Vienna parliament resumes with FPÖ special session

Vienna’s city parliament has ended its summer recess with three sessions scheduled by Wednesday, starting with an emergency meeting requested by the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ), ORF reports.

The special session was requested by the FPÖ in July. Such meetings must normally be held within 21 days, excluding public holidays and weekends. During the summer, however, the deadline can be extended, allowing the session to open the parliament’s autumn work.

The FPÖ plans to raise issues that sparked debate over the summer and has referred to a series of scandals, including what it calls the “System Ludwig”.

Regular autumn programme begins Tuesday

The Vienna state parliament will meet on Tuesday, followed by the city council on Wednesday. The state parliament is expected to discuss a “time-out group home” for underage repeat offenders in Vienna, minimum-income support and the situation of children and young people affected by ME/CFS or Long COVID.

The Greens have also announced plans to request another special city council session. They want to focus on the summer heat, arguing that the city government failed to provide sufficient protection for residents. No date has been set for that meeting.