation, and builds 
solid  links  between  depollution,  decarbonisation  and 
circularity, making it a key regulatory tool to accompany 
the green transformation of EU industry by 2050. 

The overview of industrial activities regulated by the IED 
below  is  based  on  data  reported  to  the  EU  Registry  in 
2022 (75). 

In Austria, there were about 784 installations covered by 
the  IED  in  2022,  almost  half  of  them  (41 %)  being 
installations 
the  waste  management  sector 
(including landfills). The other main sectors are the metals 
sector (16 %) and the chemical sector (12 %). 

from 

Figure  17  shows  the  damage  to  health  and  the 
environment due to the main industrial air pollutants. As 

emissions (integrated pollution prevention and control) (OJ L 334, 
17.12.2010, p. 17), as amended by Directive (EU) 2024/1785 of the 
European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  24 April  2024, 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02010L0075-
20240804&qid=1725983863299. 
EEA, 
Portal, 
Industrial 
European 
https://industry.eea.europa.eu/, 2022 being the baseline year for 
all reports. 

Emissions 

(75) 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
this  depends  on,  among  other  factors,  the  size  of  the 
industrial  sector  in  each  Member  State,  the  figure  also 
shows  the  ratio  between  the  damage  and  the  industrial 
activity  (expressed  in  gross  value  added  (GVA)),  which 
gives an indication of the emissions  ‘intensity’. Although 
Austria is  in 12th place in terms of damage in the EU, it 
comes 21st for emissions intensity, below the EU average 
of  EUR 27.5/EUR 1 000  GVA.  The  main 
industrial 
contributors to emissions to air (76) are the metals sector, 
the energy sector for SO2 and mercury emissions, and the 
energy sector for cadmium, dust and NOx emissions. 

Figure 17:  Industrial  air  pollution  damage  and  intensity 
per Member State, 2021 

Austria  24 

Source:  EEA,  ‘Industrial  pollutant  releases to  water  in Europe’,  30 May 
2024, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/indicators/industrial-
pollutant-releases-to-water. 

Concerning  Austria  in  particular,  Figure 20  shows  the 
industrial emissions of heavy metals to water, taking into 
account the human toxicity of each metal, as well as  the 
emissions  intensity,  based  on  its  ratio  with  industrial 
activity (expressed in GVA). Austria has the 12th  highest 
emissions of heavy metals to water and is in 17th position 
for  emissions 
intensity  (below  the  EU  average  of 
0.864 kg/EUR 1 billion  GVA).  As  shown  in  Figure  20,  the 
main  industrial  contributors  to  emissions  to  water  in 
Austria are the ferrous metal sector for heavy metals, the 
pulp,  paper  and  wood  sector  for  total  phosphorus  and 
TOC,  and  the  chemical  sector  and  the  food  and  drink 
sector for total nitrogen. 

Figure 19:  Industrial  releases  and  intensity  of  heavy 
metals to water per Member State, 2022 

Source: EEA, ‘Industrial pollution intensity indicators – EU large industry 
air  pollution  damage  costs  intensity’,  European  Industrial  Emissions 
Portal, 
https://industry.eea.europa.eu/analyse/industrial-
emissions-indicator. 

2024, 

Overall, the industrial emissions to water in the EU have 
decreased  over  time  for  all  the  main  pollutants.  On 
average in the EU, they appear to be decoupled from the 
industrial  activity,  which  has  increased  over  the  same 
period (expressed in GVA), as shown in Figure 18. 

Figure 18: Industrial releases of pollutants to water and 
industrial activity in the EU-27 

NB: Cd, cadmium; Hg, mercury; Ni, nickel; Pb, lead; total N, total nitrogen; 
total P, total phosphorous. 

Source: EEA, ‘Industrial pollution intensity indicators – EU large industry 
water  pollution  intensity’,  European  Industrial  Emissions  Portal,  2024, 
https://industry.eea.europa.eu/analyse/industrial-emissions-indicator. 

Figure 20:  Relative  releases  to  water  from  industry  in 
Austria (%), 2022 

100%

75%

50%

25%

0%

Heavy Metals
Ecotoxicity

Heavy Metals
Human Toxicity

Total nitrogen

Total organic
carbon (TOC)

Total
phosphorus

Chemicals

Ferrous metal

Food and drink

Non-ferrous metal

Other manufacturing

Pulp, paper and wood

Source: EEA, ‘Industrial reporting under the Industrial Emissions Directive 
2010/75/EU  and  European  Pollutant  Release  and  Transfer  Register 
Regulation (EC) No 166/2006 – ver. 12.0 Sep. 2024 (tabular data)’, EEA 
Geospatial 
2024, 
Catalogue, 
https://doi.org/10.2909/cf5e54c1-be99-4426-bcad-baa26c4f27a0. 

13 September 

Data 

(76) 

European  Environment  Agency,  LRTAP,  Air  pollutant  emissions 
data viewer (Gothenburg Protocol, LRTAP Convention) 1990-2022, 

https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/topics/in-depth/air-
pollution/air-pollutant-emissions-data-viewer-1990-2022. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Austria  25 

• 

Ensure  effective  public  participation  and  access  to 
justice in relation to the IED. 

Major industrial accidents prevention – Seveso 

The  main  objectives  of  EU  policy  on  the  prevention  of 
major industrial accidents are to: 

(i) 

(ii) 

control major-accident hazards involving dangerous 
substances, especially chemicals; 
limit the consequences of such accidents for human 
health and the environment; 

(iii)  continuously 

improve 

the 

prevention 

of, 

preparedness for and response to major accidents. 

The cornerstone of the policy is Directive 2012/18/EU (the 
Seveso III Directive) (77). 

The overview below of industrial plants regulated by the 
Seveso III Directive (‘Seveso establishments’) is based on 
data  reported  on  eSPIRS  (e-Seveso  Plants  Information 
Retrieval  System)  for  2022–2024 (78)  and  the  report  by 
Austria on the implementation of the Seveso III Directive 
for 2019–2022 (79). 

Austria  transposed  the  Seveso III  Directive  differently  in 
each industrial sector and in each of the nine Länder. Due 
to the large number of legal acts, not always adopted in a 
co-ordinated  way,  some  obligations  have  not  been  fully 
implemented. An infringement procedure on this subject 
is pending (80). 

In Austria, among the 172 Seveso establishments, 78 are 
categorised as lower-tier establishments and 94 as upper-
tier  establishments  (UTEs),  based  on  the  quantity  of 
hazardous  substances  likely  to  be  present.  UTEs  are 
subject to more stringent requirements. 

Austria has been subject to an infringement procedure for 
not  conforming  with  the  transposition  of  the  IED  since 
2020; this procedure is still ongoing. 

IED  provisions  on  public  information  and  participation 
require Member States to adopt transposition legislation 
enabling members of the public to have access to relevant 
information  and  participate  in  the  approval  process  for 
potentially  polluting  installations.  Thus,  the  public  and 
(NGOs),  alongside 
non-governmental  organisations 
competent authorities, play a role in ensuring compliance 
of  these  permits  with  EU  legislation.  The  IED  contains 
mandatory  requirements  on  environmental  inspections, 
requiring a site visit to take place at least every 1–3 years, 
using  risk-based  criteria.  In  addition,  IED  enforcement 
provisions require Member States to determine effective, 
proportionate,  and  dissuasive  penalties  applicable  to 
infringements  of  IED-based  national  provisions.  In  the 
revised  directive, 
that  worst 
the  provisions 
infringements can be sanctioned by fines of at least 3% of 
the  annual  EU  turnover  of  the  legal  person.  The  revised 
IED  also  introduces  a  right  to  compensation  for  people 
whose health has been harmed by such infringements. 

set 

The development of best available techniques (BATs), BAT 
reference  documents  and  BAT  conclusions  ensures 
effective collaboration between stakeholders and enables 
better implementation of the IED. 

Since  the  2022  EIR,  the  Commission  has  adopted  BAT 
conclusions on (i) ferrous metal processing, (ii) the textiles 
industry,  (iii)  common  waste  gas  management  and 
treatment  systems 
in  the  chemical  sector  and  (iv) 
smitheries and foundries. 

The  Commission  relies  on  the  efforts  of  national 
competent  authorities  to  implement  the  legally  binding 
BAT  conclusions  and  associated  BAT  emission  levels  in 
environmental permits. This should result in considerable 
and continuous reductions in pollution. 

2025 priority actions 

• 
Complete the correct transposition of the IED 1.0. 
•  Reduce industrial air pollution damage and intensity. 
•  Reduce 
industrial  releases  to  water  and  their 

• 

intensity. 
Engage  with  industry  and  environmental  NGOs  to 
ensure proper contribution to and implementation of 
BAT conclusions and ensure timely updates to permits 
following the publication of BAT conclusions. 

(77)  Directive  2012/18/EU  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council  of  4 July  2012  on  the  control  of  major-accident  hazards 
involving  dangerous  substances,  amending  and  subsequently 
repealing  Council  Directive  96/82/EC  (OJ  L 197,  24.7.2012,  p. 1), 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2012/18/oj. 
https://espirs.jrc.ec.europa.eu/en/espirs/content; data extracted 
in September 2024. 

(78) 

(79) 
(80) 

As provided for by Article 21(2) of the Seveso III Directive. 
European Commission infringement decision INFR(2020)2104; see 
European  Commission, 
infringements  package:  Key 
decisions’,  European  Commission  website,  14 May  2020, 
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/EN/INF_20
_859. 

‘May 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
Figure 21: Number of Seveso  establishments in Austria, 
2018, 2022 and 2024 

Publications  Office  of  the  EU,  https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-
detail/-/publication/9bd73087-e9b8-11ef-b5e9-
01aa75ed71a1/language-en. 

Austria  26 

The  following  types  of  information  are  permanently 
available for all Seveso UTEs in Austria: (i) information for 
the  public  referred  to  in  Annex V  to  the  Seveso III 
Directive, especially about how the public concerned will 
be  warned  if  there  is  a  major  accident;  (ii)  information 
about  appropriate  behaviour  in  the  event  of  a  major 
accident; and (iii) the date of the last site visit. 

NB: LTE, lower-tier establishment. 

2022, 

Sources:  European  Commission:  Directorate-General  for  Environment, 
Assessment and summary of Member States’ implementation reports for 
(implementing  Directive 
Implementing  Decision 
2014/896/EU 
2012/18/EU  on  the  control  of  major  accident  hazards 
involving 
dangerous  substances),  Publications  Office  of  the  European  Union, 
Luxembourg, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/94d57d74-735b-11ec-9136-01aa75ed71a1/language-
en/format-PDF/source-search;  eSPIRS  data,  extractions  from  2022  and 
2024;  Analysis  and  summary  of  Member  States'  reports  on 
implementation  of  Directive  2012/18/EU  on  the  control  of  major 
accident hazards involving dangerous substances according to the format 
established  by  Commission  Implementing  Decision  2014/896/EU  - 
Publications  Office  of  the  EU,  https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-
detail/-/publication/9bd73087-e9b8-11ef-b5e9-
01aa75ed71a1/language-en. 

In Austria, in 2022, an EEP was required for 85 UTEs, out 
of 87 in total. In 2018, 84 such establishments had an EEP 
and  all  of  these  plans  except  for  one  had  been  tested 
within the previous three years. The summary is shown in 
Figure 22. 

Figure 22: Situation regarding EEPs in Austria, 2022 

Sources:  European  Commission:  Directorate-General  for  Environment, 
Assessment and summary of Member States’ implementation reports for 
(implementing  Directive 
Implementing  Decision 
2014/896/EU 
involving 
2012/18/EU  on  the  control  of  major  accident  hazards 
dangerous  substances),  Publications  Office  of  the  European  Union, 
Luxembourg, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/94d57d74-735b-11ec-9136-01aa75ed71a1/language-
en/format-PDF/source-search;  eSPIRS  data,  extractions  from  2022  and 
2024;  Analysis  and  summary  of  Member  States'  reports  on 
implementation  of  Directive  2012/18/EU  on  the  control  of  major 
accident hazards involving dangerous substances according to the format 
established  by  Commission  Implementing  Decision  2014/896/EU  - 

2022, 

The  shares  of  UTEs  for  which  information  on  safety 
measures  and  requisite  behaviours  was  actively  made 
available to the public in 2022 in the EU-27 are presented 
in Figure 23. This provision on knowledge is an important 
provision of the Seveso III Directive, as awareness by the 
public  of 
the 
consequences of a major industrial accident. 

information  may  ameliorate 

this 

Figure 23: Share of UTEs for which information on safety 
measures  and  requisite  behaviours  was  actively  made 
available to the public per Member State (%), 2022 

N.B. No data available for Greece. 

2022, 

Sources:  European  Commission:  Directorate-General  for  Environment, 
Assessment and summary of Member States’ implementation reports for 
(implementing  Directive 
Implementing  Decision 
2014/896/EU 
involving 
2012/18/EU  on  the  control  of  major  accident  hazards 
dangerous  substances),  Publications  Office  of  the  European  Union, 
Luxembourg, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/94d57d74-735b-11ec-9136-01aa75ed71a1/language-
en/format-PDF/source-search;  eSPIRS  data,  extractions  from  2022  and 
2024;  Analysis  and  summary  of  Member  States'  reports  on 
implementation  of  Directive  2012/18/EU  on  the  control  of  major 
accident hazards involving dangerous substances according to the format 
established  by  Commission  Implementing  Decision  2014/896/EU  - 
Publications  Office  of  the  EU,  https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-
detail/-/publication/9bd73087-e9b8-11ef-b5e9-
01aa75ed71a1/language-en. 

In  2022,  Austria  received  a  priority  action  to  strengthen 
control and enforcement  to  ensure compliance with  the 
Seveso III  Directive  rules,  especially  those  on  EEPs.  Data 
reported on the implementation of the directive for 2019–
2022  show  some  improvements  in  the  number  of  EEPs 
established for UTEs in Austria (but not a 100 % rate). 

2025 priority action 
• 

Strengthen  compliance  with  requirements  on  safety 
measures  to  prevent  major  accidents  and  ensure 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
 
Austria  27 

appropriate preparedness and response in relation to 
UTEs, in particular  as regards reviewing, testing and 
updating  EEPs,  at  intervals  of  no  more  than  three 
years. 

Mercury Regulation 

The  Mercury  Regulation  establishes  measures  and 
conditions concerning the use and storage of and trade in 
mercury,  mercury  compounds  and  mixtures  of  mercury, 
the manufacture and use of and trade in mercury-added 
products and the management of mercury waste, in order 
to ensure a high level of protection of human health and 
the  environment  from  anthropogenic  emissions  and 
releases of mercury and mercury compounds. The revision 
of the Mercury Regulation adopted in 2024 sets out rules 
to address the last intentional uses of mercury in the EU 
by  phasing  out  the  use  of  dental  amalgam  by  1 January 
2025 except when deemed strictly necessary by the dental 
practitioner  based  on  the  specific  medical  needs  of  the 
patient,  and  prohibiting  the  manufacture  and  export  of 
additional mercury-containing lamps from 1 January 2026 
or 1 January 2027 (depending on the lamp category). 

In 2019, 43 % of dental treatments were still using dental 
amalgam,  which  represented  a  challenge  for  Austria  to 
phase out its use by 1 January 2025. However, measures 
should  have  been  put  in  place  to  ensure  a  socially  and 
economically  sound  phase-out,  including  an  adequate 
reimbursement  of  the  alternatives  to  dental  amalgam 
through the health insurance scheme and the training of 
dental  practitioners.  The  Commission 
is  monitoring 
whether the phase-out  has taken place under the terms 
and conditions of the regulation. Austria will also need to 
ensure  that  the  manufacture  and  export  of  mercury-
containing lamps are prohibited by the deadlines set out 
in the Mercury Regulation. 

Noise 

The Environmental Noise Directive (81) requires a common 
approach to avoid, prevent and reduce the harmful effects 
of  noise.  The  designated  authorities  are  responsible  for 

making  and  approving  noise  maps  and  action  plans  for 
agglomerations,  major  roads,  major  railways  and  major 
airports.  Member  States  decide  on  noise  limits  that  are 
not  set  at  the  EU  level.  Nevertheless,  the  zero  pollution 
action  plan  sets  as  a  2030  target  a  30 %  reduction 
compared  with  2017  in  the  share  of  people  chronically 
disturbed by transport noise. 

Excessive noise from aircraft, railways and roads is one of 
the main causes of environmental health‐related issues in 
the  EU.  It  can  cause  ischaemic  heart  disease,  stroke, 
interrupted sleep, cognitive impairment and stress (82). 

In  Austria,  environmental  noise  is  estimated  to  cause  at 
least  around  670  cases  of 
ischaemic  heart  disease 
annually (83)  and  some  130 000  people  suffering  from 
disturbed sleep84. 

Based  on  the  latest  set  of  information  analysed,  Austria 
has  completed  its  noise  mapping  of  agglomerations, 
roads, railways and airports. 

Action  plans  for  noise  management  for  agglomerations, 
roads,  railways  and  airports  must  be  updated  and 
submitted  to  the  Commission  every  five  years.  The 
deadline for reporting noise action plans under the most 
recent  reporting  cycle  was  18 January  2025;  these  plans 
have not been assessed yet. 

Austria received no priority action in this area in the 2022 
EIR. 

2025 priority action 

• 

Complete  and  implement  action  plans  on  noise 
management. 

Water quality and management 

EU  legislation  and  policy  requires  that  the  impact  of 
pressures on transitional waters, coastal waters and fresh 
water  (including  surface  waters  and  groundwater)  be 
significantly reduced. Achieving, maintaining or enhancing 
a  good  status  of  waterbodies  as  defined  by  the  Water 
Framework  Directive  will  ensure that EU citizens benefit 
from good-quality and safe drinking and bathing water. It 

(81)  Directive  2002/49/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council  of  25 June  2002  relating  to  the  assessment  and 
management  of  environmental  noise –  Declaration  by  the 
Commission  in  the  Conciliation  Committee  on  the  directive 
relating  to  the  assessment  and  management  of  environmental 
noise (OJ L 189, 18.7.2002, p. 12), https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32002L0049. 

(82)  WHO,  Environmental  Noise  Guidelines  for  the  European  Region, 
Copenhagen, 
2018, 
https://www.who.int/europe/publications/i/item/978928905356
3. 
These figures are an estimation by the EEA based on (i) the data 
reported  by  Member  States  on  noise  exposure  covered  by 
Directive 2002/49/EC for the round of noise mapping of 2022; (ii) 

(83) 

European  Topic  Centre  on  Air  Pollution,  Transport,  Noise  and 
Industrial  Pollution  (ETC/ATNI),  Noise 
Indicators  under  the 
Environmental Noise Directive 2021: Methodology for estimating 
missing  data,  Eionet  report  ETC/ATNI  No 2021/06,  Kjeller,  2021; 
and  (iii)  the  methodology  for  health  impact  calculations  in 
European  Topic  Centre  on  Air  Pollution  and  Climate  Change 
Mitigation  (ETC/ACM),  Implications  of  environmental  noise  on 
in  Europe,  Eionet  report  ETC/ACM 
health  and  wellbeing 
No 2018/10, 
2018, 
https://www.eionet.europa.eu/etcs/etc-atni/products/etc-atni-
reports/eionet_rep_etcacm_2018_10_healthimplicationsnoise  

Bilthoven, 

84   More information on the adverse health effects of noise 

pollution is available at:  
https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/human/noise/noise-2 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
will  further  ensure  that  the  nutrient  cycle  (nitrogen  and 
phosphorus)  is  managed  in  a  more  sustainable  and 
resource-efficient way. 

development  activities  causing  the  waterbody  to  be 
heavily  modified /  artificial,  while  not  significantly 
affecting these activities. 

Austria  28 

Water Framework Directive 

Directive 

The Water Framework Directive (85) is the cornerstone of 
EU  water  policy  in  the  21st  century (86).  The  Water 
other  water-related 
and 
Framework 
directives (87) form the basis of sustainable and integrated 
water management in the EU. They aim to achieve a high 
level  of  protection  of  water  resources,  prevention  of 
further  deterioration  and  restoration  to  good  status. 
These  objectives  are  very 
important  for  the  EU’s 
competitiveness,  strategic  autonomy  and  security,  yet 
have become even more challenging in the face of climate 
change affecting our precious water resources. 

The Water Framework Directive establishes a procedural 
framework for reaching good surface water ecological and 
chemical  status  and  good  groundwater  quantitative  and 
chemical status. This implies monitoring and classification 
of all waterbodies, assessment  of pressures and impacts 
and identification of the most cost-effective measures to 
achieve the objectives of the directive. The directive dates 
from 2000 and set an initial deadline of 2015 for achieving 
its objectives, with the option to extend the deadline to 
the  end  of  2027.  Every  six  years,  Member  States  must 
report their river basin management plans (RBMPs) to the 
Commission. They should cover river basin districts in their 
countries,  some  of  which  may  be  shared  with  other 
countries. The Commission has assessed the third cycle of 
RBMPs, which were to be submitted by March 2022, and 
reported  its  findings  to  the  European  Parliament  and  to 
the Council on 4th February 2025 (88). 

Austria’s  three  river  basin  districts  (Rhine,  Danube  and 
Elbe,  all  three  being  international)  count  8 188  surface 
waterbodies and 142 groundwater bodies. Approximately 
10 %  of  surface  waters  are  designated  as 
‘heavily 
modified’  and  1.1 %  of  river  bodies  and  30.6 %  of  lake 
bodies  are  designated  as  ‘artificial’.  Heavily  modified 
water  and  artificial  waterbodies  must  reach  good 
ecological  potential  rather  than  good  ecological  status, 
which means that all measures must be taken to mitigate 
sustainable  human 
the  adverse 

impact  of 

the 

The Water Framework Directive requires Member States 
to establish a programme of measures for each river basin 
district  to  achieve  the  objectives  of  the  directive.  These 
programmes  must  include  measures  to  control  different 
types  of  water  use  liable  to  have  a  significant  adverse 
impact on the status of water. Control measures must be 
periodically reviewed. As they are doubts of whether the 
Austrian  rules  are 
line  with  the  directive,  the 
Commission  introduced  an  infringement  procedure  in 
2024. 

in 

in 

the 

show 

change 

Figures 24–27 
ecological 
status/potential  and  chemical  status  of  surface  waters, 
and the quantitative and chemical status of groundwater 
in 2010, 2015 and 2021. It follows from the assessment of 
the  third  RBMPs  that  the  ecological  status/potential  of 
surface  waterbodies  has  slightly  improved,  with  almost 
these  having  good  or  better  ecological 
half  of 
status/potential. On the other hand, the chemical status 
has remained the same, with 100 % failing to achieve good 
chemical status. 

Figure 24:  Ecological 
waterbodies in each RBMP cycle (%) 

status/potential  of 

surface 

The  main  pressures  are  impoundments  for  hydropower 
and  flood  protection.  In  2020,  hydropower  made  up 
36.5 % of Austria’s share in gross final energy consumption 
and  about  56 %  of  electricity 
is  produced  with 
hydropower.  On  the  other  hand,  Austria  has  only 

(85) 

(86) 
(87) 

include 

the  Groundwater  Directive 

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32000L0060. 
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/water_en. 
(https://eur-
These 
lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32006L0118), 
the  Environmental  Quality  Standards  Directive  (https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2008/105/oj), 
Directive 
(https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32007L0060), the Bathing Water 
(https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
Directive 
content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32006L0007), 
Urban 
(https://eur-
Directive 
Wastewater 

Treatment 

Floods 

the 

the 

Directive 

Drinking  Water 

lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A31991L0271), 
the 
(https://eur-
new 
lex.europa.eu/legal-
Nitrates 
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32020L2184), 
Directive 
(https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/ALL/?uri=celex%3A31991L0676), the Marine Strategy 
(https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
Framework 
Directive 
content/en/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32008L0056) 
IED 
(https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32010L0075). 

and 

the 

the 

(88)   ENV - Bibliothèque 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
 
Austria  29 

Figure 27: Chemical status of groundwater bodies in each 
RBMP cycle (%) 

three 

identified 
potentially  harmful 
ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, zinc and ammonia. 

as 
for  ecological  status/potential: 

river-basin-specific  pollutants 

Figure 25: Chemical status of surface waterbodies in each 
RBMP cycle (%) 

Austria  has  gradually  reduced  chemical  pressures  on 
surface  waterbodies,  with  the  exceptions  of  two 
ubiquitous  and  persistent  bio-accumulative  and  toxic 
substances (brominated ethers and mercury), which cause 
all surface waterbodies in Austria to fail to achieve good 
chemical  status.  99 %  of  Austria’s  surface  waterbodies 
would  achieve  good  chemical  status  in  the  absence  of 
these 
from 
atmospheric pollution and deposition in water. 

substances,  which 

reportedly 

result 

Figure 26: Quantitative status of groundwater bodies in 
each RBMP cycle (%) 

All  groundwater  bodies  monitored  showed  good 
quantitative status in 2021. Four groundwater bodies are, 
however,  at  risk  of  losing  good  quantitative  status  by 
2027. 

Climatologic  and  demographic  projections  suggest  that 
Austria’s ground water resources could drop by up to 23 % 
by 2050 in a worst-case scenario. Austria’s response to this 
involves  plans  for  more  abstractions  from  the  Danube. 
However,  this  could  have  long-term  consequences  for 
ecosystems dependent on the Danube. 

There  has  been  a  small  deterioration  in  the  chemical 
status of groundwater, but with most waterbodies being 
in good chemical status. The main pollutants are nitrates, 
pesticides,  ammonium  and  sulphate.  Unlike  surface 
waterbodies,  where  nutrient  pollution  has  decreased 
since the second RBMP, the deterioration in the chemical 
status of groundwater bodies seems to be mainly due to 
nitrates (from fertilisers) and dimethachlor (a herbicide). 
Moreover,  15 %  of  groundwater  bodies  are  at  risk  of 
failing  to  achieve  good  status  by  2027.  The  use  of 
pesticides 
still 
comparatively low compared with the EU average due to 
a high percentage of organic farming (26 %) – is on the rise 
and  the  number  of  groundwater  bodies  not  achieving 
good chemical status due to pesticides has increased since 
the second RBMP. 

in  Austria’s  agricultural 

sector – 

The deterioration of the chemical status of groundwater 
bodies suggests that Austria’s programme of measures for 
agricultural  pollution  after  the  second  RBMP  still  needs 
time to take effect for groundwater. 

Until the end of 2027, Member States can still apply time-
related  exemptions,  subject  to  providing  evidence  of 
compliance  with  the  strict  criteria  set  out  in  the  Water 
Framework  Directive.  After  2027,  the  possibilities  for 
applying exemptions will be much more limited. 

The 2022 EIR identified the following priority actions. 

• 

• 

to 

efforts 

current 

Continue 
mitigate 
hydromorphological pressures and counteract diffuse 
sources of nutrient pollution in agricultural areas. 
Ensure  sufficient  funding  to  implement  measures 
from 
in  addressing 
hydromorphological pressures. 

in  particular 

the  RBMPs, 

is 

Austria has made good progress in terms of these priority 
actions, insofar as it has set a standard for ecological flows 
legally  binding  (to  address  pressures  from 
that 
hydropower  activities),  which 
is  a  positive  change, 
although  the  situation  could  be  further  improved  in 
practice, in particular by including minimum flows in older 
water  permits.  Guidelines  have  been  developed  for 
achieving  good  ecological  potential  in  river  stretches 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
 
affected  by  hydropower  dams;  however,  the  thresholds 
set out for determining good ecological potential are not 
yet binding. 

2025 priority actions 

Without prejudice to the list of recommended actions in 
the Commission report to the European Parliament and to 
the  Council  on  the  assessment  of  the  third  RBMPs,  the 
following priority actions can be highlighted. 

• 

• 

Improve  river  continuity  and  ecological 
flows, 
boosting efforts on nature-based solutions to reduce 
hydromorphological pressures. 
Ensure  periodic  reviews  of  permits  for  discharges, 
abstractions  and  other  water  uses, 
including 
hydropower pressures. 

•  Reduce  pollution  from  nutrients,  chemicals,  metals 

and saline discharges. 

•  Better justify exemptions to the achievement of good 

• 

status. 
Improve  the  classification  of  water  bodies  and 
strengthen monitoring systems. 

•  Develop  more  robust  programmes  of  measures, 
tackle  obstacles  identified  in  the  implementation  of 
measures  and  ensure  adequate 
for 
implementation, including through better use of the 
cost recovery and polluter pays principle. 

financing 

Floods Directive 

Every six years, following the same reporting cycle as the 
RBMPs,  all  Member  States  report  their  flood  risk 
management  plans  (FRMPs),  based  on  the  flood  hazard 
and  risk  maps  (FHRMs)  and  the  preliminary  flood  risk 
assessments  drawn  up  during  the  second  cycle  (2016–
2021). 

The  Commission  also  assessed  the  FRMPs,  and  in  2024 
reported on both the third RBMPs and second FRMPs (first 
FRMP  reporting  was  in  March  2016)  to  the  European 
Parliament and to the Council. 

The second Austrian FRMP is now better connected to the 
previous steps (i.e. the preliminary flood risk assessment 
and  the  FHRMs).  The  objectives  have  been  clarified  and 

(89) 

(90) 

https://environment.ec.europa.eu/publications/implementing-
decision-drinking-water-directive-watch-list_en. 
Commission Delegated Decision (EU) 2024/1441 of 11 March 2024 
supplementing  Directive  (EU)  2020/2184  of  the  European 
Parliament and of the Council by laying down a methodology to 
measure microplastics in water intended for human consumption 
(notified  under  document  C(2024) 1459)  (OJ  L,  2024/1441, 
21.5.2024), http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_del/2024/1441/oj. 
2024/365, 

23.4.2024, 
http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2024/365/oj; OJ L, 2024/367, 
http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2024/367/oj; 
23.4.2024, 
23.4.2024, 
OJ L, 

2024/369, 

(91)  OJ L, 

Austria  30 

linked  to  measure  types,  distinguishing  between  the 
national  level  and  the  regional/area-specific  level.  The 
second  FRMP  also  provides  more  information  on  the 
effects of climate change on flooding, including on pluvial 
floods  linked  to  intense  rainfall  events.  Although  the 
report does not describe the specific changes made to the 
final FRMP, in response to the comments from the public 
consultation, 157 measures have been listed as ‘reviewed’ 
based on the consultation. 

2025 priority actions 

• 

FRMPs  should  provide  details  on  how  the  FHRMs 
were  used  in  the  choice  of  measures  and  how  to 
consider pluvial flooding. 
• 
Consider future climate scenarios in the FRMPs. 
•  Better explain the choice and implementation of flood 
prevention  and  protection  measures  (prioritisation, 
monitoring, costs of measures). 

Drinking Water Directive 

The recast Drinking Water Directive is now applicable, and 
Member States were required to transpose its provisions 
into their national legal systems by 12 January 2023. Since 
into  force  of  the  recast  directive,  the 
the  entry 
several  delegated  and 
Commission  has  adopted 
implementing  acts  establishing  (i)  a  watch 
list  of 
substances  and  compounds  of  concern  for  drinking 
water (89), (ii) a methodology for measuring microplastics 
in drinking water (90) and (iii) an EU system for testing and 
approving materials that will be allowed to be in contact 
with drinking water (91). Member States will have to take 
into  account  when 
these  various  Commission  acts 
implementing the recast directive. 

Finally,  the  Commission  has  now  received  data  from 
Member States on the quality of drinking water in 2017–
2019. 

The  quality  of  drinking  water  (supplied  by  large  water 
suppliers)  in  Austria  does  not  give  rise  to  concern (92). 
From  January  2026,  the  European  quality  standards  for 
PFAS  in  drinking  water  will  apply,  ensuring  harmonised 
Member States’ reporting of PFAS monitoring data in the 
future. 

http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2024/369/oj;  OJ L,  2024/368, 
23.4.2024, http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2024/368/oj; OJ L, 
2024/370, 
23.4.2024, 
http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2024/370/oj;  OJ L,  2024/371, 
23.4.2024,  http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2024/371/oj;  see 
the  Commission  web  page  on  all  six  delegated  acts  for  more 
information 
(https://environment.ec.europa.eu/publications/delegated-acts-
drinking-water-directive_en). 
In summary,  the  compliance  for  all  parameter  groups in Austria 
was at least 99.58 % in 2017, 99.62 % in 2018 and 99.73 % in 2019. 

(92) 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
Austria  31 

positive  impact  on  the  drinking  water  supply  and  on 
biodiversity.  It  has  also  benefited  the  sectors –  such  as 
fisheries and tourism – that depend on biodiversity and on 
a good supply of drinking water. Nevertheless, excessive 
fertilisation remains a  problem in  many parts of the EU. 
The  report  on  the 
implementation  of  the  Nitrates 
Directive covering 2020–2023 will be available in 2025. 

The  analysis  of  Austria’s  RBMPs  has  identified  nutrients 
from  agriculture  as  an 
important  pressure  on 
groundwater /  surface  waters  that  is  affecting  these 
waters’ good status and as one of the main factors in not 
meeting the objectives of the Water Framework Directive. 

2025 priority action 

• 

Tackle  nutrient  pollution,  especially  nitrates  from 
implementation  of  the 
agriculture,  through  the 
Nitrates Directive. 

Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive 

The  Urban  Wastewater  Treatment  Directive  (UWWTD) 
aims to protect human health and the environment from 
the effects of untreated urban  waste water. It therefore 
requires Member States to collect and treat (secondary or 
biological  treatment)  waste  water  in  all  urban  areas  of 
more  than  2 000  people,  and  to  apply  a  more  stringent 
treatment 
than  secondary,  with  nitrogen  and/or 
phosphorus  removal,  to  the  waste  water  generated  in 
urban areas, also known as agglomerations, of more than 
10 000 people, before they are discharged into waters and 
their  catchments,  when  they  are  sensitive  to  nitrogen 
and/or phosphorus (i.e. eutrophic or  tending to become 
eutrophic). 

In  2020,  Austria  reached  the  target  for  collecting  and 
treating urban waste water required to fully comply with 
the  directive  (100 %  of  agglomerations  and  generated 
load). 

Bathing Water Directive 

The  Bathing  Water  Directive  requires  Member  States  to 
monitor and assess bathing water. It requires that, during 
the  bathing  season,  Member  States  disseminate  to  the 
public information on bathing water quality actively and 
promptly. In particular, notices banning or advising against 
bathing should be rapidly and easily identifiable. 

Figure 28  shows  that  in  2023,  out  of  the  260  Austrian 
bathing waters, 252 (96.9 %) were of excellent quality, 7 
(2.7 %) bathing waters were of good quality and 1 (0.4 %) 
bathing water was of sufficient quality. No bathing waters 
were found to be of poor quality. Detailed information on 
Austrian  bathing  waters  is  available  from  a  national 
portal (93)  and  through  an  interactive  map  viewer  of  the 
EEA (94). 

Figure 28:  Bathing  water  quality  per  Member  State, 
Albania and Switzerland (%), 2023 

Source:  EEA,  European  Bathing  Water  Quality 
No 04/2024, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/european-bathing-water-
quality-in-2023/. 

in  2023,  briefing 
2024, 

Copenhagen, 

Nitrates Directive 

The  Nitrates  Directive (95)  aims  to  protect  water  quality 
across  Europe  by  preventing  nitrates  from  agricultural 
sources that can pollute groundwater and surface waters 
and by promoting the use of good farming practices. 

The  latest  Commission  report  on  the  implementation  of 
the Nitrates Directive (96), dating back to 2021, warns that 
nitrates are still causing harmful pollution to water in the 
EU. Excessive nitrates in water are harmful to both human 
health  and  ecosystems,  causing  oxygen  depletion  and 
eutrophication. Cleaning of waters by national authorities 
or  farmers,  where  it  has  been  undertaken,  has  had  a 

(93)  Österreichische Agentur für Gesundheit und Ernährungssicherheit 
(AGES),  ‘Badegewässer  Monitoring’,  AGES  website,  last  updated 
14 June 
2024, 
https://www.ages.at/umwelt/wasser/badegewaesser-
monitoring. 

(94) 

(95) 

(96) 

‘State  of  bathing  water’,  EEA  website,  2024, 

EEA, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/topics/in-depth/bathing-
water/state-of-bathing-water. 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?qid=1561542776070&uri=CELEX:01991L0676-
20081211. 
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/water/nitrates_en. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
Figure 29:  Proportion  of  urban  waste  water  that  fully 
complies with the UWWTD (%), 2020 

Austria  32 

effects on human health and the environment. In October 
2020, the Commission published its chemicals strategy for 
sustainability towards a toxic-free environment (97), which 
led to some systemic changes in EU chemicals legislation. 
The strategy is part of the EU’s zero pollution ambition – a 
key commitment of the European Green Deal. 

The  EU’s  chemicals  legislation (98)  provides  a  baseline 
protection for human health and the environment. It also 
for  businesses 
ensures  stability  and  predictability 
operating in the internal market. 

Source:  European  Commission,  12th  UWWTD  Implementation  Report, 
implementation  - 
2024,  12th  technical  assessment  of  UWWTD 
Publications Office of the EU. 

The  directive has been revised in order to, among other 
things,  strengthen  existing  treatment  standards  and 
establish  an  additional  treatment  of  micropollutants  in 
urban  waste  water.  Other  new  requirements  relate  to 
moving  towards  the  energy  neutrality  of  the  sector, 
establishing  an  extended  producer  responsibility  system 
to  ensure  sustainable 
financing  of  micropollutant 
treatment  by the  most  polluting industries and ensuring 
access  to  sanitation,  especially  for  vulnerable  and 
marginalised  groups.  Austria  has  until  31 July  2027  to 
transpose the new directive into its national legal system. 

Chemicals 

The EU seeks to ensure that chemicals are produced and 
used  in  a  way  that  minimises  any  significant  adverse 

(97) 

to 

from 

the  Commission 

Communication 
the  European 
Parliament,  the  Council,  the  European  Economic  and  Social 
Committee  and  the  Committee  of  the  Regions –  Chemicals 
strategy  for  sustainability:  Towards  a  toxic-free  environment, 
final  of  14 October  2020,  https://eur-
COM(2020) 667 
lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM%3A2020%3A667%3AFIN;  Regulation 
(EC) No 1272/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council 
of 16 December 2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of 
substances  and  mixtures,  amending  and  repealing  Directives 
67/548/EEC  and  1999/45/EC,  and  amending  Regulation  (EC) 
No 1907/2006 
p. 1), 
L 353, 
https://publications.europa.eu/resource/cellar/c6b6a31d-8359-
11ee-99ba-01aa75ed71a1.0004.02/DOC_2. 

31.12.2008, 

(OJ 

(98)  Namely,  Regulation 

(EC)  No 1907/2006  of  the  European 
Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  18 December  2006  concerning 
the  registration,  evaluation,  authorisation  and  restriction  of 
chemicals  (REACH),  establishing  a  European  Chemicals  Agency, 
amending Directive 1999/45/EC and repealing Council Regulation 
(EEC) No 793/93 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 1488/94 as 
well as Council Directive 76/769/EEC and Commission Directives 
91/155/EEC,  93/67/EEC,  93/105/EC  and  2000/21/EC  (OJ  L 396, 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
30/12/2006, 

p. 1), 

and 

enforcement 

the  Member  States’  reports (99)  on 

Since 2007, the Commission has gathered information on 
the  Registration,  Evaluation, 
the  enforcement  of 
Authorisation  and  Restriction  of  Chemicals  (REACH) 
Regulation and the Classification, Labelling and Packaging 
(CLP)  Regulation.  In  December  2020,  the  Commission 
the 
assessed 
implementation 
these 
regulations (100).  It  is  apparent  from  the  Commission’s 
report  that  there  are  still  many  disparities 
in  the 
implementation  of  the  REACH  and  CLP  Regulations, 
notably 
law  enforcement.  Recorded 
compliance levels in Member States, generally quite stable 
over time, appear to be getting slightly worse. This may be 
because  (i)  enforcement  authorities  are  becoming  more 
effective in detecting non-compliant products/companies 
and (ii) more non-compliant products are being placed on 
the EU market. 

in  the  area  of 

of 

In August 2021, the Commission published a  measurable 
assessment  of the enforcement (101) of the two  main EU 
regulations  on  chemicals  using  a  set  of  indicators  on 
different  aspects  of  enforcement.  Since  2021,  the  list  of 
chemicals  subject  to  restrictions  has  been  expanded  as 

content/en/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32006R1907; and Regulation (EC) 
No 1272/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 
16 December  2008  on  classification,  labelling  and  packaging  of 
substances  and  mixtures,  amending  and  repealing  Directives 
67/548/EEC  and  1999/45/EC,  and  amending  Regulation  (EC) 
No 1907/2006 
L 353,  31.12.2008,  p. 1),  https://eur-
(OJ 
lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02008R1272-20221217. 
European Commission, Technical assistance to review the existing 
Member  States  reporting  questionnaire  under  Articles 117(1)  of 
REACH and 46(2) of CLP – Final report, Publications Office of the 
European 
2020, 
https://circabc.europa.eu/ui/group/8ee3c69a-bccb-4f22-89ca-
277e35de7c63/library/a4abce8c-8425-455f-b7e6-
0ead917bde6b/details. 
In 
Article 46(2) of the CLP Regulation. 

line  with  Article 117(1)  of  the  REACH  Regulation  and 

Luxembourg, 

Union, 

(99) 

(100) 

(101)  European  Commission:  Directorate-General  for  Internal  Market, 
Industry,  Entrepreneurship  and  SMEs,  REACH  and  CLP 
Enforcement: EU-level enforcement indicators, Publications Office 
of 
2021, 
Union, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/e5c3e461-0f85-11ec-9151-01aa75ed71a1/. 

Luxembourg, 

European 

the 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
 
new entries have been added to Annex XVII to the REACH 
Regulation (102). 

adopted in November 2021, so it could not be taken into 
account in the previous EIR. 

Austria  33 

In  2023,  new  hazard  classes  were  added  to  the  CLP 
Regulation, and the revision of the regulation was tabled 
(published  on  20 November  2024)  (103).  The  new  hazard 
classes  cover  endocrine  disruptors  and  persistence-
related  hazards  while  the  revision  of  the  regulation 
encompasses  new  rules  on  online  sales  to  better  tackle 
non-compliances  observed  over  the  years.  Also  in  2023, 
the  Conference  of  the  Parties  of  the  Stockholm 
Convention (COP) decided to include, in its Annex A (which 
lists  banned  substances),  three  new  chemicals (104).  The 
Commission  is  working  on  the  delegated  acts  to  include 
these  substances  in  Annex I  to  the  Persistent  Organic 
Pollutants Regulation by 2025 at the latest. 

Responsibility  for  checking  compliance  with  the  REACH 
Regulation in Austria rests with the state authorities of the 
Länder (105).  Austria  has  devised  and  fully  implemented 
enforcement  strategies  for  both  the  REACH  and  CLP 
Regulations (106).  These  focus  on  programmes  on  the 
special  duties  under  the  REACH  and  CLP  Regulations, 
mixing proactive and reactive enforcement. 

in 
The  Member  States’  reporting  exercise  set  out 
Article 117 of the REACH Regulation and Article 46 of the 
CLP Regulation is conducted every five years. The results 
of  the  coming  one  are  expected  in  2025,  hence  the 
absence  of  new  country-specific  data  on  enforcement 
since 2022. 

In Austria, 18 staff (two in each Land) are allocated to the 
enforcement of the REACH and CLP Regulations (107). 

In  2020,  Austria  participated 
in  an  EU  coordinated 
enforcement  project  on  products  sold  online,  called  the 
REACH-EN-FORCE  (REF)-8  project (108).  The  report  was 

(102)  These are substances in tattoo inks and permanent make-up, N,N-
dimethylformamide, formaldehyde (and formaldehyde releasers), 
lead in PVC (polyvinyl chloride), siloxanes (D4, D5, D6) and, finally, 
microplastics. 

(103)  Regulation (EU) 2024/2865 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council  of  23  October  2024  amending  Regulation  (EC)  No 
1272/2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances 
and mixtures, OJ L, 2024/2865, 20.11.2024, p.1 (Regulation - EU - 
2024/2865 - EN - EUR-Lex). 

(104)  These are methoxychlor, dechlorane plus and UV-328. In the case 
of the pesticide methoxychlor, there are no exemptions from the 
ban. However, for the two plastic additives, dechlorane plus and 
lists  some  time-limited  specific 
UV-328,  the  COP  decision 
exemptions. 

(105)  European Commission, Technical assistance to review the existing 
Member  States  reporting  questionnaire  under  Articles 117(1)  of 
REACH and 46(2) of CLP – Final report, Publications Office of the 
p. 68, 
European 
https://circabc.europa.eu/ui/group/8ee3c69a-bccb-4f22-89ca-
277e35de7c63/library/a4abce8c-8425-455f-b7e6-
0ead917bde6b/details. 

Luxembourg, 

Union, 

2020, 

Figure 30: Compliance of imported products – results of 
the REF-8 project (%) 

A  risk  approach  was  used  for  the  targeting  of  control 
measures in order to maximise the chances of identifying 
non-compliances.  Therefore,  the  non-compliance  rates 
presented above cannot be considered the average non-
compliance  rates  of  products  in  the  EU.  However,  the 
proportion  of  non-compliance  cases  found  in  the  REF-8 
project are of concern. 

(106)  European Commission, Technical assistance to review the existing 
Member  States  reporting  questionnaire  under  Articles 117(1)  of 
REACH and 46(2) of CLP – Final report, Publications Office of the 
European 
p. 76, 
https://circabc.europa.eu/ui/group/8ee3c69a-bccb-4f22-89ca-
277e35de7c63/library/a4abce8c-8425-455f-b7e6-
0ead917bde6b/details. 

Luxembourg, 

Union, 

2020, 

(107)  European Commission, Technical assistance to review the existing 
Member  States  reporting  questionnaire  under  Articles 117(1)  of 
REACH and 46(2) of CLP – Final report, Publications Office of the 
European 
p. 74, 
https://circabc.europa.eu/ui/group/8ee3c69a-bccb-4f22-89ca-
277e35de7c63/library/a4abce8c-8425-455f-b7e6-
0ead917bde6b/details. 

Luxembourg, 

Union, 

2020, 

(108)  European Chemicals Agency, REF-8 project report on enforcement 
of the CLP, REACH and BPR duties related to substances, mixtures 
and 
p. 20, 
https://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/17088/project_report
_ref-8_en.pdf/ccf2c453-da0e-c185-908e-
3a0343b25802?t=1638885422475. 

Helsinki, 

articles 

online, 

2021, 

sold 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
Figure 31:  Number  of  REF-8  checks  performed  per 
100 000 inhabitants (EU average = 1.24) 

Austria  34 

Austria  participated  to  a  small  extent  in  the  REF-8 
coordinated enforcement project. Online sales have been 
proved  to  correspond  consistently  to  higher  non-
compliance  rates  in  checks  performed  across  the  EU,  in 
particular when related to imported products. 

In  2022,  Austria  received  a  priority  action  related  to 
upgrading  administrative  capacities  in  implementation 
and  enforcement  to  move  towards  a  policy  of  zero 
tolerance of non-compliance. In the absence of reporting 
since 2022, no progress has been shown and this priority 
action  remains  valid  in  2025,  partly  because  of  the 
experience with the REF-8 project. 

2025 priority actions 

•  Upgrade 

the 

capacities 

in 
administrative 
implementation and enforcement to move towards a 
policy of zero tolerance of non-compliance. 
Increase involvement in the activities of the Forum for 
Exchange  of  Information  on  Enforcement  of  the 
European  Chemicals  Agency, 
the 
coordinated  enforcement  projects,  called  REF 
projects. 
Increase customs checks and checks of products sold 
online  with  regard  to  compliance  with  chemicals 
legislation. 

including 

in 

• 

• 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
Austria  35 

4. Climate action 

The impacts of climate change have continued to increase 
in recent years, inflicting damage and suffering in the EU 
and around the world. Globally, 2023 was the hottest year 
on  record,  while  Europe  has  been  warming  twice  as 
quickly  as  the  global  average,  and  is  now  the  fastest-
warming  continent.  The  frequency  and  severity  of 
extreme  climate  events  are  also  increasing.  Against  this 
backdrop, the EU has demonstrated its determination to 
implement  the  European  Green  Deal  and  to  become 
climate neutral and resilient by 2050, ensuring sustainable 
competitiveness  and  supporting  EU  industry  in  the  net-
zero  transition.  The  European  Climate  Law  is  the  EU’s 
response  to  the  need  for  action.  It  sets  the  objective  of 
achieving climate neutrality by 2050 and a midterm target 
of a reduction in GHG emissions of at least 55 % by 2030, 
and outlines the adaptation efforts necessary to adjust to 
climate  change’s  present  and  future  impacts.  Almost  all 
the  ‘Fit  for  55’  proposals set  out  in  the  European  Green 
Deal  have  been  agreed 
law,  and  the  European 
in 
Commission  recommended  a  new  intermediate  climate 
target of a 90 % reduction in emissions by 2040. In 2024, 
the  Member  States  submitted  updated  national  energy 
and climate plans for 2021–2030, reflecting the increased 
ambition  of  the  revised  EU  legislation.  In  2024,  the 
European Commission also released, jointly with the EEA, 
the first-ever European climate risk assessment. 

its  Member  States  need 

Over  the  last  three  decades,  since  1990,  the  EU  has 
achieved  steady  decreases  in  its  emissions,  reaching  a 
running  total  in  2022  of  – 32.5 % (109).  However,  the  EU 
their 
and 
implementation  efforts  and  accelerate  emissions 
reduction to stay on track to reach their targets of a 55 % 
reduction  in  net  GHG  emissions  by  2030  and  climate 
neutrality  by  2050.  Between  1990  and  2022,  net  GHG 
emissions of Austria increased by 1 % making it one of the 
countries with a net increase. 

to  step  up 

Forestry (110). The package has been fully adopted, and the 
Member States have been implementing the legislation. 

The key strategic document at country level is the National 
Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) (111). Austria submitted its 
updated plan in December 2024 after the deadline set by 
the regulation on the Governance of the Energy Union and 
Climate  Action(112).  The  European  Commission  assessed 
the final plan and the extent to which Austria has followed 
the recommendations for the draft version. The findings 
from the assessment are: 

• 

Emissions  under  the  Effort  Sharing  Regulation  will 
decrease  by  46%  in  2030  compared  to  2005,  and 
Austria will have to use flexibilities to meet its target 
of 48%. 

•  Despite  a  declining  trend 

its  carbon  sink, 
in 
projections 
for  2030  show  that  Austria  will 
overachieve  its  Land  use,  Land-use  change  and 
Forestry (LULUCF) target.  

•  Austria  is  in  line  with  its  target  for  the  share  of 

• 

renewable energy. 
There are still gaps in energy efficiency targets that 
must be closed. 

To minimise the impacts of climate policies on vulnerable 
people  and  sectors,  Austria  is  using  the  Just  Transition 
Fund  and  will  use  Social  Climate  Fund  from  2026.  (for 
more information, see Chapter 5 – Financing). 

Figure 32: Total GHG  emissions (excluding international 
aviation) (%), 1990–2022 

The  ‘Fit  for  55’  legislative  package  reflects  the  need  to 
speed up the green transition. It includes (i) strengthening 
and expanding the EU emissions trading system (ETS), with 
the  creation  of  a  new,  second,  ETS  for  transport  and 
buildings together with a dedicated Social Climate Fund to 
help  citizens  during  the  transition;  (ii)  increasing  targets 
under  the  Effort  Sharing  Regulation;  and  (iii)  a  revised 
for  Land  Use,  Land-Use  Change  and 
Regulation 

(109)  EU  net  domestic  emissions,  including  the  land  use,  land-use 
change and forestry (LULUCF) sector and excluding international 
aviation. 

(110)  A  full  overview  of  the  Fit  for  55  package  is  available  at 
https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-
2019-2024/european-green-deal/delivering-european-green-
deal/fit-55-delivering-proposals_en. 

(111)  More  information  about  NECP  is  on  the  dedicated  website 
https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/energy-strategy/national-
energy-and-climate-plans-necps_en. 

(112)   Article  14  of  regulation  2018/1999  on  the  Governance  of  the 

Energy Union and Climate Action 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
The EU emissions trading system 

Austria  has  since  notified  full  transpositions  of  the 
abovementioned directives to the Commission. 

Austria  36 

The  EU  ETS  is  the  key  tool  for  reducing  GHG  emissions 
cost-effectively across all Member States. It is the world’s 
biggest carbon market, covering around 40 % of the EU’s 
total GHG emissions from electricity and heat generation, 
the  manufacturing  industry,  aviation  within  Europe (113) 
and, from 2024, maritime transport also. 

The system sets a limit or cap on the total amount of GHGs 
that  can  be  emitted  at  the  EU  level.  Within  this  limit, 
companies buy emissions allowances (one allowance gives 
the right to emit 1 t of CO2 eq (carbon dioxide equivalent)), 
in auctions or through trading allowances with others. The 
cap is reduced annually to ensure that overall emissions in 
the sectors covered decrease over time. 

The emissions under the ETS decreased by 23 % from 2005 
to 2023. 

In  2023,  only  13 %  of  GHG  emitted  by  Austria’s  ETS 
installations  came  from  power  generation,  significantly 
below the EU average (57 %). Of the total emissions from 
all industry sectors, the metals industry emitted over half 
(56 %), cement and lime production 16 %, other industries 
11 %,  refineries  12 %  and  chemicals  4 %.  Between  2019 
and 2023, the power sector registered a higher emissions 
reduction (44 %) than the industry sectors (11 %), leading 
to an overall reduction of 17 %. Since 2013, GHG emissions 
have declined by 49 % in power generation, but they have 
decreased by only 10 % in the other ETS sectors, due to 
adverse trends in chemicals  and cement  production and 
stubbornly high emissions in the metals sector. 

From 2027, a new emissions trading system, called ETS2, 
for  buildings,  road  transport  and  additional  sectors 
(mainly  industry  not  covered  by  the  current  ETS)  will 
become  fully  operational (114).  Member  States  should 
have  notified  full  transposition  the  provisions  of  the 
revised  EU  ETS  Directive  related  to  the  new  ETS2  into 
national  law  by  30 June  2024.  Austria  has  done  so.  The 
monitoring and reporting requirements and the obligation 
to  hold  a  permit  to  carry  out  activities  under  ETS2  will 
commence on 1 January 2025. Austria is the only Member 
State that transposed it in time. 

Under its eco-social tax reform, Austria has introduced its 
own carbon pricing system for the transport, heating and 
other sectors (non-ETS industry, machinery in agriculture 
and forestry), which is to be merged into the ETS2 once it 
becomes operational. 

The Commission opened infringement procedures against 
Austria on  25 January 2024, for failing to  fully  transpose 
previous revisions of ETS Directives (115) into national law. 

Effort sharing 

from  domestic  transport 

The  Effort  Sharing  Regulation  (ESR) (116)  covers  GHG 
emissions 
(excluding  CO₂ 
emissions  from  aviation),  buildings,  agriculture,  small 
industry and waste. Emissions from these sectors account 
for  around  60 %  of  the  EU’s  domestic  emissions.  The 
regulation  sets  the  EU-wide  target  to  reduce  emissions 
from the effort sharing sectors by 40 % by 2030 compared 
to 2005 levels. This overall target for the EU translates to 
binding  national  emission  reduction  targets  for  each 
Member State. Austria‘s target is – 48 %. 

In  addition  to  the  2030  targets,  Member  States  have 
annual GHG emissions limits (annual emission allocations), 
reducing every year until 2030. 

There  is  some  flexibility  to  take  account  of  annual 
in  emissions,  by  trading  emissions  and 
fluctuations 
transfers from the ETS and LULUCF. 

Based  on  historical  emissions  and  the  most  updated 
projections Austria will need to implement new measures 
and/or  use  available  flexibilities  to  achieve  its  2030  ESR 
target. The projected gap is 1.9 percentage points to the 
2030 target. 

The largest  contributor is the domestic transport  sector, 
which accounted for 45 % of all effort sharing emissions in 
2022. The emissions have decreased by 17 % since 2005. 
Austria’s  transport  mix  is  relatively  evenly  balanced 
between  road  and  rail,  and  its  shift  to  sustainable  road 
transport is gaining momentum. In 2022, battery electric 
vehicles  accounted  for  2.1 %  of  Austria’s  passenger  car 
fleet, significantly higher than the EU average of 1.2 %. In 
2023,  around  19 600  publicly  accessible  charging  points 
provided a charging point for every eight e-vehicles, above 
the EU average of 1:10. Car trips account for 75 % of the 
distances travelled (EU average: 85 %), while rail accounts 
for  9 %  (EU  average:  6 %).  For  freight,  road  transport 
accounts for a smaller proportion of t transported than the 
EU  average  (62 %  vs  75 %),  with  a  remarkable  27 %  of 
freight  being  transported  by  rail,  and  10 %  through 
pipelines. 71 % of  Austria’s railway network is electrified 
(significantly above than the EU average of 56 %). 

Buildings accounted for 18 % of all effort sharing emissions 
in 2022. Emissions of the sector have decreased by 40 % 
since 2005. But Austria needs to step up its efforts in the 
residential  sector 
is  to  achieve  a  meaningful 
contribution  to  the  2030  building  decarbonisation 

it 

if 

(113)  Flights between the EU Member States including departing flights 
to Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. 

(114)  Directive 

(EU) 

2023/959 

(https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-

(115)  Directive - 2023/959 - EN - EUR-Lex and Directive - 2023/958 - EN 

- EUR-Lex. 
(116)  Regulation 

(EU) 

2018/842 

(https://eur-

content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2023.130.01.0134.01.ENG) 

lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2018/842). 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
Austria  37 

milestone set in its latest long term renovation strategy. 
Indeed, residential final energy consumption was lower in 
2022  than  2020  but  seen  in  a  longer  perspective  it  has 
increased by 2.6 %. 

Figure 33: Effort-sharing emissions by sector (%), 2022 

Adaptation to climate change 

Halting all GHG emissions would still not prevent climate 
impacts that are already occurring. Therefore, adaptation 
to  climate  change  is  also  a  key  component  of  climate 
policy. 

Austria has no regions identified as a hotspots of climate 
risks most affected by climate change (117). 

Austria’s  wide  climate  protection  gaps  for  floods  and 
wildfires  call  for  monitoring.  Damages  and  losses  from 
these risks are projected to rise to at least EUR 3–6 billion 
in  2030  and  EUR 6–12 billion  by  2050.  A  relatively  large 
share of assets remains uninsured against climate hazards. 
Austria  is  also  vulnerable  to  climate  change-related 
impacts  due  to  more  frequent  and  extreme  weather 
events  like  heatwaves  and  droughts.  Adapting  to  these 
impacts  will  require  substantial  additional  precautionary 
forests, 
measures,  notably  on 
the 
biodiversity, 
(including 
through  nature-based  solutions),  transport,  agriculture, 
(hydro)energy, tourism and human health protection. 

infrastructure, 

resilience  of 

construction 

Land use, land-use change and forestry 

The  land-use,  land-use  change  and  forestry  (LULUCF) 
sector plays a significant role in achieving the EU’s climate 
neutrality goal. In the EU, this sector absorbs more GHGs 
than it emits, removing significant volumes of carbon from 
the atmosphere. Thus, it is the only sector with negative 
emissions. 

Austria’s forests play a major role in carbon removals. In 
2018, Austria’s LULUCF sector transitioned from removing 
carbon to emitting it, due to major calamity events in the 
forest, but  the country has been achieving net  removals 
again since 2020. 

Austria‘s target in 2030 is to enhance land removals by an 
additional  −0.9 Mt  of  CO2  equivalent  compared  to  the 
yearly  average  of  the  period  2016–2018.  The  latest 
projections show a surplus compared to the 2030 target of 
−3.4 Mt of CO2 equivalent, despite the long-term trend of 
a  declining  net-sink  until  2050.  Therefore,  Austria  is  on 
track to meet this target, but the results in this sector are 
highly  dependent  on  natural  conditions  (such  as  the 
influence  of  climate  change)  and  can  therefore  change 
significantly from year to year.  

Austria adopted its national adaptation strategy and plan 
in 2012 and updated it in 2017 and 2024. There are several 
regional adaptation plans. 

European Commission identified five priority actions in the 
2022  edition (118)  of  the  review  with  regard  to  climate 
action. 

is  some  progress 

There 
infrastructure 
investments, but continued efforts for capacity expansion 
in Austria’s cross-border as well as its domestic electricity 
network remain necessary to 2030 and beyond. 

in  energy 

is  a  progress 

There 
in  carbon  pricing.  Austria  has 
introduced  CO2  pricing  in  the  transport  and  heating 
sectors. 

Austria has obligatory targets in the transport sector, such 
as  a  14 %  share  of  fuels  from  renewables  (including 
biofuels)  by  2030.  This  measure  was  originally 
implemented  in  2004.  In  this  specific  case,  it  can  be 
assumed 
sustainability  criteria  are 
accounted for. 

that  biomass 

2025 priority action 

• 

Implement all polices and measures that are needed 
to  achieve  targets  laid  down  in  the  Effort  Sharing 
Regulation  (ESR)  and  the  Land  use,  land-use  change 
and  forestry  (LULUCF)  Regulation.  More  detailed 

(117)  European  Climate  Risk  Assessment  (EUCRA).  2024.  Available  at 

(118)  EUR-Lex - 52022SC0274 - EN - EUR-Lex. 

European Climate Risk Assessment (europa.eu).  

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
priority actions are set out in the assessment of the 
final National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP).(119) 

Austria  38 

(119)   National energy and climate plans 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Part II: Enabling framework – implementation tools 

5. Financing

Austria  39 

The  EU  budget  supports  climate  investment  in  Austria 
with  significant  amounts  in  2021–2027,  with  revenues 
from the ETS also feeding into the national budget. During 
2020–2022,  Austria’s  revenues  from  auctioning  reached 
EUR 877 million in total, with almost double that spent on 
climate and energy, corresponding to EUR 1 679 million. 

In  addition,  the  annual  investment  needed  to  meet  its 
environmental  objectives 
in  the  areas  of  pollution 
prevention and control, the circular economy and waste, 
water protection and management, and biodiversity and 
ecosystems is estimated to be EUR 11.3 billion per year in 
Austria. 

These  four  environmental  areas  currently  receive  total 
funding of around EUR 8.4 billion per year; thus, there is a 
gap of EUR 2.9 billion per year. 

pollution 

Of  the  environmental  investment  gap,  EUR 855 million 
control, 
concerns 
EUR 942 million 
ecosystems, 
EUR 715 million circular economy and EUR 389 million the 
water objective. 

biodiversity 

prevention 

and 

and 

Climate finance landmarks 

EU funding for climate action 

The EU budget supports climate action in the EU-27 with 
EUR 657.8 billion  in  the  2021–2027  budgetary  period 
across  the  various  programmes  and  funds,  representing 
an  overall  34.3 %  contribution  level.  Of  this,  cohesion 
policy provides EUR 120 billion (over half of it through the 
European  Regional  Development  Fund  (ERDF)),  the 
recovery and resilience facility (RRF) EUR 275.7 billion and 
CAP EUR 145.9 billion (120). 

In  Austria,  the  EU  cohesion  policy  (considering  the  EU 
contribution  amount)  provides  EUR 303 million 
for 
climate action in 2021–2027 (with around half of this via 

(120)  European  Commission,  Statement  of  Estimates  of  the  European 
Commission –  For  the  financial  year  2025,  Publications  Office  of 
pp. 94–96, 
the 
https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/7a0420e1-
599e-4246-9131-ccb7d505d6d9_en?filename=DB2025-
Statement-of-Estimates_1.pdf. 

European  Union, 

Luxembourg, 

2024, 

(121)  See 

the 

Cohesion 

Open 

Data 

Platform 

(https://cohesiondata.ec.europa.eu/). 

(122)  EU  Commission  datasets  and  the  Recovery  and  Resilience 
(https://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/recovery-

Scoreboard 
and-resilience-scoreboard/index.html). 

the  ERDF),  with  a  further  EUR 4.3 million  from  the 
European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (121). 

The  RRF  contributes  to  climate  finance  in  Austria  with 
EUR 2.21 billion  up  to  2026,  representing  55.7 %  of  the 
RRP (122). 

(EIB)  provided 
Investment  Bank 
The  European 
EUR 109.9 billion  financing  across  the  EU-27  between 
2021  and  mid  2024  to  support  energy,  transport  and 
industry  projects  that  are  aligned  with  the  EU’s  climate 
objectives. Of this amount, EUR 2.15 billion was assigned 
to Austria in the reference period (123). 

National financing, including EU emissions trading 
system revenues 

to  EUR 184.2 million 

Revenues  from  the  auctioning  of  emission  allowances 
under  the  EU  ETS,  which  feed  directly  into  national 
budgets,  amounted 
in  2020, 
EUR 311 million in 2021 and EUR 381.7 million in 2022 in 
Austria, totalling EUR 877 million in the three-year period. 
In  Austria,  these  revenues  are  not  earmarked.  National 
spending  on  climate  and  energy  purposes  totals  more 
than  100 %  of  auctioning  revenues.  Climate  and  energy 
projects financed from the national budget were reported 
in several years, although their funding cannot be directly 
linked to the auctioning revenues. 

From the remaining part of the EU ETS revenues that feed 
into  the  Innovation  Fund  and  the  Modernisation  Fund, 
further  support  is  available  to  climate  action  at  the  EU 
level (124). 

the  environment 

It should be noted that investment in climate action also 
supports 
the 
environmental  investments  described  in  the  following 
sections  cannot  be  regarded  as  entirely  additional  to 
climate investment (125). 

therefore, 

and, 

(123)  A 

list  of 

financed  projects 

is  provided  by 

the  EIB 

(https://www.eib.org/en/projects/loans/index.htm). 

(124)  European  Commission:  Directorate-General  for  Climate  Action, 
Progress Report 2023 – Climate action, Publications Office of the 
European 
2023, 
https://climate.ec.europa.eu/news-your-voice/news/climate-
action-progress-report-2023-2023-10-24_en. 

Luxembourg, 

Union, 

(125)  NB:  Indirect  investments  (from  climate  and  other  policies)  in 

support of the environment are accounted for via the tracking. 

Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
Environmental financing and investments 

Table 1: Key environmental allocations from EU funds to 
Austria (million EUR), 2021–2027 

Austria  40 

This section describes Austria’s investment needs, current 
financing  and  gaps  as 
four 
environmental  objectives  beyond  climate  objectives, 
namely  tackling  pollution,  the  circular  economy  and 
waste,  water  protection  and  management,  and 
biodiversity and ecosystems (126). 

relate 

they 

the 

to 

The environment overall 

Investment needs 

investment  needs  to  be 
The  overall  environmental 
sufficient  to  enable  Austria  to  meet  its  objectives  in  the 
areas  of  pollution  prevention  and  control,  the  circular 
economy and waste, water protection and management, 
and biodiversity and ecosystems. The required investment 
is  estimated  to  be  EUR 11.3 billion  per  year  (in  2022 
prices). 

A  significant  part  of  the  estimated  requirement,  around 
EUR 6.5 billion per year, can be attributed to the need to 
support  the  circular  economy.  For  pollution  prevention 
and control, the annual investment  needs are estimated 
to  be  EUR 1.9 billion;  for  water,  they  are  EUR 1.5 billion 
and  for  biodiversity  and  ecosystems  EUR 1.3 billion  (in 
2022 prices). 

Current investments 

To implement the environmental investments needed, the 
available  financing  is  estimated  to  currently  reach  an 
annual  EUR 8.4 billion  in  Austria  from  EU  and  national 
sources combined (in 2022 prices). 

Total  environmental  funding  from  the  multiannual 
financial  framework  (MFF)  is  estimated  to  reach  around 
EUR 2.1 billion for Austria in total, during  2021–2027 (or 
EUR 304 million per year). 

Instrument 

Cohesion policy 
ERDF 
Cohesion Fund 
Just Transition Fund 

CAP 
European Agricultural Guarantee Fund 
European  Agricultural  Fund  for  Rural 
Development 

European  Maritime,  Fisheries  and 
Aquaculture Fund 

Other MFF sources 

RRF (d) (2021–2026) 

Allocations 

110.2 (a) 
94.5 
0.0 
15.7 

1 665.5 (b) 
383.9 
1 281.6 

3.8 

348.4 (c) 

1 151.4 

(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

(d) 

European  Commission,  2021-2027  cohesion  policy  (planned) 
allocations in EU amount excluding national co-financing, based on 
the  tracking  in  the  Common  Provisions  Regulation  (CPR,  2021) 
Annex I. Please note potential data changes that may have arisen 
between the EIR preparation cut-off date (31 October 2024) and 
its  publication  date.  Note  that  Austria  is  not  eligible  for  the 
Cohesion 
information: 
and 
https://cohesiondata.ec.europa.eu/2021-2027-
Categorisation/2021-2027-Planned-finances-detailed-
categorisation/hgyj-gyin/about_data. 

further 

Source 

Fund. 

Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council  of  2 December  2021  establishing  rules  on  support  for 
strategic  plans  to  be  drawn  up  by  Member  States  under  the 
common agricultural policy (CAP strategic plans) and financed by 
the  European  Agricultural  Guarantee  Fund  (EAGF)  and  by  the 
European  Agricultural  Fund  for  Rural  Development  (EAFRD)  and 
repealing Regulations (EU) No 1305/2013 and (EU) No 1307/2013 
(OJ 
https://eur-
p. 1), 
lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/2115.  
Note that 2021-2027 combines factual data for 2021 and 2022 and 
expenditure  under  the  relevant  specific  objectives  (SOs)  of  the 
CAP strategic plans from 2023, using the EU biodiversity tracking 
methodology  (https://commission.europa.eu/system/files/2023-
06/Biodiversity%20tracking%20methodology%20for%20each%20
programme%202023.pdf). Source: European Commission.  

6.12.2021, 

Annex XI, 

L 435 

Space  Fund,  Horizon  Europe,  financial 
environment and the Connecting Europe Facility. 

instrument  for  the 

Outside  the  MFF.  Note  that  the  RRF  applies  a  similar 
environmental tracking scheme (set in the RRF Regulation, Annex 
VI)  as  the  EU’s  cohesion  policy.  RRF  dataset  version  used:  July 
2024, prior to 2025 revisions. Data source: European Commission.   

Austria,  in  addition  to  receiving  EU  funds  earmarked 
specifically  for  it  in  2021–2027,  can  also  benefit  from 
funding programmes that can be accessed at the EU level 
and which are open to all Member States. These include 
instrument  for  the  environment  (LIFE) 
the  financial 
(EUR 5.4 billion) (127),  Horizon 
Europe 
programme 

(126)  Research,  development  and  innovation  is  accounted  for  under 
each environmental objective. The financing needs, baselines and 
gap  estimates  are  based  on  the  Directorate-General  for 
internal  analysis  (of  2024).  Throughout  this 
Environment’s 

chapter,  specific  references are  provided to  the  most  important 
data sources used. 

(127)  https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/programmes/life_en. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
(EUR 95.5 billion) (128),  the  Connecting  Europe  Facility 
(EUR 33.7 billion) (129)  and  funds  that  can  be  mobilised 
through the InvestEU programme (130). 

Austria’s RRP supports climate objectives through funding 
of  EUR 2.2 billion  (55.7 %  of  total),  with  an  additional 
EUR 0.22 billion (5.5 % of total) for the environment. 

The EIB provided around EUR 659 million in environment-
related financial contributions to Austria from 2021 to mid 
2024,  most  of  which,  EUR 577 million  (88 %),  was  in  the 
area  of  sustainable  energy,  transport  and  industrial 
projects,  which  provides  significant  co-benefits  to 
reducing  air  pollution,  environmental  noise  and  other 
pollution. 

The  EU’s  total  national  expenditure  on  environmental 
protection  (operating  plus  capital  expenditure)  was 
EUR 298 billion  in  2020  and  EUR 321 billion  in  2021, 
representing around 2.2 % of EU-27 GDP.  In Austria, the 
total national environmental protection expenditure was 
EUR 12.2 billion  in  2020  and  EUR 14.6 billion  in  2021, 
representing 3.2 % and 3.6 % of GDP, respectively. 

Of  the  total  environmental  expenditure,  the  national 
capital  expenditure 
(investment)  on  environmental 
protection  amounted  to  EUR 54.5 billion  in  2020  and 
EUR 59.9 billion in 2021 in the EU-27, representing around 
In  Austria,  the  national 
0.4 %  of  the  EU’s  GDP. 
environmental 
reached 
protection 
EUR 1.5 billion  in  2020,  rising  to  EUR 2.1 billion  in  2021, 
representing around 0.4–0.5 % of GDP. 

investment 

protection 

investment 

Splitting  by  institutional sector,  3 %  of  Austria’s  national 
environmental 
(capital 
expenditure) comes from the general government budget, 
with 65 % coming from specialist private-sector producers 
(of environmental protection services, such as waste and 
water  companies)  and  32 %  from  the  general  business 
sector,  whose  environmental  activities  are  usually 
ancillary  to  its  main  activities.  At  the  EU  level,  38 %  of 
environmental  protection 
from 
governments,  40 % 
specialist  private-sector 
producers and 22 % from the general business sector (131). 

investment  comes 

from 

Austria  41 

93.7 %  national  financing.  The  total  public  financing  (EU 
plus national public) represents 9.3 % of the total. 

The gap 

To meet its four environmental objectives beyond climate 
change, the additional investment need over the current 
levels  (i.e.  the  gap)  reaches  an  estimated  EUR 2.9 billion 
per  year  in  Austria,  representing  around  0.65 %  of  the 
national GDP, being lower than the EU average (0.77 %). 

Figure 34: Environmental financing, needs and gaps  per 
Member State (% of GDP) 

Source: Analysis of Directorate-General for Environment. 

The following table provides the distributions of Austria’s 
environmental  investment  gap  (expressed  in  various 
forms) by environmental objective. 

Table 2: Summary of environmental investment gaps in 
Austria per year, 2021–2027 

Environmental 
objective 

Investment gap per year 

Million EUR 
(2022 
prices) 

% of 
total 

% of 
GDP 

Austria’s  total  financing  for  environmental  investment 
reaches  an  estimated  EUR 8.4 billion  per  year  (in  2022 
prices),  including  EU  funding  and  national  public  and 
national private expenditure. Of the total, the share of EU 
funds  (including  EIB  funds)  reaches  6.3 %,  with  around 

Pollution prevention 
and control 

Circular economy and 
waste 

855 

29.5 

0.19 

715 

24.7 

0.16 

(128)  European  Commission,  Horizon  Europe,  https://research-and-
innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-
programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe_en. 

(129)  The  Connecting  Europe  Facility  Transport  part  also  includes 
EUR 11.3 billion  transferred  from  the  Cohesion  Fund,  of  which 
30 % will be made available, on a competitive basis, to all Member 
States  eligible  for  the  Cohesion  Fund.  The  remaining  70 %  will 
respect the national envelopes until 31 December 2023. 

(130)  The  InvestEU  Fund  is  set  to  mobilise  over  EUR 372 billion  of 
investment through an EU budget guarantee of EUR 26.2 billion to 
back  the  investment  of  financial  partners such as  the  EIB  group 
and others. 

(131)  Eurostat, 

‘Environmental  protection  expenditure  accounts’, 

env_ac_epea. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
Water management 
and water industries 

Biodiversity and 
ecosystems 

389 

13.4 

0.09 

942 

32.5 

0.21 

Total 

 2 901 

100.0 

0.65 

Source: Analysis of Directorate-General for Environment. 

Pollution prevention and control 

Investment needs 

In pollution prevention and control, Austria’s investment 
needs  are  estimated  to  reach  EUR 1.9 billion  per  year 
(including  baseline  investments)  in  2021–2027.  Most  of 
this,  EUR 1.7 billion,  relates  to  air  pollution  control,  to 
comply with the clean air requirements for the five main 
air  pollutants  under  the  NECD  by  2030.  The  estimated 
needs 
reach 
EUR 680 million per year, most of which is delivered by the 
(same) sustainable energy and transport investments that 
also  benefit  clean  air (132).  Industrial  site  remediation 
requires  an  estimated  EUR 82 million  per 
year. 
Microplastics pollution and the chemicals strategy require 
around EUR 50–60 million per year (each) (133). 

environmental 

reduce 

noise 

to 

Current investments 

investment 

The  current 
levels  supporting  pollution 
prevention and control reach an estimated EUR 1.1 billion 
per  year  in  Austria  in  2021–2027.  Most  of  the  financing 
concerns clean air  (EUR 585 million per year). Protection 
from  environmental  noise  and  radiation  receive  around 
further 
EUR 100 million 
EUR 84 million for site remediation . 

(each)  per  year,  with  a 

In Austria, the EU MFF provides an estimated 3.1 % of the 
clean  air  financing  (mostly  via  cohesion  policy),  with  a 
further  10.2 % from the RRF, adding up to  13.4 % of the 
total. EIB financing contributes 7.4 % and national sources 
reach 79.3 %.(134) 

(132)  2021 

Phenomena 

project 
(https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/f4cd7465-a95d-11eb-9585-01aa75ed71a1)  and  the 
Directive 
Commission’s 
implementation 
report 
(https://environment.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-
03/COM_2023_139_1_EN_ACT_part1_v3.pdf). 

Environmental 

assessment 

Noise 

2023 

(133)  European  Commission,  Third  Clean  Air  Outlook,  Brussels,  2022, 

https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/air/clean-air-
outlook_en. See also the impact assessment for the revision of the 
AAQD, available from the Commission web page on the proposed 
revision 
(https://environment.ec.europa.eu/publications/revision-eu-
ambient-air-quality-legislation_en). 

(134)  Through  the  tracking  of  EU  funds,  EIB  projects  and  national 
expenditure (EPEA accounts, Eurostat). Note that the bulk of clean 
air  financing  is  provided  as  a  contribution  from  climate  (energy 
and  transport)  measures,  as  per  the  tracking  schemes  in  the 

Austria  42 

The gap 

To meet its environmental objectives concerning pollution 
prevention  and  control  (towards  zero  pollution),  Austria 
needs  to  provide  an  additional  EUR 855 million  per  year 
(0.19 % of GDP), mostly related to clean air and noise. The 
adequate 
the 
investments included for sustainable energy and transport 
would largely deliver this, while in many Member States 
additional measures and investments may be required to 
comply with the ammonia reduction requirements. 

implementation  of 

the  NECP  with 

According to the latest (2023) NAPCP review report (135), 
Austria  did  not  comply  with  ammonia  reduction 
requirements in 2020 and 2021, while it is  not  at risk  of 
non-compliance  with  ammonia  concerning  the  NECD’s 
2030  emission  reduction  commitments,  based  on  the 
policies and measures in its NAPCP that take into account 
climate, energy and CAP plans and financing baselines. 

Circular economy and waste 

Investment needs 

Austria’s investment needs in circular economy and waste 
reach  EUR 6.5 billion  per  year 
(including  baseline 
investments). Most of this, around EUR 6 billion per year, 
relates to circular economy measures in the mobility, food 
and  built  environment 
further 
EUR 564 million  necessary 
for  waste  management 
(municipal  and  packaging  waste),  covering  waste 
collection,  biowaste  treatment,  recycling  reprocessors, 
waste-sorting  facilities,  and  digitalisation  of  the  waste 
registry. The amount for waste excludes the investments 
needed for the uptake of circularity and waste prevention 
across the economy (136). 

systems,  with  a 

Current investments 

Circular economy investments across the economy reach 
around  EUR 5.3 billion  per  year  in  Austria  in  2021-2027, 
with  a  further  EUR 515 million  provided  for  waste 
management that does not constitute circular economy. 

information  on  clean  air 

Common  Provisions  Regulation  Annex  I  and  the  RRF  Regulation 
Annex  VI.  Further 
tracking: 
https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/0a80484e-
2409-4749-94c6-
3b23bc6bae8f_en?filename=Clean%20air%20methodology_0.pdf  
(135)  European Commission, ‘National air pollution control programmes 
website, 
European 

projections’, 

and 
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/air/reducing-
emissions-air-pollutants/national-air-pollution-control-
programmes-and-projections_en. 

Commission 

(136)  See Systemiq and Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Achieving ‘Growth 
Within’, 2017; and European Commission: Directorate-General for 
Environment, Study on investment needs in the waste sector and 
on  the  financing  of  municipal  waste  management  in  Member 
States,  Publications  Office  of  the  European  Union,  Luxembourg, 
2019, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/4d5f8355-bcad-11e9-9d01-01aa75ed71a1. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
Around 0.2 % of this combined financing for circularity and 
waste comes from the EU MFF, with a further 0.7 % from 
the  RRF,  adding  up  to  0.9 %  of  the  total.  EIB  loans 
identified  in  support  of  circularity  and  waste  represent 
0.1 %  of  the  total.  The  share  of  national  sources  is 
absolutely  overwhelming,  reaching  99 %  of  the  total 
financing (137). 

The gap 

To  meet  its  environmental  objectives  concerning  the 
circular  economy  and  waste,  Austria  needs  to  increase 
investments  by  an  estimated 
circular  economy 
additional 
EUR 667 million 
EUR 48 million concerning waste management action, not 
belonging to circular economy. Combined, this amounts to 
EUR 715 million per year, representing 0.16 % of Austria’s 
GDP. 

year,  with 

per 

an 

Of  the  circular  economy  gap,  EUR 175 million  relates  to 
recent  initiatives,  such  as  the  eco-design  for  sustainable 
products,  packaging  and  packaging  waste,  labelling  and 
digital  tools,  CRM  recycling,  and  measures  proposed 
under the amendment of the Waste Framework Directive, 
and EUR 492 million constitutes further investment need 
to unlock Austria’s circular economy potential. 

Water protection and management 

Investment needs 

The  annual  water  investment  needs  reach  an  estimated 
EUR 1.5 billion (in 2022 prices) in Austria. This comprises 
investment needs both for the water industry and for the 
protection and the management of water. The largest part 
of  the  total  annual  need,  EUR 813 million,  relates  to  the 
management  of  waste  water  (also  including  additional 
costs  associated  with  the  revised  UWWTD).  A  further 
EUR 441 million  is  necessary  for  drinking-water-related 
the 
investments  and  around  EUR 224 million 
protection and management of water (138). 

for 

(137)  Waste management and circular economy expenditure tracking in 
the  EU  funds,  EIB  projects  and  in  the  national  expenditure 
(Eurostat).  Datasets:  EPEA  accounts  (env_epi)  and  circular 
economy private investments (cei_cie012). 

(138)  See  European  Commission,  ‘Estimating  investment  needs  and 
financing capacities for water-related investment in EU Member 
States’, 
2020, 
28 May 
https://commission.europa.eu/news/estimating-investment-
needs-and-financing-capacities-water-related-investment-eu-
member-states-2020-05-28_en;  and  OECD,  Financing  Water 
Supply, Sanitation and flood Protection: Challenges in EU Member 
States  and  policy  options,  OECD  Publishing,  Paris,  2020, 
https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/environment/financing-water-
supply-sanitation-and-flood-protection_6893cdac-en. 

(139)  Water investment levels are estimated through tracking EU funds, 
EIB projects and national expenditure (EPEA accounts, Eurostat). 

Austria  43 

Current investments 

Water investments in Austria are estimated to be around 
EUR 1.1 billion per year (in 2022 prices) in 2021–2027. Of 
this,  EUR 612 million supports wastewater  management, 
EUR 373 million 
around 
the  Water 
EUR 100 million 
Framework  Directive 
and 
protection). 

the  other  aspects  of 

(water  management 

drinking 

water 

and 

Of  the  total  financing,  0.3 %  is  provided  by  the  EU  MFF 
(mostly through cohesion policy). EIB financing is around 
0.6 % of the total, while the bulk of water financing comes 
from national sources (99 %) (139). 

The gap 

To  meet  the  various  environmental  targets  under  the 
Water  Framework  Directive  and  the  Floods  Directive, 
Austria’s  water  investment  gap  reaches  EUR 389 million 
per year (0.09 % of GDP), with over half related to waste 
water 
(EUR 200 million  per  year).  Drinking  water 
measures  require  an  additional  EUR 68 million  per  year 
and the other aspects of the Water Framework Directive 
around EUR 118 million per year over the existing levels of 
financing. 

Biodiversity and ecosystems 

Investment needs 

The investment needs for biodiversity and ecosystems are 
estimated to be EUR 1.3 billion per year (in 2022 prices) in 
Austria in 2021–2027. This includes the following financing 
needs: 

(i)  Austria’s  prioritised  action 
Natura 

concerning 
EUR 117 million per year, mostly running costs; 

framework (140) 
areas: 
2000 

the 

(ii)  additional  BDS  costs (141):  EUR 876 million  per 

year on top of the framework; 

(iii)  sustainable 

soil  management 

costs (142): 

EUR 346 million per year. 

(140)  European Commission, ‘Financing Natura 2000 – Prioritised action 
website, 

Commission 

frameworks’, 
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/nature-and-
biodiversity/natura-2000/financing-natura-2000_en. 

European 

(141)  See European Commission: Directorate-General for Environment, 
Biodiversity  Financing  and  Tracking –  Final  report,  Publications 
Office 
2022, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/793eb6ec-dbd6-11ec-a534-
01aa75ed71a1/language-en. 

European  Union, 

Luxembourg, 

the 

of 

(142)  See Proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the 
Council  on  soil  monitoring  and  resilience  (Soil  Monitoring  Law) 
2023, 
COM(2023) 416 
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/publications/proposal-
directive-soil-monitoring-and-resilience_en. 

5 July 

final 

of 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
Current investments 

The current level of biodiversity financing is estimated to 
be EUR 397 million per year (in 2022 prices) in 2021–2027. 
79.1 % of this is considered direct financing to biodiversity 
and ecosystems, with a  100 % coefficient  in the tracking 
schemes. 

0.1 % of the total financing is estimated to come from EU 
cohesion  policy,  56 %  from  CAP,  2.5 %  from  Horizon 
Europe and around 1 % from LIFE. The EU MFF altogether 
accounts for 60 % of the financing and the RRF for 1.7 %, 
adding up to a total of 62 % from the EU budget. The rest, 
38 %, comes from national sources (143). 

Austria  has  programmed  20.6 %  of  its  CAP  budget  in 
measures dedicated to support biodiversity, above the EU 
average. However, Austria is the Member State with the 
third-lowest  share  of  biodiversity  financing  programmed 
under cohesion policy: 0.6 % of the cohesion policy budget 
is  estimated  to  contribute  to  biodiversity  (disregarding 
ESF+). Lastly, 1.4 % of RRF funds have been programmed 
for investments in biodiversity in Austria. 

Figure 35: 2021–2027 contributions to biodiversity from 
the main EU instruments per Member State (% of policy 
total) 

NB: ESF+, European Social Fund Plus. 

The gap 

Austria  44 

investment gap is estimated to be around EUR 855 million 
per year, corresponding to 0.19 % of its GDP. 

Public financial management 

Green budgeting practices 

Green  budgeting  refers  to  the  use  of  budgetary  tools  to 
achieve climate and environmental goals. Some Member 
States,  including  Austria,  already  use  green  budgeting 
tools  for  identifying  and  tracking  green  expenditures 
and/or revenues (144). Green budgeting practices provide 
increased transparency on the environmental implications 
of budgetary policies. 

Austria  is  a  frontrunner  on  green  budgeting,  developing 
tools  such  as  climate  tagging,  impact  assessments  and 
climate-related spending(145). The establishment of a focal 
point  for  green  budgeting  steers  the  path  towards  an 
increased 
the  national 
administration.  

impact  orientation  across 

The  Commission  has  developed  a  non-mandatory  green 
budgeting  reference  framework  that  brings  together 
methodologies  for  assessing  the  impacts  of  budgets  on 
climate and environmental goals (146). 

To help Member States develop national green budgeting 
and  thereby  improve  policy  coherence  and  support  the 
green  transition,  the  Commission  facilitated  a  technical 
support instrument (TSI) project on green budgeting from 
2021 to 2024 (147). Austria participated, taking inspiration 
on possible improvements to its national framework. 

Beyond green budgeting, to improve policy outcomes, the 
Commission  has  also  drawn  up  climate-proofing  and 
sustainability-proofing  guidance (148)  as  tools  to  assess 
project  eligibility  and  compliance  with  environmental 
legislation and criteria. 

Green taxation and tax reform 

To  meet  the  environmental  objectives  concerning  the 
protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems 
and  other  relevant  cross-cutting  measures,  Austria’s 

Total environmental taxes amounted to EUR 8.4 billion in 
Austria in 2022, representing 1.9 % of its GDP (EU average: 
2.0 %).  Energy  taxes  formed  the  largest  component  of 
environmental taxes, accounting for 1.1 % of GDP, which 

(143)  Based  on 

biodiversity 

tracking 

in 

the 

EU 

budget 

(146)  European  Commission, 

(https://circabc.europa.eu/ui/group/3f466d71-92a7-49eb-9c63-
6cb0fadf29dc/library/8e44293a-d97f-496d-8769-50365780acde), 
and national expenditure into biodiversity from the Classification 
of the Functions of Government accounts. 

(144)  European  Commission,  Green  Budgeting  in  the  EU.  Key  Insights 
from the 2023 European Commission Survey of Green Budgeting 
Practices, 
https://economy-
finance.ec.europa.eu/economic-and-fiscal-governance/national-
fiscal-frameworks-eu-member-states/green-budgeting-
eu_en#:~:text=European%20Commission%20Green%20Budgetin
g%20Survey%C2%A0. 

2023, 

(145)   https://www.bmf.gv.at/en/topics/climate-

policy/green_budgeting_en.html 

‘European  Union  green  budgeting 
https://economy-

2022, 

framework’, 

reference 
finance.ec.europa.eu/economic-and-fiscal-governance/green-
budgeting-eu_en. 

(147)  https://reform-support.ec.europa.eu/what-we-do/revenue-

administration-and-public-financial-management/supporting-
implementation-green-budgeting-practices-eu_en. 

(148)  Commission notice – Technical guidance on the climate proofing 
of infrastructure in the period 2021–2027 (OJ C 373, 16.09.2021, 
p. 1), 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/23a24b21-16d0-11ec-b4fe-
01aa75ed71a1/language-en. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
Austria  45 

amounted 

to  USD 15 billion 

issuance 
(EUR 13.9 billion). 

in 

2023 

During  2014–2023,  83 %  of  the  green  bonds  issued  by 
European  countries  (excluding  supranational  entities) 
served objectives in energy, buildings or transport, while 
5 % supported objectives in water, 5.1 % related to land 
use  (with  links  to  nature  and  ecosystems)  and  3.8 % 
applied  to  waste  management.  By  2023,  the  combined 
share of energy, buildings and transport had decreased to 
73 %, the shares of waste management and land use had 
increased (to 5.9 % and 8.4 %, respectively) and the share 
of water had remained around 5 %. 

In  2021–2023,  31.7 %  of  the  European  green  bonds 
(excluding  supranational 
issued  by 
financial  corporates,  29.1 %  by  sovereign  governments 
and  23.1 %  by  non-financial  corporates.  8.3 %  of  the 
issuances was linked to government-backed entities, 6.4 % 
to developments banks and 1.4 % to local governments. 

issuances)  was 

Figure 37: Value of green bonds issued per Member State 
(billion EUR), 2021, 2022 and 2023 

is lower than the EU average of 1.6 %. Transport taxes, at 
0.8 % of GDP, were well above the EU average (0.4 %), as 
were  taxes  on  pollution  and  resources,  at  0.02 %  (EU 
average: 0.08 %). In 2022, environmental taxes in Austria 
accounted  for  4.4 %  of  total  revenues  from  taxes  and 
social  security  contributions  (under  the  EU  average  of 
5.0 %) (149). 

Figure 36: Environmental taxes per Member State, 2022 

The EU Green Deal emphasises the role of well-designed 
tax  reforms  (e.g.  shifts  from  taxing  labour  to  taxing 
pollution) to boost economic growth and resilience, and to 
foster  a  fairer  society  and  a  just  transition  through  the 
right price signals. The Green Deal promotes the ‘polluter-
pays  principle’,  which  makes  polluters  bear  the  costs  to 
prevent, control and remedy pollution. 

According  to  a  2024  study (150),  Austria  applies  landfill 
taxes  used  to  discourage  environmentally  harmful 
activities  and  behaviours 
field  of  waste 
management (concerning various types of waste). 

the 

in 

Green bonds and sustainable bonds 

In 2023, the total value of green bonds issued by Member 
States  was  USD 245 billion  (EUR 227 billion),  up  from 
USD 234 billion (EUR 198 billion) in 2021 (151). 

During 2021–2023 combined, Austria issued green bonds 
worth  USD 25.4 billion  (EUR 21.4 billion).  Of  this,  the 

Data source: Climatebonds.net, with some additional data from national 
sources (e.g. Croatia, Slovenia). 

Environmentally harmful subsidies 

Addressing  and  phasing  out  environmentally  harmful 
subsidies,  in  particular  fossil  fuel  subsidies  (FFS),  is  a 
further  step  towards  achieving  the  eighth  environment 
the  enabling 
action  programme  objectives  and 

(149)  Eurostat, ‘Environmental taxes accounts’, env_eta.  
(150)  European  Commission:  Directorate-General  for  Environment, 
Candidates  for  Taxing  Environmental  Bads  at  National  Level, 
Publications  Office  of  the  European  Union,  Luxembourg,  2024, 
Annex 2, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/35c1bbdf-2931-11ef-9290-01aa75ed71a1/language-
en. 

(151)  Climate  bonds  initiative  (https://www.climatebonds.net/).  NB. 
Additionally (and not included in this), national sources indicated 
EUR 544.8 million issuance for Croatia, in 2022-2023, and a slightly 
higher  amount  for  Slovenia  (+0.27  billion)  during  2021-2023  in 
total. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
 
 
conditions (152). FFS are costly for public budgets and make 
it difficult to achieve European Green Deal objectives. 

Figure 38:  Energy  subsidies  by  energy  carrier  (billion 
EUR), 2015–2023 

Austria  46 

The overall downward trend of FFS mentioned in past EIRs 
was disrupted from 2022 due to the European response to 
the 2021 energy crisis and subsequent increase in energy 
prices. 

As  a  direct  consequence,  annual  FFS  in  the  EU  have 
increased to EUR 109 billion in 2023 from EUR 57 billion in 
2020. From 2021 to 2023, there was a marked increase in 
annual FFS of 72 % in the EU (153). 

For the majority of the Member States (16), the year 2022 
saw  a  peak  in  the  amount  of  overall  FFS.  A  decline  was 
then observed in 2023 (154). In particular, FFS for coal and 
lignite, natural gas and oil increased in 2022 and a strong 
increase was observed for natural gas subsidies. 

In Austria, the energy subsidies were stable in 2015–2021, 
including  FFS (at around  EUR 0.3–0.4 billion per year). In 
2022, FFS jumped to EUR 4.3 billion, returning to previous 
levels in 2023. 

As a share of GDP, FFS in 2022 ranged from 1.8 % in Croatia 
to less than 0.1 % in Denmark and Sweden. Austria’s value 
reached 1 %, slightly above the EU average (0.8 %) (155). 

(152)  Article 3(h) and 3(v) of the eighth environment action programme. 
(153)  European Commission, 2025, 2024 Report on Energy Subsidies in 
COM(2025) 

Union, 

European 

the 
https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/documents-
register/detail?ref=COM(2025)17&lang=en  

NB: RES, renewable energy source. 

a 

included 

2022  priority 

Source: analysis of Directorate-General Energy 
The 
general 
action 
recommendation to ensure an increased level of financing 
for the environment to cover the investment needs across 
the environmental objectives and priorities and to avoid 
investment  gaps.  The  environmental  investment  gap 
overall  remained  at  a  similar  level  (0.65 %  of  GDP), 
requiring further action across the objectives to close the 
gaps, which reach around 25 % of the total needs. 

2025 priority action 

•  Use more national funding (for instance by increasing 
taxes  in  favour  of  the  environment  and  reducing 
environmentally  harmful  subsidies),  EU  funding  and 
private funding to help close the investment gap. 

(154)  16 Member States: BE, EE, IE, EL, ES, FR, HR, IT, CY, LT, HU, NL, AT, 

PT, RO and SE. 

(155)  European  Commission,  2024  Report  on  Energy  Subsidies  in  the 
COM(2025), 

European 
https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/documents-
register/detail?ref=COM(2025)17&lang=en 

Union, 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
6. Environmental governance 

Austria  47 

Information, public participation and access to 
justice 

Table 3:  Austria  dashboard  on  implementation  of  the 
Inspire Directive, 2016–2023 

2016 

2023 

Legend 

to 

(iii) 

and 

access 

justice 

Citizens  can  more  effectively  protect  the  environment  if 
they rely on the three ‘pillars’ of the Aarhus Convention: 
(i)  access  to  information,  (ii)  public  participation  in 
decision-making 
in 
environmental  matters.  It  is  of  crucial  importance  to 
public  authorities,  the  public  and  businesses  that 
environmental 
is  shared  efficiently  and 
effectively (156).  Public  participation  allows  authorities  to 
make  decisions  that  take  public  concerns  into  account. 
Access to justice is a set of guarantees that allows citizens 
and  NGOs  to  use  national  courts  to  protect  the 
environment, safeguard the rights of citizens and ensure 
accountability  of  authorities (157).  It  includes  the  right  to 
bring legal challenges (‘legal standing’) (158). 

information 

Environmental information 

This  section  focuses  on  the  implementation  of  the 
Infrastructure  for  Spatial  Information  in  the  European 
Community (Inspire) Directive. The Inspire Directive aims 
to  set  up  a  European  spatial-data  infrastructure  for 
sharing environmental spatial information between public 
authorities across Europe. It is expected that this will help 
policymaking  across  boundaries  and  facilitate  public 
access  to  this  information.  Geographic  information  is 
needed  for  good  governance  at  all  levels  and  should  be 
readily and transparently available. 

(156)  The  Aarhus 

Convention 

(https://unece.org/environment-
policy/public-participation/aarhus-convention/text),  the  Access 
to  Environmental  Information  Directive  (Directive  2003/4/EC) 
(https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32003L0004) 
Inspire 
Directive  (Directive  2007/2/EC)  (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32007L0002) together create a legal 
foundation for the sharing of environmental information between 
public authorities and with the public. 

and 

the 

(157)  These  guarantees  are  explained  in  the  European  Commission’s 
2017  notice  on  access  to  justice  in  environmental  matters 

effective 

Effective coordination and data sharing  ■  Implementation  of 
is  well 
this  provision 
Ensure 
advanced  or 
(nearly) 
coordination 
completed. Outstanding 
issues are minor and can 
be  addressed  easily. 
Percentage > 89 % 

without obstacle  ■  ■ 

■  ■ 

sharing 

Data 

Inspire performance indicators 

(i)  Conformity  of 
metadata 

■  ■ 

(ii)  Conformity  of 
spatial datasets  

■  ■ 

(iii)  Accessibility  of 
spatial 
datasets 
through  view  and 
download services 

■  ■ 

(iv)  Conformity  of 

network services  ■  ■ 

■  Implementation  of 
this 
has 
provision 
started and made some 
or  substantial  progress 
but  is  still  not  close  to 
being 
completed. 
Percentage = 31–89 % 

■  Implementation  of 
this  provision  is  falling 
behind. 
significantly 
Serious 
are 
necessary  to  close  the 
gap. 
implementation 
Percentage < 31 % 

efforts 

Source:  European  Commission,  ‘Austria’,  Inspire  Knowledge  Base, 
https://knowledge-base.inspire.ec.europa.eu/austria_en. 

Austria’s  performance 
Inspire 
Directive is substantial and has been reviewed based on 
its 2023 country fiche (159) (see Table 3). 

implementing  the 

in 

Public participation 

Public involvement  at both the planning and the project 
phase  maximises  transparency  and  social  acceptance  of 
programmes  and  projects.  Consultation  with  the  public 
(including  NGOs)  and  environmental,  local  and  regional 

(https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:52017XC0818(02))  and  a  related 
2018 citizen’s guide (https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/2b362f0a-bfe4-11e8-99ee-01aa75ed71a1/language-
en/format-PDF). 

(158)  This  EIR  focuses  on  the  means  used  by  Member  States  to 
guarantee  rights  of  access  to  justice  and  legal  standing  and  to 
overcome other major barriers to bringing cases on environmental 
protection. 

(159)  European  Commission, 

‘Austria’, 

Inspire  Knowledge  Base, 

https://knowledge-base.inspire.ec.europa.eu/austria_en. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
 
 
authorities  is  a  key  feature  of  an  effective  impact 
assessment procedure. Such consultation also provides an 
opportunity for public authorities and project promoters 
to  engage  with  the  public  actively  and  meaningfully  by 
making information on the likely significant effects widely 
available. If carried out with due diligence and taking into 
consideration  useful  public  input,  this  process  leads  to 
better-informed decision-making and can promote public 
increases 
acceptance.  Making 
stakeholder  involvement,  thus  lessening  resistance  and 
preventing (or minimising) litigation. On the other hand, it 
is paramount that the procedure is effective. 

information  available 

involvement  and 
This  section  examines  how  public 
transparency are ensured under two instruments, namely 
the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive (160) 
and  the  Strategic  Environmental  Assessment  (SEA) 
Directive (161). 

EU law provides for a flexible framework concerning EIAs. 
The aim of this framework is to ensure the application of 
the  necessary  environmental  safeguards,  while  enabling 
speedy  approval  of  projects.  The  Commission  has 
contributed to simplifying and accelerating permitting for 
renewable energy projects and continues to support the 
Member  States  in  this  regard(162).  Austria  has  already 
taken 
to  accelerate  permit-issuing 
procedures  taking  advantage  of  the  broad  flexibilities 
offered  by  the  EU 
legal  framework,  such  as  the 
establishment  of  one-stop  shops  and  accelerated  short 
issuing  permits  for  renewable  energy 
deadlines  for 
projects. 

steps  aiming 

The average speed in the EU for issuing permits involving 
is  20.6 months,  with  a  minimum 
an  EIA  procedure 
duration  of  11.4 months  and  a  maximum  duration  of 
75.7 months (163).  The  duration  of  each  step  in  an  EIA 
process 
report,  public 
consultation, reasoned conclusion, development consent) 
varies considerably between Member States and projects. 
Austria  reported  very  low  numbers  of  EIA  procedures 
throughout the period and merged the information on the 

scoping,  EIA 

(screening, 

(160)  Directive  2011/92/EU  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council of 13 December 2011 on the assessment of the effects of 
certain public and private projects on the environment (OJ L 26, 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
p. 1), 
28.1.2012, 
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32011L0092. 

(161)  Directive  2001/42/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council of 27 June 2001 on the assessment of the effects of certain 
plans and programmes on the environment (OJ L 197, 21.7.2001, 
p. 30), 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32001L0042. 

(162)   Commission Staff Working Document  (SWD/2022/0149 final), 18 
May 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52022SC0149&qid=1653034229
953. 

2022, 

(163)  European  Commission:  Directorate-General  for  Environment, 
Collection of information and data on the implementation of the 
revised  Environmental 
(EIA)  Directive 
(2011/92/EU) as amended by 2014/52/EU), Publications Office of 

Impact  Assessment 

Austria  48 

duration  of  the  different  stages  of  the  EIA  process.  The 
nature of the data available therefore limits the ability to 
draw general conclusions. A priority action is included for 
2025  to  provide  more  detailed  information  on  the 
different  stages  of  the  EIA  process.  Effective  use  of  EU 
procedures can positively influence the timely approval of 
activities  underpinning  the  decarbonisation  of  the 
economy on the way to net zero by 2050. 

A new report  is not  yet  available on the application and 
effectiveness of the SEA Directive in the EU. Nevertheless, 
a support study has been  published with information by 
Member State (164). 

With regard to public participation, Austria received one 
priority  action  related  to  EIA  and  SEA  in  2022:  monitor 
public participation in EIA and SEA processes, in particular 
with the view to exploring trends in public engagement. 
This has not yet been addressed.  

In Austria, there are fewer EIA procedures than in other 
comparable Member States. This is due to an insufficient 
consideration  of  the  selection  criteria  determining 
whether  projects  should  be  subject  to  an  EIA.  The 
Commission therefore started an infringement procedure 
in 2024. 

Beyond  the  implementation  of  the  relevant  legislation, 
there remains scope for encouraging participation in the 
EIA and SEA processes (165). While a specific government 
website  to  encourage  public  participation  has  been 
created (166), this does not focus on environmental issues, 
and does not signpost sources of information on EIA for 
the  public.  The  situation  with  SEA  processes  is  more 
encouraging: a specific website includes a section on the 
involvement of the public and the environmental agencies 
(Beteiligung 
der 
der 
Umweltstellen) (167). 

Öffentlichkeit 

und 

Access to justice 

Access to justice, guaranteed by Article 19(1) of the Treaty 
on  European  Union  and  Article 47  of  the  EU  Charter  of 

the  European  Union,  Luxembourg,  2024,  Tables 5  and  6, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/8349a857-2936-11ef-9290-01aa75ed71a1/. 
(164)  European  Commission:  Directorate-General  for  Environment, 
Lundberg, P., McNeill, A., McGuinn, J., Cantarelli, A. et al., Study 
supporting  the  preparation  of  the  report  on  the  application  and 
effectiveness  of  the  SEA  Directive  (Directive  2001/42/EC)  –  Final 
study,  Publications  Office  of  the  European  Union,  2025, 
https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2779/1615072 
Information  on  publicity  for  SEA  processes  is  available  on  the 
Federal 
website 
(https://www.strategischeumweltpruefung.at/sup-
grundlagen/sup-oeffentlichkeit). 

Environment 

Agency’s 

(165) 

(166)  https://partizipation.at. 
(167) 

Information  on  publicity  for  SEA  processes  is  available  on  the 
Federal 
website 
(https://www.strategischeumweltpruefung.at/sup-
grundlagen/sup-oeffentlichkeit). 

Environment 

Agency’s 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
Fundamental Rights, is a fundamental right and part of the 
democratic process. It is vital to ensure the full application 
of EU law in all Member States and the legal protection of 
the  rights  of  individuals,  including  in  environmental 
matters.  Access  to  justice  is  essential  to  enable  judicial 
review of the decisions of public authorities and to allow 
the  correction  of  any  wrongdoing  committed  by  these 
authorities. This section provides a snapshot of the state 
of play of access to courts by the public, particularly when 
it  comes  to  challenging  plans,  or  the  non-adoption  of 
plans,  under  EU  law,  in  the  areas  of  water,  waste,  air 
quality and noise, irrespective of the form of the legal act 
(i.e. regulatory act or administrative decision). 

As  mentioned  in  the  last  EIR,  Austria  provides  for  some 
access to justice in environmental matters, in particular to 
recognised  environmental  NGOs.  The  requirements  for 
recognising an environmental organisation are laid down 
in Section 19(6) of the EIA Act (UVP-G 2000) and are quite 
restrictive.  This provision requires the organisation to (i) 
have  been  a  non-profit  organisation  for  at  least  three 
years;  (ii)  have  at  least  100  members;  and  (iii)  have 
its  main  objective. 
environmental  protection  as 
Federations  must  comprise  at 
five  member 
associations. Every three years, organisations must prove 
that they still meet the recognition requirements. A list of 
all recognised environmental organisations is available on 
for  Climate  Action, 
the  website  of  the  Ministry 
Environment, 
and 
Technology. 

Energy,  Mobility, 

Innovation 

least 

Generally,  decisions  of  an  administrative  authority  can 
only  be  challenged  by  individuals  if  and  as  far  as  their 
(substantive) rights are affected. Recognised NGOs obtain 
limited access to justice against individual decisions. The 
nine  Austrian  Länder  with  exclusive  competence  for 
nature  conservation  introduced  legislation  that  provides 
for  access  to  justice  against  some  individual  decisions 
relating 
implementation  of  parts  of  EU 
environmental  law  (the  Habitats  Directive,  the  Birds 
Directive and the IAS Regulation). The rules are different 
in each Land. 

the 

to 

Plans and progress are mostly adopted in the form or as a 
part  of  an  ordinance.  According  to  the  jurisprudence  of 
the  Constitutional  Court,  recognised  environmental 
organisations do not have the standing to challenge such 
acts.  This  is  particularly  problematic  if  state  authorities 
take  measures  through  self-executing  ordinances,  which 
cannot  be  legally  challenged  by  NGOs.  This  practice  has 

Austria  49 

become  more  widespread  since  NGOs  obtained  limited 
access to justice against individual decisions. In 2023, the 
Austrian  Verwaltungsgerichtshof  (Supreme  Court  of 
Administration)  decided  that  recognised  environmental 
organisations  had  in  some  cases  a  right  to  challenge 
regulatory  acts  based  on  Article 6  of  the  Aarhus 
Convention  in  combination  with  Article 47  of  the  EU 
Charter of Fundamental Rights. Therefore, the competent 
authorities had the obligation to examine the request of 
an environmental organisation to modify a regulatory act 
and an administrative jurisdiction could not simply reject 
the  application  as  inadmissible.  At  present,  the  exact 
scope and effect of this decision is not clear, in particular 
because  administrative  jurisdictions  do  not  have  the 
power to annul regulatory acts or to grant  interim relief 
against such acts. 

insufficient 

In light of the above, an infringement procedure relating 
to  the 
implementation  of  the  Aarhus 
Convention, in particular the right of recognised NGOs to 
have access to an effective judicial review of self-executing 
ordinances, is ongoing and could be referred to the Court 
of  Justice  of  the  European  Union  if  Austria  does  not 
remedy the breaches identified by the Commission. 

In  2022,  Austria  received  priority  actions  to  (i)  improve 
access to courts by the public concerned when it comes to 
challenging  administrative  or 
regulatory  decisions 
covering planning, in particular in relation to water, nature 
and air quality; and (ii) ensure that the public has access 
to justice to review self-executing regulatory acts, such as 
ordinances  derogating  from  the  basic  principles  of  EU 
environmental law. While there has been some progress, 
the systemic issues remain the same. 

2025 priority actions 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Ensure  that  relevant  information  on  EIA  and  SEA 
procedures 
(including  on  public  participation 
opportunities and on publication of final decisions) is 
electronically accessible in a timely manner, through 
at least a central portal or easily accessible points of 
access, at the appropriate administrative level. 
Provide  information  on  the  average  duration  of  all 
steps in the EIA process. 
Ensure  correct  transposition  of  the  revised  EIA 
Directive. 
Improve  access  to  courts  in  national  environmental 
cases by the public concerned and eliminate practical 
barriers,  such  as  length  of  proceedings  or  excessive 
costs in some Member States. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
Compliance assurance 

Environmental  compliance  assurance  covers  all  work 
undertaken by public authorities to ensure that industries, 
farmers and others fulfil their obligations to protect water, 
air and nature, to manage waste (168) and to remedy any 
environmental  damage.  It  includes  measures  such  as  (i) 
compliance  promotion,  (ii)  compliance  monitoring  (i.e. 
inspections  and  other  checks),  (iii)  enforcement,  that  is, 
steps taken to stop breaches and impose sanctions, and 
(iv) ensuring damage prevention and remediation in line 
with the polluter-pays principle. 

Compliance promotion, monitoring and enforcement 

Non-compliance  with  environmental  obligations  may 
occur for different reasons, including poor understanding 
or  lack  of  acceptance  of  the  rules,  opportunism  or  even 
criminality.  Compliance  promotion  activities  help  duty-
holders to comply by providing information, guidance and 
other  support.  This  is  particularly  important  in  areas 
where new and complex legislation is put in place. 

When  inspections  and  other  control  activities  identify 
problems,  a  range  of  responses  may  be  appropriate, 
the  use  of  administrative  and  criminal 
including 
enforcement tools. 

Statistics  on  environmental  crimes  are  provided  by  the 
Federal Ministry of the Interior. The latest report available 
is  from  2022 (169).  For  each  year,  a  narrative  report  is 
provided, with a related annex and a separate document 
on  statistics  and  analysis.  This  report  (Crime  Report – 
Statistics and Analysis) includes statistics on a wide range 
of  criminal  offences.  There  is  a  separate  section  on 
environmental crimes in the annual reports. 

The  2022  EIR  recommended  that  Austria  (i)  ensure  that 
information  on  the  implementation  of  legislation  on 
nature  and  nitrates  is  provided,  specifically  targeting 
farmers and duty-holders; (ii)·improve public information 
on  measures  to  tackle  environmental  crime,  including 
inspections  or  complaints;  (iii) 
follow-up  actions  to 
encourage public bodies at the federal and regional levels 
to publicise options for public reporting of environmental 
concerns  or 
infringements.  Concerning  compliance 
promotion,  monitoring,  and  criminal  and  administrative 
enforcement,  the  2022  priority  actions  are  not  assessed 
here due to a lack of systematic information. Similarly, the 
Commission is not aware of whether information is easily 
available online at the national level for farmers regarding 

(168)  The concept is explained in detail in the European Commission’s 
2018  communication  on  EU  actions  to  improve  environmental 
compliance  and  governance  (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52018DC0010)  and  the  related 
Commission staff working document (). 

Austria  50 

compliance with the Nitrates and Nature Directives, and 
hence the related 2022 priority action is not assessed. 

The new EU Environmental Crime Directive 

The EU has recently strengthened its legal framework on 
tackling  the  most  serious  breaches  of  environmental 
obligations,  notably  by  the  adoption  of  the  new 
Environmental  Crime  Directive  (ECD)  (Directive  (EU) 
2024/1203)170 and new sectoral legislation with stronger 
provisions  on  compliance  monitoring,  enforcement  and 
penalties. Issues important for the transposition and the 
implementation  of  the  relevant  new  instruments  are 
highlighted below; a detailed assessment of these topics 
will be included in the next EIR once more implementation 
measures  are  put 
in  place  and  more  systematic 
information is available. 

The  new  ECD  replaced  the  2008  ECD  and  introduced 
several  new  offence  categories,  such  as  unlawful  ship 
recycling,  unlawful  water  abstraction,  and  serious 
legislation  on  chemicals,  mercury, 
breaches  of  EU 
fluorinated GHG and IAS of EU concern. It also covered the 
establishment  of  qualified  offences,  subject  to  more 
severe penalties where one of the offences defined in the 
directive  leads  to  serious  widespread  and  substantial 
damage  or  destruction  of  the  environment.  Concrete 
provisions on the types and levels of penalties for natural 
and  legal  persons  who  commit  an  offence  were  also 
introduced.  Other  provisions  will  help  considerably  to 
improve  the  effectiveness  in  combating  environmental 
crime  of  all  actors  along  the  enforcement  chain.  These 
include  obligations  to  ensure  adequate  resources  and 
investigative  tools,  specialised  regular  training  and  the 
establishment  of  cooperation  mechanisms  within  and 
between Member States as well as national strategies on 
combating environmental crime. 

Member  States  are  required  to  transpose  the  new  ECD 
into national law by 21 May 2026 and to take additional 
measures  to  more  effectively  combat  environmental 
crime, 
in  particular  through  training,  coordination, 
cooperation  and  strategic  approaches.  The  Commission 
will  provide  support, 
facilitating  the 
identification  and  sharing  of  good  practices.  Member 
States are expected to ensure the necessary resources and 
invited  to 
specialised  skills  required  and  they  are 
encourage their authorities to support and cooperate with 
the  recognised  EU-level  networks  of  environmental 
enforcement practitioners, such as the EU Network for the 
Implementation  and  Enforcement  of  Environmental 

including  by 

(169)  The security report (Sicherheitsbericht) is available on the ministry 

(170) 

website (https://www.bmi.gv.at/508/start.aspx). 
 Directive  2024/1203/EU  on  the  protection  of  the  environment 
through 
https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/1203/oj/eng 

criminal 

law 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
Law (171),  EnviCrimeNet (172),  the  European  Network  of 
Prosecutors for the Environment (173) and the EU Forum of 
Judges  for  the  Environment (174).  The  European  Union 
Agency for Law Enforcement  Cooperation and European 
Justice  Cooperation 
Union  Agency 
mechanisms for cooperation on cross-border cases should 
be used more systematically for environmental offences. 

for  Criminal 

Environmental Liability Directive 

The  Environmental  Liability  Directive  (ELD)(175)  aims  to 
ensure that environmental damage is remediated in kind 
at the expense of those who have caused it, in line with 
the polluter-pays principle. It helps to halt the net loss in 
biodiversity,  as  well  as  reducing  the  number  of 
contaminated  sites  and  protecting  the  environmental 
quality of groundwater and surface waters. The ELD is a 
cross-cutting 
for  better 
tool  and  a  key  enabler 
implementation of EU environmental law. 

The  ELD  addresses  cases  of  significant  environmental 
damage  to  protected  species  and  natural  habitats,  and, 
when caused by operators carrying out certain potentially 
hazardous  activities,  also  damages  to  water  and  to  soil. 
The  Commission  has  the  legal  obligation  to  periodically 
evaluate  the  ELD.  The  ELD  has  undergone  the  second 
evaluation (176), which will be finalised in 2025, and which 
was  supported  by  an  external  study (177),  containing, 
among  other  things,  evidence,  views,  reports  and  other 
relevant information gathered from different stakeholder 
groups, including Member States. 

indicators 

One  of  the  most  relevant 
in  assessing 
implementation  and  enforcement  of  the  ELD  is  the 
number  of  environmental  damage  cases  handled  under 
the  ELD,  especially  when  this  number  is  compared  with 
the  previous  reporting  period.  Fewer  ELD  cases  were 
reported in the second reporting period (2013–2022) than 
in  the  first  one  (2007–2013).  However,  the  downward 
tendency  in  the  number  of  ELD  occurrences  and  their 
overall low number do not necessarily mean that the ELD 
has  achieved  its  objectives,  as  it  needs  to  be  compared 
with the overall number of environmental damage cases, 
some of  which  may have been handled  under the other 
liability instruments. 

(171)  https://www.impel.eu/en. 
(172) 

LIFE+SATEC 
(https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/life/publicWebsite/project/LIFE2
0-PRE-ES-000001/fight-against-environmental-crime-at-a-
strategic-level-through-the-strengthening-of-envicrimenet-
network-of-experts-in-environmental-criminal-investigations). 

project 

(173)  https://www.environmentalprosecutors.eu. 
(174)  https://www.eufje.org/index.php?lang=en. 
(175)  Directive 2004/35/EC on environmental liability with regard to the 
prevention and remedying of environmental damage https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02004L0035-20190626. 

Austria  51 

The ELD has not always been effective in ensuring that the 
polluter  pays,  because  the  liable  operators  often  lack 
financial  capacity  to  carry  out  remediation  measures. 
While the ELD does not provide for a mandatory financial 
security  system,  it  explicitly  calls  for  Member  States  to 
encourage 
financial  security 
instruments  and  markets,  with  the  aim  of  enabling 
operators  to  use  financial  guarantees  to  cover  their 
responsibilities under this directive. 

the  development  of 

From 1 May 2013 to 31 December 2021, Austria reported 
only one occurrence of environmental damage under the 
ELD (the case involved damage to three deciduous trees 
that  were  the  natural  habitat  for  hermit  beetles).  No 
environmental damage under the ELD was reported in the 
previous reporting period. 

implemented  mandatory 
Although  Austria  has  not 
financial  security,  environmental  insurance  policies  that 
provide  cover  for  ELD  liabilities  are  available.  They  are 
rarely  purchased  due  to  the  model  extension  for  ELD 
liabilities  in  general  liability  policies,  developed  by  the 
Austrian Insurance Association. The model environmental 
extension  specifically  provides  cover  for  ELD  liabilities, 
with  the  caveat  that  it  does  not  provide  cover  for 
environmental damage that occurs on an insured site. As 
a result, most operators in Austria now have coverage for 
ELD  liabilities,  but,  as  was  explained,  this  coverage  is 
limited 
remediating 
environmental damage and does not include remediation 
of on-site damage. 

third-party 

claims 

for 

to 

2025 priority action 
• 

Encourage the use of training programmes provided 
by  the  Commission  (or  developed  at  the  national 
level) covering the ELD and its interactions with the 
other national liability-related instruments, to ensure 
more  efficient  ELD  implementation,  improve  the 
expertise  of  the  competent  authorities  and  raise 
awareness among all stakeholder groups. 

(176)  Commission  staff  working  document  -  Evaluation  of  the 

Environmental Liability Directive, forthcoming 2025. 

(177)  European Commission: Directorate-General for Environment and 
in  support  of  the  evaluation  of  the 
Fogleman,  V.,  Study 
Environmental  Liability  Directive  and  its  implementation –  Final 
report,  Publications  Office  of  the  European  Union,  Luxembourg, 
2024, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/006d90e5-980a-11ef-a130-
01aa75ed71a1/language-en. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
EU-supported environmental capacity building 

• 

initiative 

The  Commission’s  2023  Compact (178) 
to 
enhance  the  administrative space  identifies  the  capacity 
to  lead  the  green  transition  as  one  of  three  key  pillars, 
along with the public administration skills agenda and the 
capacity  for  Europe’s  Digital  Decade.  Compact  also 
recognises the role of the EIR reporting tool in improving 
environmental  governance.  The  two  main  capacity-
building  opportunities  for  the  environment  provided  by 
the European Commission are the TSI (179) and the TAIEX-
EIR  PEER  2  PEER  tool (180).  The  technical  assistance 
available through the cohesion policy is subject to shared 
management and is not dealt with in this subsection. 

The Commission’s technical support instrument 

The  TSI  provides  Member  States  with  tailor-made 
technical expertise on the design and implementation of 
reforms.  The  support  is  demand  driven  and  does  not 
require national co-financing. 

The  Commission’s  TSI  had  annual  calls  in  2021,  2022, 
2023, 2024 and 2025. The following environment-related 
projects have been selected for Austria:  

•  Roadmap  for  a  future  comprehensive  raw  material 

balance, Ministry of Finance (2022); 

• 

Integration  of  environmental  dimensions  in  public 
finances – implementing the ‘do no significant harm’ 
(DNSH)  principle 
in  public  funding  programme, 
Ministry of Finance (2023); 

•  Building 

policy 

sustainable 
coherence 
development  (PCSD)  in  Austria,  Federal  Ministry  for 
European and International Affairs (2024); 

for 

• 

Promoting  cooperation  and  cross-border  exchange 
on  legal  challenges  and  issues  related  to  energy 
transition, Federal Ministry for Climate Action (2024). 

(178)  See 

the  European  Commission  web  page  on  Compact 
(https://reform-support.ec.europa.eu/public-administration-and-
governance-coordination/enhancing-european-administrative-
space-compact_en). 

(179)  See 

the  European  Commission  web  page  on 

the  TSI 

(https://commission.europa.eu/funding-tenders/find-
funding/eu-funding-programmes/technical-support-
instrument/technical-support-instrument-tsi_en). 

(181) 

(180)  See the European Commission web page on the TAIEX-EIR PEER 2 
(https://environment.ec.europa.eu/law-and-

tool 

PEER 
governance/environmental-implementation-review/peer-2-
peer_en). TAIEX: Technical Assistance and Information Exchange. 
flagship  multi-country  workshops    in  the  reporting  period  are: 
Recast  Drinking    Water  Directive  (3  April  2025);  Environmental 
compliance  and  governance  (18  March  2025);  Planning  of 
Renewable  Energy  Projects  (20  February  2025);  Air  Quality: 
Implementation  of  the  revised  Air  Quality  Directive  (16  January 
2025);    Industrial  safety:    awareness  raising  of  emerging  risks 
linked  with  climate  change  and  decarbonation  (12 December 

Austria  52 

Strengthening  Austria's  capacity  to  model  the 
macroeconomic  effects  of 
'green'  policies  and 
investments  through  the  GreenREFORM  model, 
Federal Ministry of Finance (2024); 

• 

Critical  Raw  Materials  Balance,  Austrian  Federal 
Ministry of Finance (2025). 

The Commission’s TAIEX-EIR PEER 2 PEER tool 

The Commission launched the TAIEX-EIR PEER 2 PEER tool 
in 2017. It aims to facilitate peer-to-peer learning among 
Member  States’  environmental  authorities  through 
workshops  (single  or  multi-country),  expert  missions 
(where a  delegation of  experts travels to the requesting 
institution) and study visits (where a delegation from the 
requesting institution travels to a host country). Flagship 
multi-country  workshops  are  those  requested  by  the 
Commission to present new and upcoming environmental 
legislation and policy in all Member States (181). 

Workshops involving Austria: 

•  Best practices in applying Article 6(3) of the Habitats 

• 

Directive (5 May 2022); 
Eco-management  and  audit  scheme  (EMAS)  (28–
29 September 2022); 
Future  challenges  for  air  protection  (24 November 
2022) with the Czech EU presidency; 
•  Decentralised  bio-waste  recycling 

in  Austria  (9–

• 

10 October 2023); 

•  Best  practice  in  applying  Article 6(3)  of  Habitats 
Directive:  Practical  solutions  to  carry  out  Natura 

2024); Air quality: implementation of the NEC Directive to further 
mainstream  air  and  broader  pollution  reduction  in  agricultural 
policy  (25 September  2024);  Industrial  emissions  transposition 
and implementation of the revised directive (12 September 2024); 
Noise:  progress  towards  meeting  Member  States’  noise  limit 
values and EU reduction targets (5 June 2024); Best practice use 
of  environmental  footprint  methods  on  the  EU  market  (30 May 
2024);  Sustainable  finance  (9 November  2023);  Textile  waste 
separate collection, treatment and markets (3 October 2023); EU 
environmental  funding  and  support  (13 June  2023);  Advisory 
service for businesses to go circular (24 April 2023); Digital product 
passport implementation (6 December 2022); Public involvement 
in  planning  and  approval  of  renewable  energy  projects 
(17 November 2022); Environmental compliance and governance 
(14 November  2022);  Biowaste  management  (19–20 September 
2022);  and  Renewable  energy  projects:  permitting  granting 
processes  (13 June 2022). NB: The first flagship workshop on zero 
pollution for air, water and soil took place on 9 February 2022. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
impact  assessments  effectively 
2023); 

(25–27 October 

•  Reducing air pollution from transport and residential 

energy (11–13 June 2024); 

•  Online  platforms:  EU  Batteries,  Packaging  and 
Packaging Waste Regulation (28–29 October 2024); 
•  New aspects in the cross-border cooperation against 
environmental crime (19–20 November 2024). 
Freight  transport  by  rail  (in  relation  to  waste 
transport) (17 - 18 March 2025), hosted in Vienna. 

• 

The  workshop  on  decentralised  biowaste  recycling  in 
Austria aimed to achieve a deeper understanding among 
Member  State  officials  of  biogenic  waste  treatment 
through lectures and excursions to various operators and 
recycling  plants.  From  2024,  Member  States  have  to 
collect  biowaste  separately  or  ensure  recycling  at  the 
source.  

Austria  53 

in  applying 
The  workshop  related  to  best  practice 
Article 6(3)  of  the  Habitats  Directive  (and  practical 
solutions  to  carry  out  Natura  2000  impact  assessments 
effectively)  brought  together  experts  from  Greece, 
Austria,  Poland  and  Sweden,  who  shared  best  practices 
with  Estonian  officials 
the  appropriate 
assessment  of  Natura  2000.  The  workshop  was  the  last 
exchange  in  a  series  of  events,  preceded  by  an  expert 
mission on 26-27 April 2023 in Estonia.  

regarding 

2025 priority action 

• 

Improve overall national environmental governance, 
in  particular  administrative  capacity  to  support  the 
green transition and coordination at the regional and 
local levels. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
 
 
Austria  54 

Annex  
2025 priority actions  

Circular economy and waste management   
Transitioning to a circular economy 

• 

Speed up the transition to a circular economy by implementing an updated national strategy and 
the EU framework and recommendations, in particular to complement it with upstream 
circularity measures. 

Waste management   

Increase the collection and recycling rate of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). 

• 
•  Adopt measures to increase recycling of critical raw materials. 

• 

Invest in waste prevention measures to reduce the total amount of waste generated. 

Biodiversity and natural capital   
Nature protection and restoration – Natura 2000   

• 

Finalise the establishment of site-specific conservation objectives and measures for all Natura 2000 
sites (including by adopting their management plans) and ensure their effective implementation. 

Recovery of species    

•  Reinforce action for habitats and species in unfavourable conservation status, for example 

through restoration measures, increased connectivity, better policy coordination and integration, 
and increased funding. 

• 

Recovery of ecosystems  
Implement eco-schemes and agri-environmental measures and practices to address the 
environmental needs of Austria. 

Prevention and management of invasive alien species    

•  Step up implementation of the IAS Regulation, including with regard to enforcement and capacity 

of inspection authorities. 

•  Ratify the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and 

Sediments of 2004 (BWM Convention). 

Ecosystem assessment and accounting    

•  Support development of national business and biodiversity network. 

Zero pollution   
Clean air   

•  As part of the NAPCP, take action to reduce emissions of air pollutants.  
•  Ensure full compliance with the current AAQD standards, also in light of future stricter 

requirements under the revised AAQD. 

Industrial emissions   

•  Complete the correct transposition of the IED 1.0. 
•  Reduce industrial air pollution damage and intensity. 
•  Reduce industrial releases to water and their intensity. 
•  Engage with industry and environmental NGOs to ensure proper contribution to and 

implementation of BAT conclusions, and ensure timely updates to permits following the 
publication of BAT conclusions.  

•  Ensure effective public participation and access to justice in relation to the IED.  

Major industrial accidents prevention – Seveso   

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
 
Austria  55 

•  Strengthen  compliance  with  requirements  on  safety  measures  to  prevent  major  accidents  and 
ensure  appropriate  preparedness  and  response  in  relation  to  UTEs,  in  particular  as  regards 
reviewing, testing and updating EEPs, at intervals of no more than three years. 

•  Complete and implement action plans on noise management.  

Noise  

Water quality and management   

Water Framework Directive 

• 

Improve river continuity and ecological flows, boosting efforts on nature-based solutions to 
reduce hydromorphological pressures. 

•  Ensure periodic reviews of permits for discharges, abstractions and other water uses, including 

hydropower pressures. 

•  Reduce pollution from nutrients, chemicals, metals and saline discharges. 

•  Better justify exemptions to the achievement of good status. 

• 

Improve the classification of water bodies and strengthen monitoring systems. 

•  Develop more robust programmes of measures, tackle obstacles identified in the implementation 
of measures and ensure adequate financing for implementation, including through better use of 
the cost recovery and polluter pays principle.rein 

Floods Directive  

• 

FRMPs should provide details on how the FHRMs were used in the choice of measures and how 
to consider pluvial flooding. 

•  Consider future climate scenarios in the FRMPs 
•  Better explain the choice and implementation of flood prevention and protection measures 

(prioritisation, monitoring, costs of measures). 

Nitrates Directive  

• 

Tackle nutrient pollution, especially nitrates from agriculture, through the implementation of the 
Nitrates Directive.  

Chemicals   
•  Upgrade the administrative capacities in implementation and enforcement to move towards a 

• 

• 

• 

policy of zero tolerance of non-compliance. 
Increase involvement in the activities of the Forum for Exchange of Information on Enforcement 
of the European Chemicals Agency, including in the coordinated enforcement projects, called 
REFs. 
Increase customs checks and checks of products sold online with regard to compliance with 
chemicals legislation. 

Climate action   

Implement all polices and measures that are needed to achieve targets laid down in the Effort 
Sharing Regulation (ESR) and the Land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) Regulation.  
More detailed priority actions are set out in the assessment of the final National Energy and 
Climate Plan (NECP). 

Financing   

•  Use more national funding (including by increasing taxes in favour of the environment and 

reducing environmentally harmful subsidies), EU funding and private funding to help close the 
investment gap. 

Environmental governance 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria 

 
 
 
 
Austria  56 

Information, public participation and access to justice 
•  Ensure that relevant information on EIA and SEA procedures (including on public participation 

opportunities and on publication of final decisions) is electronically accessible in a timely manner, 
through at least a central portal or easily accessible points of access, at the appropriate 
administrative level. 

•  Provide information on the average duration of all steps in the EIA process. 
•  Ensure correct transposition of the revised EIA Directive. 
• 

Improve access to courts in national environmental cases by the public concerned and eliminate 
practical barriers, such as length of proceedings and excessive costs in some Member States. 

Compliance assurance 
•  Encourage the use of training programmes provided by the Commission (or developed at the 
national level) covering the ELD and its interactions with the other national liability-related 
instruments, to ensure more efficient ELD implementation, improve the expertise of the 
competent authorities and raise awareness among all stakeholder groups. 

• 

EU-supported environmental capacity building 
Improve overall national environmental governance, in particular administrative capacity to 
support the green transition and coordination at the regional and local levels. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Austria