Today in Austria: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday

Signa founder René Benko was sentenced to 30 months in prison on Tuesday for fraudulent bankruptcy, or betrügerische Krida, Der Standard reported. The Innsbruck Regional Court's ruling concerned a €300,000 gift to his mother and a rental prepayment of around €360,000 for a villa on Innsbruck’s Hungerburg.

Austria’s Supreme Court previously overturned an acquittal on the rental payment and sent that part of the case back to Innsbruck. Benko had previously received a 2-year prison sentence over the €300,000 payment, but the court now set an overall sentence of 30 months after also convicting him over the rental payment.

The court said the prepayment was not economically necessary and that Benko had accepted that creditors could be harmed. The ruling on the sentence and rental-payment case is not final, so the presumption of innocence continues to apply in relation to those parts of the case.

Austria finance watchdog gets faster route to flag online investment scams

Austria’s Financial Market Authority has been designated a Trusted Flagger under the EU Digital Services Act, according to an FMA announcement. The status means online platforms must prioritise reports from the authority about unlawful financial offers.

The FMA is particularly targeting fake brokers, fraudulent investment offers, unlicensed crypto platforms, messenger-group scams, deepfake videos and cloned identities. It received 842 reports of investment fraud in 2025, representing around €20 million in reported losses.

Trusted Flagger status doesn’t allow the FMA to remove content itself. Platforms still decide what action to take, but recognised flaggers are given priority in the moderation process under the Digital Services Act.

Austria moves towards allowing underground carbon dioxide storage

Austria’s government sent draft legislation to consultation on Tuesday that would reverse the country’s ban on geological CO₂ storage, Der Standard reported. The planned change targets emissions that are particularly difficult to eliminate in sectors such as cement and steel.

Austria has prohibited geological CO₂ storage since 2011. The draft would restrict storage to emissions considered unavoidable, with a nationwide cap of 3 million tonnes a year on newly approved storage until 2030 and 7 million tonnes a year from 2030.

An Austrian Institute of Technology researcher cited by ORF Lower Austria said the Marchfeld is considered suitable because of its existing oil and gas formations and well-known geology. Any actual carbon capture and storage infrastructure would still require further planning and approval.

Events could cause traffic delays around Austria this weekend

A series of sporting and cultural events could cause local traffic disruption around Austria from September 25th to 27th, according to ARBÖ. The motoring organisation expects motorway traffic overall to be quieter than on recent travel weekends, but warns of congestion around several major events.

These include the Wörthersee Marathon around Klagenfurt and Krumpendorf on Sunday, the King of the Lake cycling race around the Attersee on Saturday, Tag des Sports and Kaiser Wiesn in Vienna, the Urfahraner Herbstmarkt in Linz and Rupertikirtag in Salzburg.

Traffic could also be affected around Vienna’s Ernst-Happel-Stadion for Sunday’s Austria-Kosovo football match.

ORF presenter Ani Gülgün-Mayr has lived in Austria since she was two, attended school and university in Vienna and has worked for the public broadcaster since 2005. Her application first hit a setback when MA 35 questioned her proof of German skills. The authority later apologised, saying it had overlooked the relevant certificates, before rejecting the application over administrative traffic offences. In our exclusive interview with Gülgün-Mayr, she explains why she wants citizenship, why the decision has left her feeling vulnerable and why she intends to keep trying.

Members can read the full interview, as well as The Local Austria’s other in-depth guides, explainers and practical stories about citizenship and life in Austria.

What is happening in Austria today

Austria’s Nationalrat meets from 9 am, with MPs due to consider several measures including the proposed Aktivpension and changes to Familienbeihilfe for displaced Ukrainians and people with subsidiary protection. The family-benefit proposal would change eligibility for people receiving Grundversorgung.

AMS Salzburg-Stadt is available only by appointment all day, while AMS Wien Schloßhofer Straße is scheduled to close from noon.

Several major transport works also remain in force, including the long-term closure of Vienna’s S-Bahn Stammstrecke between Wien Hauptbahnhof/St. Marx and Praterstern, as well as other ÖBB works around the country.

Salzburg’s Rupertikirtag begins today and runs through Sunday, while Vienna’s Slash Filmfestival also opens and continues until October 4th.

The day is expected to start chilly, with light frost possible in higher valleys. Sunshine should dominate across much of Austria later, with highs of around 14C to 23C.

die betrügerische Krida – fraudulent bankruptcy

die Familienbeihilfe – family allowance

die Aktivpension – planned pension-related incentive for people who continue working after statutory retirement age

der Rupertikirtag – Salzburg’s traditional festival held around St Rupert’s Day

If you have any questions about life in Austria, ideas for articles, or news tips for The Local, you can contact us at [email protected] or leave a comment below.