Vienna courts lack up to 55 judges

Vienna’s district and regional courts are short of as many as 55 judges, according to the Austrian Association of Judges, as judges and prosecutors protest staffing shortages by handling only urgent cases through the end of the week. ORF reported the figures on Monday.

Harald Wagner, a judge at the Vienna Commercial Court and head of the association’s Vienna branch, said courts in the capital and across Austria were under severe pressure. The association estimates that more than 250 judges are missing nationwide.

Wagner said serving judges had to make up for the staffing gap and were effectively working at “120 percent” capacity. Over time, he warned, they could have less time for individual proceedings than is needed, increasing the risk of errors and potentially affecting the quality of justice.

Justice Minister Anna Sporrer has announced measures intended to speed up proceedings and ease pressure on the justice system. Wagner said a process had produced about 400 proposals to improve efficiency, with around 200 considered worth pursuing. So far, seven have been implemented. Further measures would help, he said, but would not resolve the staffing problem.

A large protest meeting is planned for Wednesday at Vienna’s Criminal Regional Court. Judges and prosecutors are expected to discuss how years of heavy workloads are affecting individual courts. Wagner said further action remained possible if there was no change by the end of the week.

The association also urged its members to look after their health and not sacrifice themselves to cover vacant posts.