Experts of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Welcome Austria’s Expansion of Housing First Services, Raise Questions on Access to the Labour Market for Asylum Seekers and the Education of Minority Children
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights today concluded its consideration of the fifth periodic report of Austria, during which it reviewed the State party’s efforts to implement the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Committee Experts welcomed the State party’s expansion of the Housing First services, while raising questions on how Austria was facilitating access to the labour market for asylum seekers, and the education of children from national minorities.
Giuseppe Palmisano, Committee Expert and Country Taskforce Member, said recently the Federal Government had made additional funding available through the ‘Wohnschirm’ programme to expand Housing First services, which sought to provide rapid access to permanent housing, together with the support needed to sustain it. This was a welcome step in line with human rights law and standards.
Joo-Young Lee, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, said asylum seekers required a work permit, which was subject to a test and tied them to one employer, which in practice tended to keep asylum seekers out of work. Would the State party consider easing the labour market test and the link to a single employer?
Aslan Abashidze, Committee Expert and Country Taskforce Member, said according to Austria’s data, a significant proportion of preschool-age children (32.4 per cent) belonged to various national minorities and did not have an adequate command of German. What measures were being taken to help members of these population groups learn German? Additionally, what was Austria’s policy on preserving their native languages? What was the Austrian Government doing in this regard to provide native-language instruction for children belonging to other minorities, such as the Croats, whose numbers were more than four times those of the Roma?
Introducing the report, Elisabeth Handl-Petz, Austrian Federal Chancellery and head of the delegation, said the protection and promotion of human rights and the rule of law remained central priorities of Austria's domestic and foreign policy, as they formed the foundation of democratic resilience and social cohesion. While Austria's human rights framework was well developed, the State recognised that continued progress required sustained effort, and was here to listen, exchange views and further strengthen economic, social and cultural rights.
Responding to questions, the delegation said it was not necessary or proportionate to provide free labour market access to asylum seekers. The procedure to obtain a labour market permit was a protection for them, and looked at factors such as wages and hours worked. It was not forbidden for asylum seekers to change their work and seek other employers, even if an employment permit had been issued to them. More than 3,000 permits for asylum seekers had been granted in 2025, with minimal rejections. The State party believed there was effective access to the labour market for asylum seekers.
The delegation also said that there were six recognised groups of minorities within Austria: Hungarians, Croats, Slovenes, Czech, Slovak and Roma. The structures and legal frameworks regarding these monitories were completely embedded into the State’s education and administrative system. Curricula for schools with minorities were almost identical to schools with non-minorities, but contained important information for the targeted minority groups. Austria was currently investing significantly more funds in the field of language training, and offering German support classes to those whose first language was not German. The State party had substantially expanded the number of teachers in this area.
In concluding remarks, Ms. Lee said the dialogue was a shared moment of reflection of what the rights of the Covenant meant for the daily lives of people in Austria: a care worker far from home, a person seeking international protection in Austria, or a family worried about next month’s rent. She thanked the State party for the constructive dialogue, as well as all those who had made the exchange possible.
In her closing remarks, Ms. Handl-Petz thanked the Committee for the constructive dialogue, which was crucial to the success of the Covenant. Austria would carefully review the Committee’s recommendations and incorporate them into the national process.
The Committee’s eightieth session is being held from 2 to 13 November 2026. All documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, can be found on the session’s webpage. Webcasts of the meetings of the session can be found here, and meetings summaries can be found here.
The delegation of Austria was comprised of representatives of the Austrian Federal Chancellery; the Ministry for Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport; the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health Care and Consumer Protection; the Ministry for Women, Science and Research; the Ministry of Justice; the Ministry of Education; and the Permanent Mission of Austria to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The Committee will next meet in public at 3 p.m. on Friday, 6 November for a joint celebration with the Human Rights Committee to commemorate the sixtieth anniversaries of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Report
The Committee has before it the fifth periodic report of Austria (E/C.12/AUT/5).
Presentation of Report
ELISABETH HANDL-PETZ, Austrian Federal Chancellery and head of the delegation, said Austria regretted the delay in submitting its report, originally due in 2020, owing to a series of unfortunate circumstances, including the COVID-19 pandemic. The protection and promotion of human rights and the rule of law remained central priorities of Austria's domestic and foreign policy, as they formed the foundation of democratic resilience and social cohesion.
Recent efforts to strengthen Covenant rights included the adoption of the national action plan to combat violence against women and girls (2025-2029), responding to recommendations made by the Committee in 2013. The plan included 158 measures across prevention and victim protection, while federal funding to combat gender-based violence had increased by €6.9 million in 2025 compared to 2023, adding up to a total of €78.8 million.
Progress had also been made toward women's socioeconomic equality. The gender income gap in the Austrian Federal Civil Service fell to a historic low of 6.0 per cent in 2025, while the gender pay gap in the private sector continued to narrow. Austria was promoting equal pay, women's leadership and participation in non-traditional professions, including by increasing the quota for women on supervisory boards of listed companies from 30 to 40 per cent. To address the unequal distribution of care responsibilities, Austria had expanded paternity leave to the private sector, introduced incentives for parental leave uptake, and increased investment in affordable childcare facilities.
Austria remained committed to poverty reduction and social cohesion, with the goal of reducing the number of people affected by poverty or social exclusion by 204,000 by 2030. While recent crises, including the pandemic and rising energy and living costs, had made progress more difficult, Austria continued to support vulnerable groups through targeted measures. These included a €35 million annual support fund for single parents, nationwide implementation of the "early childhood interventions" programme, subsidised electricity prices for low-income households, the extension of the WOHNSCHIRM programme through 2029, and reduced VAT on basic food items.
Recognising the role of education in preventing poverty and exclusion, Austria had expanded learning support and resources for schools facing challenging socioeconomic conditions. Legislation concerning headscarves for schoolgirls under 14, introduced in September 2026, was currently under review by the Constitutional Court, including with regard to non-discrimination and the best interests of the child.
Austria remained committed to strengthening the rights and participation of older persons, focusing on autonomy, healthy ageing, digital inclusion and social participation, while actively supporting United Nations efforts toward a legally binding international instrument on the rights of older persons.
Austria also continued to advance the rights of persons with disabilities through the second national action plan on disability, which contained 375 measures developed and implemented in cooperation with organizations of persons with disabilities. Internationally, Austria promoted disability inclusion in partnerships and humanitarian action. In 2025, 16 Austrian Development Agency projects worth almost €30 million benefited persons with disabilities, including through initiatives promoting disability-inclusive emergency responses.
While Austria's human rights framework was well developed, the State recognised that continued progress required sustained effort, and was here to listen, exchange views and further strengthen economic, social and cultural rights.
Questions by a Committee Expert
JOO-YOUNG LEE, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, said the State party had stated that the Covenant was not directly applicable in Austria but that the Covenant rights had mostly been implemented in domestic law. The Committee was concerned that victims of Covenant rights lacked access to effective remedies. How did the State party review the compatibility of domestic law with the Covenant? Which body did this, and what had been the results since the Committee's last review? What measures had the State party taken to give full legal effect to the Covenant and to ensure access to effective remedies, including judicial remedies? Did the State party intend to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Covenant, as recommended by the Ombudsman Board? What training on the Covenant, including justiciability of economic, social and cultural rights, did judges, prosecutors and lawyers receive? How did the State party ensure consistent protection across the nine Länder?
The Committee welcomes the “A” status accreditation of the Austrian Ombudsman Board in 2022. Where could people complain about essential services delivered by private or outsourced providers? How did the Board coordinate with the Länder Ombudspersons? Would the national action plan on human rights foreseen in the 2025–2029 Government programme cover economic, social and cultural rights and follow-up to the Committee's recommendations, and what role would the Ombudsman Board play?
Would the State party reconsider adopting a national action plan on business and human rights? In transposing the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, would the State party provide for civil liability and access to remedy for persons affected abroad, cover companies below the new thresholds, and explicitly include economic, social and cultural rights? Would human rights due diligence be integrated into the raw materials strategy, and would penalties under the mineral resources act be made dissuasive? How did the State party ensure that its investment agreements preserved the State party’s own capacity, and that of other States, to adopt climate, environmental and social measures?
The Committee appreciated the State party's commitment to climate neutrality by 2040, but was concerned that current policy did not put it on track. The Committee was also concerned about the growing impact of climate change on persons in vulnerable situations, in Austria and beyond. When would the climate act and the first climate roadmap be adopted, and what sector-specific measures were planned, in particular for transport? How would the emission reduction targets be made binding and enforceable? How would fossil fuel subsidies be phased out while protecting low-income households from rising energy and carbon costs? Was the distributional impact assessed before the climate bonus was abolished? How could individuals challenge inadequate climate action, or a failure to act, before the courts? How was the effectiveness of the adaptation strategy and the 2026 national heat protection plan in protecting persons in vulnerable situations, including from floods, monitored? How much did Austria contribute to international climate finance for developing countries, and how would this change in the coming years?
The Committee welcomed the high share of renewable electricity, leadership in organic farming and the circular economy strategy. What measures were planned to curb Länder take and soil sealing, and to close these coordination gaps
The Committee acknowledged Austria’s long-standing welfare system, which had been a backbone of equality in the enjoyment of Covenant rights. It was concerned, however, that the fiscal consolidation since 2025 relied heavily on spending reductions affecting Covenant rights, in particular in social protection and education.
Did the State party assess the impact of the consolidation measures on Covenant rights, and their distributional effects on low-income households, children, older women, persons with disabilities and other persons in vulnerable situations, before adopting them? Had the State party considered progressive revenue measures, such as taxation of wealth and inheritance, reform of the outdated property tax, a review of the corporate tax cut, and removal of environmentally harmful subsidies? What was the State party’s position in the negotiations on a United Nations framework convention on international tax cooperation?
The Committee welcomed the three-year programme on Austrian development policy 2025–2027 and the human rights policy adopted by the Austrian Development Bank in 2024. However, official development assistance fell between 2024 and 2025, and was forecast to decline further. How was the planned decline in assistance consistent with the State party’s international responsibilities under the Covenant? Did Austria intend to increase the share of its assistance to least developed countries?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the Covenant had the status of a federal law in the Austrian legal order. While it was not directly applicable, most laws enshrined within it were already protected. Several mechanisms were in place to give full effect to the rights enshrined in the Covenant. Regulatory impact assessments separately examined measures such as social impacts on children and the climate.
Numerous low threshold specialised bodies monitored Covenant rights in Austria, including the Equal Treatment Commission, among others. The Austrian Ombudsman protected economic, social and cultural rights through the monitoring of private institutions. The Länder had a duty to implement international treaties within their sphere of confidence. A complaint could be lodged before the federal court if a decision of a Land was determined to be unconstitutional.
The Ombudsman Board carried out visits to places where persons were deprived of their liberty. Within its remit, the Board provided an avenue for protecting economic, social and cultural rights, complimenting traditional forms of protection. The Austrian Federal Government reaffirmed its commitment to combatting poverty despite budgetary concerns. For the time being, Austria did not envisage signing and ratifying the Optional Protocol to the Covenant. The preventive monitoring of the Ombudsman Board was nationwide, and it remained responsible for overseeing federal legislation in all Länder.
A module on human rights had been compulsory for every judge and prosecutor since 2008, and training on human rights was offered on an ongoing basis. There was an opportunity to participate in relevant training courses offered by foreign organizations. The legal profession in Austria was self-governed, and the training of future lawyers was largely managed by the legal profession.
Austria’s commitment to the target of 0.7 per cent of gross national income in development assistance remained unchanged. As of mid-2026, 80 human rights projects were being supported, including those focusing on children, persons with disabilities and human rights defenders. The State aimed to progress towards the 0.7 per cent target while ensuring available resources could deliver tangible results. Poverty reduction was a primary objective of the Austrian Government, making engagement with least developed States a priority. Austria also maintained longstanding partnerships with the Western Balkans and Eastern regions.
Austria currently did not envisage adopting a national action plan on business and human rights. The new heat protection regulation had been in effect since January 2026, and covered risks and measures in events of extreme heat, as well as emergency procedures. When determining and assessing heat stress in the workplace, it was important to take employees concerns into account. A new regulation specifically set out the risks employers needed to consider when it came to heat. A strategy was adopted in 2024 which included hundreds of actions relating to climate change and took the situation of vulnerable groups into account when it came to heatwaves.
Austria was in the process of enhancing language training and increasing support for new pupils coming into Austria, as well as hiring additional social worker staff for schools. Since 2022, Austria had started a programme to provide all children from grade five of school with laptops and other technical materials. Despite budgetary constraints, Austria was committed not to increase university fees.
A new climate act was recognised as a central point of Austria’s climate policy. Under the climate act, responsibilities and procedures were clearly defined.
A programme was in place to provide housing assistance, and other projects supported households that were in danger of energy cuts, including by providing financial support. The State party aimed to halve child poverty by 2030, from 353,000 to 176,000 children.
Austria recognised that it needed to allocate sufficient resources to fulfil its human rights obligations, particularly when it came to people in vulnerable situations. Austria was bound by the Paris Agreement to provide resources to support countries in the Global South in their fight against climate change. Austria would fulfil its contractual obligations through contributions to the Green Climate Fund and bilateral projects.
Questions by a Committee Expert
JOO-YOUNG LEE, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, said the Committee was concerned that protection against discrimination remained fragmented. Discrimination based on religion or belief, age or sexual orientation was not prohibited in housing, health care, education, social protection, and goods and services. The Committee was also concerned at reports of high levels of racism and structural discrimination in education, employment and housing, documented by the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism in December 2025.
What steps would the State party take to ensure equal protection on all grounds, including religion or belief, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and nationality, in all areas covered by the Covenant? What was the status of the national action plan against racism and discrimination announced in the State party’s report and how would it address structural racism in education, employment and housing? Did the State party collect data disaggregated by sex, age, disability, nationality, ethnic origin and other relevant grounds?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said Austria was committed to improving data collection in relation to minorities and was currently participating in the Council of Europe’s working group which aimed to develop new strategies and approaches to data collection among States. An evaluation study of the national Roma strategy generated data on the situation of Roma in Austria and led to the development of a network in this regard. Since 2017, data collected in all areas of society was evaluated and included in the annual report of the Integration Advisory Board.
The Austrian statutory health insurance did not differentiate in terms of gender or other criteria. All residents covered by Austrian health insurance were guaranteed coverage on an equal basis. Since 2024, all Austrian schools were obliged to have protection measures in place to protect children from violence, as well as assessing the risks of these incidents. Four years ago, Austria launched a workshop programme aimed at raising awareness of different forms of discrimination, including anti-Semitism. Its budget had been increased and it would continue to operate over the next few years.
Access to the labour market had been improved for asylum seekers; an employment permit could be issued across all sectors. It was explicitly stated by law that an employment permit could not be revoked following an initial negative asylum application.
The equal treatment act for the private sector currently differentiated between different forms of discrimination. According to the act, some forms of discrimination, such as gender, were applicable outside the workplace, while others, including religion and belief, sexual and gender identity, were currently only applicable in the workplace. Efforts to expand the scope of discrimination outside the workplace had failed.
There were no plans to introduce a wealth or inheritance tax at this stage. Numerous measures had been taken to combat hate speech and hate crime, and Austria was working on a national action plan on hate crime, which aimed to halt and preventively counter the increase in bias-motivating crimes. The plan would improve data collection and ensure the presentation of an annual hate crime report to Parliament. A national action plan against right wing extremism was also being developed.
Questions by a Committee Expert
LAURA ELISA PÉREZ GÓMEZ, Committee Expert and Country Task Force Member, said the Committee considered the employment situation of adolescents and young people to be worrying, despite the high level of employment in the country. According to the data provided in the report, the unemployment rate for young people, aged 15 to 24, stood at 10.3 per cent in 2024, which was almost double the average rate of unemployment in the country. What additional measures were being implemented for adolescents aged 15 to 18? Had specific measures for adolescent women been established? What specific measures was the State carrying out, beyond the school system, for the group of young adults aged 18 to 24?
According to information provided, in 2024, 31.5 per cent of workers did not have a full-time job, with 13.74 per cent of men stating that they worked part-time, compared to 51.1 per cent of women. What budget had been set aside to combat this discrimination? What indicators did the Federal Commission for Equal Treatment use to assess the situation of equality in the workplace and what had been the evolution of the situation in the last five years?
According to Eurostat, in 2023, the comparison of gross hourly wages showed that Austrian women earned 18.3 per cent less than men, and spent around 71 per cent more time on household chores and family care compared to men. Were there regulatory measures which penalised companies that paid men and women differently? Could the State party indicate the evolution of the Gender Index over the past five years? What total budget was set aside for care programmes, especially for women? Did the State party intend to expand coverage of childcare services? Would the State party replenish the care fund following 2028?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said there needed to be properly created structures and frameworks that provided childcare to ensure women could work full time. Austria had committed from 2022 to 2027 to invest an additional one billion euros in the expansion of preschool education.
Youth colleges had been introduced to provide social and pedagogical support to youth, as a means of reducing youth unemployment. The introduction of the compulsory training act formed part of Austria’s strategy to reduce youth unemployment, to enable young people to pursue compulsory training after completing compulsory schooling. The act ensured that each young person received a personalised plan and considered whether further schooling or an apprenticeship was the best option. Particular attention was paid to the inclusion of young people with disabilities.
Vocational centres had been created specifically for young women; they were focused on offering them gender-sensitive career guidance and education and training. In addition to labour market counselling, information was also provided on violence prevention, among other topics. According to the latest figures, there were around 45 per cent of women working in the federal service, and there had been an increase to almost 38 per cent of women in leadership positions in the federal service.
Since 2022, comprehensive reform measures had been introduced in the long-term care sector in Austria. The long-term care sector fund had been strengthened and a relevant body provided oversight of this sector. The Austrian care sector provided care for around 96,000 residents in residential care homes, and around 141,000 people through mobile centres. Additional funds would be allocated to strengthen mobile care from 2027 to 2028.
Reconciliation of work and family life played an important role in bringing opportunity to the labour market. Several measures had been introduced by the State party in this regard, including the legal entitlement to a paternity month for fathers; the doubling of the family time bonus, received when mothers and fathers equally shared family time; and incentives for businesses to be certified as family friendly.
Austria was currently implementing the pay transparency directive of the European Union, which was being negotiated at the political level. The directive set out minimum requirements for equal pay for equal work between men and women and applied to both the public and private sectors. Where men and women were not paid equally for the same roles, the offending employers were required to provide retroactive payments for up to several years.
Questions by Committee Experts
LAURA ELISA PÉREZ GÓMEZ, Committee Expert and Country Task Force Member, said according to information provided to the Committee, more than 98 per cent of home care workers were migrants, particularly women from Central and Eastern Europe. Because they were hired through employment agencies, they were classified as self-employed, and therefore excluded from labour protection. Would the Austrian State consider the possibility of issuing any legislation to support the protection of these people? Were there labour inspection visits to the agricultural sector to make sure seasonal migrants were not being subjected to exploitation?
Persons with disabilities who were unable to integrate into the labour market could work in centres with structured routines, but they were not considered to be paid workers, so did not have social security coverage. Had the State party taken steps to ensure people with disabilities could work on an equal basis with the rest of the population and be remunerated appropriately?
JOO-YOUNG LEE, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, said asylum seekers required a work permit, which was subject to a test and tied them to one employer, which in practice tended to keep asylum seekers out of work. Would the State party consider easing the labour market test and the link to a single employer? What steps was the State party taking to strengthen labour inspections across the agricultural sector, and ensure seasonal workers could lodge complaints?
Another Expert asked for an assessment of the State’s informal sector; how big was the sector and what plans were in place to close loopholes and ensure its formalisation?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the majority of home care workers were classified as self-employed. If a live-in care worker was falsely classified as self-employed, the home care act and the domestic workers act applied to the relevant care giver. Improving the inclusion of persons with disabilities was a key goal of the Austrian Government. For people with high support needs which fell under the responsibility of the Länder, the Federal Government provided additional funding and also connected them to organizations which supported them. The Federal Government had allocated an additional 36 million euros to promote inclusive employment in order to facilitate the integration of people with high support needs into the labour market.
It was not necessary or proportionate to provide free labour market access to asylum seekers. Asylum seekers had a temporary position in Austria, and these were persons who may have experienced trauma in their recent past. The procedure to obtain a labour market permit was a protection for them, and looked at factors such as wages and hours worked. It was not forbidden for asylum seekers to change their work and seek other employers, even if an employment permit had been issued to them. More than 3,000 permits for asylum seekers had been granted in 2025, with minimal rejections. The State party believed there was effective access to the labour market for asylum seekers.
The agricultural labour act included provisions on the protection of workers, as well as occupational health and safety. Seasonal workers were covered under the act and were afforded the same protections as other workers. The act granted powers to agricultural and forestry inspectorates, including the right to inspect workplaces and inspect documents. Employers who violated health and safety and other provisions under the act could be subjected to penalties. Workers could report complaints to the inspectorate, which subsequently followed up on such complaints.
Questions by a Committee Expert
GIUSEPPE PALMISANO, Committee Expert and Country Taskforce Member, said
in recent years, poverty-related problems seemed to have seriously affected the country, with no significant improvements in sight. In 2026, around 19 percent of the population was at risk of poverty or social exclusion, meaning that one in six people had a household income below the poverty threshold. Could the delegation explain how the implementation of the social assistance system introduced by the 2019 basic act was having a positive impact on people experiencing poverty, and how it reduced poverty across the country? Regarding the basic act on social assistance, the Committee noted that some specific groups, in particular individuals with subsidiary protection status, could access only core benefits at the level of basic care for asylum seekers, rather than full social assistance. What was the reason for this differential treatment? How was the exclusion of individuals with subsidiary protection status not considered to be discriminatory, when they seemed to be in a comparable situation to persons with asylum status?
According to available data, more than 20,500 individuals were officially registered as homeless in 2023. Approximately 10 per cent of those registered were children and around a third were women. Was the Government developing a systematic data collection mechanism on homelessness, including the extent and causes of homelessness? Recently, the Federal Government had made additional funding available through the ‘Wohnschirm’ programme to expand Housing First services, which sought to provide rapid access to permanent housing, together with the support needed to sustain it. This was a welcome step in line with human rights law and standards. However, there was no one national homeless assistance service but nine different ones in each federal State; were steps being taken to adopt a uniform national housing strategy?
In 2022, a report documented the lack of adequate homelessness assistance services for individuals not meeting the stipulated eligibility criteria, leading to the exclusion of several groups. Could this lack of assistance and the subsequent exclusion be confirmed? Were measures being taken to review the eligibility criteria, which currently hindered both Austrian nationals and non-nationals from accessing all homeless assistance services?
Austria had made significant legislative and institutional progress in preventing and combatting gender-based violence. However, shortcomings persisted, including fragmentation and uneven distribution of funding responsibilities between the Federal Government, the Länder and municipalities, and difficulties in access for marginalised women. What measures were being implemented to provide support services for women victims of domestic violence, including in terms of public funding and equal access for marginalised women?
The Austrian healthcare system appeared to be strongly oriented towards a purely medical approach to illness, paying less attention to preventive and social factors. The repercussions of this were particularly detrimental to the domains of mental healthcare and the safeguarding of children and adolescents, as well as the elderly. Could the delegation please provide clarification on this situation and explain whether structural or specific measures were being considered in this respect?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said Austria was examining whether and to what extent its existing and bilateral investment treaties regarding climate might require modernisation. The new climate act did not foresee legally binding targets. Austria was creating a binding political framework with monitoring, clear responsibilities and targeted adjustments. An interministerial working group had been established for analysing climate subsidies. A fund had been earmarked to renovate buildings, the majority of which were occupied by disadvantaged households, to make them more climate friendly. Individuals could challenge unconstitutional laws before the courts. Administrative courts increasingly granted environmental non-governmental organizations standings, even when the law did not explicitly provide for it. In 2025, Austria contributed around 400 million euros to the international climate finance fund, of which approximately 28 million euros were for adaptation.
A mix of spending cuts, tax measures and efficiency gains had been implemented in the most recent budget. In recent years, Austria had developed and implemented thematic action plans which advanced the promotion and protection of human rights, in consultation with civil society.
The labour market test was in place to protect asylum seekers from exploitative conditions. Campaigns carried out in several Länder in collaboration with local non-governmental organizations were designed to combat exploitation in the Austria agricultural centre, informing workers of their rights, including multilingual materials, a hotline, and billboards in border region. A United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime project was supporting undocumented workers and ensuring their rights were being upheld. Programmes were in place to help people with limited German skills, including workers from Bulgaria, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Arab speaking countries. In 2025, more than 275,000 workplaces were on the Labour Inspectorate’s list for inspection, with around 12 per cent visited by the labour inspectors in 2025.
Austria was committed to a well-established social welfare state. The Länder and municipalities were responsible for poverty measures and implemented specific actions. Since 2024, early childhood interventions had been rolled out across the country. The fuel price cap comprised a cap on profit margins for companies in the fuel sector. Since 2023, the Federal Ministry of Social Affairs had supported non-governmental organizations with funds for food saving that were directed straight to those affected by poverty.
The 2019 act gave the Länder the ability to cover higher housing costs up to a certain maximum limit. Under the recent reform, fixed rates, instead of maximum rates were to be established for adults for benefits, while flexible rates were planned for children. Cooperation between the public employment service and social assistance agencies would be improved to increase access to the labour market for those who wanted to work.
The State did not currently have data on hidden homelessness but was interested in improving this data. Access to affordable housing was a challenge. The Wohnschirm Housing First project was introduced in 2024 and had supported around 2,000 persons through the acquisition of around 850 apartments. The programme included coverage of moving costs and security deposits among others. The Government was committed to reforming the limited housing act and supporting the Housing First programme. Currently, there was no plan to review eligibility criteria concerning access to homelessness assistance.
Social health insurance guaranteed the same benefits to those with and without disabilities. The expansion of health insurance-funded psychotherapy sessions was intended to improve access to these services. At the end of 2025, the Professional Association of Austrian Psychologists and insurance providers concluded an agreement regarding psychological treatment as a benefit, which came into effect in 2026. The shortage of child psychologists had been defined as a shortage, allowing for an increase in training to build capacity in this regard.
Measures had been implemented to strengthen the ability of doctors to ensure sufficient adult psychosocial health care. As part of the healthcare reform package, a budget of 50 million euros had been allocated to fund 100 additional physician positions. An additional 300 million euros in public funding had been earmarked for the 2024 to 2028 period to expand primary care units and increase outpatient care capacity. Austria currently had around 400 in-patient palliative care beds, and planned to expand this number to 500. Compared to 2022, a higher number of palliative care patients received support.
Austria had begun several programmes to provide more trained personnel in the area of psychology and mental health. Since 2021, Austria was trying to expand the number of school psychologists working within the education system and aimed to double the personnel available in this field in the next couple of years. A programme “Strong Societies, Strong Schools” had been established, which offered a variety of workshops, including on mental health. Feedback from the programme was positive so far. An additional programme had been started focusing on mental health for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Austria was working on measures to integrate mental health across all sectors in society. Since 2022, a project had been offering young people up to 20 years of age with a low threshold access to psychological support, which had already helped around 60,000 people. As part of the Austrian health system reform, an additional 60 million euros had been available for promotion and prevention, to contribute to longer and better health for everyone in Austria.
The national action plan on disability contained a chapter on health and rehabilitation, with 29 concrete measures to facilitate the implementation of the Covenant. A report had recently been commissioned on the topic of health care and people with disabilities. A board comprised of representatives of and persons with disabilities would review the report upon its completion. Persons with disabilities were protected from discrimination through the persons with disabilities act. Work was being carried out to improve accessibility through the healthcare system, to ensure all patients had access to disability services. A programme was being developed to optimise health care for persons with disabilities until 2028.
Questions by Committee Experts
GIUSEPPE PALMISANO, Committee Expert and Country Taskforce Member, said
the ministerial draft amendment to the basic act had introduced a so-called 'integration phase'. Under this scheme, persons able to work who were not yet integrated into working life would receive a reduced “basic integration benefit”.
Through the integration phase, the draft amendment made part of the social assistance payment conditional on the applicant’s “integration into working life”. Until the applicant met certain criteria, such as participating in training and employment measures or proof of work performed within a specific time period, they would receive a lower amount than the current level of social assistance. This meant that individuals with asylum status would start from a lower base amount and would also have to meet additional requirements before being eligible to access the full amount of social assistance. Would this constitute a step backwards on the path towards equal social assistance for individuals with asylum status?
According to Statistics Austria, 72,610 people with a registered disability had their main residence in institutional settings at the end of 2022, equating to one in 10 people with disabilities in Austria living in a setting such as institutions for people with disabilities or care facilities. What measures were being taken to improve the realisation of the right of persons with disabilities to an adequate standard of living, including housing and independent living? Were there any ongoing measures aimed at expanding forms of self-determined housing, and was there a nationwide deinstitutionalisation strategy with specific targets and plans?
Recent studies suggested that around 1.1 million people in Austria were affected by food insecurity, with approximately 420,000 experiencing severe food poverty and having to skip meals or go without food for a day. Consequently, people affected by poverty were becoming increasingly dependent on aid organizations.
Was the Government implementing or envisaging measures or structural reforms for food security, so that food aid did not have to remain a permanent solution? Were European Union agricultural and structural funds being used to progress towards a fair and sustainable food system?
According to reliable studies, significant disparities in abortion care provision persisted throughout Austria, with access to abortion care limited in several federal states. Costs were another prohibitive factor, with women seeking abortions forced to cover the costs themselves. Was the State party adopting or planning measures to comprehensively improve the availability, accessibility and affordability of abortion care across all federal states, with a particular focus on people on low incomes, those living in poverty, and those in rural areas?
JOO-YOUNG LEE, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, said child poverty rose sharply in 2025 to around one child in four. How did the State party ensure that social assistance benefits for children were adequate? Under the draft amendment, the benefit of recipients who did not seek work was reduced at least 25 per cent and could be withdrawn completely, with public debate showing recipients as unwilling to work. However, only 36 per cent of recipients were unemployed, with the rest working but not earning enough to live on. Stigma also discouraged people from claiming support; around 30 per cent of eligible households did not claim it. How would the State party ensure that sanctions did not leave anyone without the ability to live in dignity?
Private rents rose by 90 per cent between 2009 and 2024. The recent caps on increases did not apply to initial rents; would this be changed? Would access to affordable housing be increased? According to a study, up to 57,000 people had no access to health insurance by the end of 2024. Many delayed seeking care because they feared the cost. Was the State party seeking care for those in low-income situations?
A Committee Expert asked if there was an assessment on how many people were excluded by the State’s social security programmes? Civil society organizations were worried that the new social security framework would prevent them from delivering their services; was this correct? Poverty and lack of food was excluding people from social life; what were plans in place to address these groups? How big was the State’s informal sector? Was there a comprehensive human rights assessment on the State’s agricultural and trade policies?
Another Expert said the State party had made laudable efforts which guaranteed the rights of migrants. Would the State party consider ratifying the Committee on the Rights of Migrant Workers and Members of their Families?
LAURA ELISA PÉREZ, Committee Expert and Country Taskforce Member, asked for the State party’s estimates on the budget for 2027?
Response by the Delegation
The delegation said six projects were co-financed by the Women’s Ministry, specifically aimed at women with disabilities. One project aimed to strengthen the network of counselling facilities for women and persons with disabilities to facilitate access. In 2027, the funding for counselling centres would be significantly increased. The Länder provided an extensive network of women affected by violence throughout Austria. An agreement was in place to make additional budgets available for the extension of shelters into 2027. A regional gender index was first published in 2013, with the most recent education data published in 2018. The Women’s Ministry published regular data on gender equality, including the last big report in 2024.
There were 400 family counselling centres across Austria, and a hotline, in the form of both telephone and digital services for victims of violence. Parental education was also one of the main services funded, as this was a keyway to prevent violence. The development of a nationwide child protection campaign had been funded, and a network of 46 child protection facilities had been established across Austria.
Austria had been hit by the affordability crisis in housing in the last years, like many other countries. A rent freeze had been introduced by the Government in the past couple of years, with measures restricting landlords abilities to increase rent, as a means of reducing poverty. Currently there were no plans to put additional programmes in place in the private sector.
Access to mobile support services was essential for persons with disabilities. Deinstitutionalisation involved collaboration with the Federal Government and the Länder. The national action plan on disability included measures to improve independent living and expand efforts towards deinstitutionalisation. In Austria, personal assistance in the workplace fell under the responsibility of the Federation, and in the private sphere, it fell under the responsibility of the Länder.
Safe abortion services were available in Austria, but availability was different between regions. Abortion services were provided in public and private healthcare settings. The regional provision of abortion services had been discussed with a women’s focal point network. Costs were covered for low-income women, so they were not placed at a disadvantage.
The social assistance was a subsidiary benefit system of last resort, with the primary aim to integrate people into the labour market. People who completed all requirements would receive full social assistance rates as soon as possible. The benefit recipient rate reached 95 per cent in 2024, and the take-up rate was 70 per cent.
Questions by Committee Experts
ASLAN ABASHIDZE, Committee Expert and Country Taskforce Member, said
the needs of Roma children were addressed in the education chapter of the Austrian Roma strategy up to 2030, containing specific measures for Roma, including learning support projects, native language teaching, and Roma school mediation. Could the delegation clarify whether there were other categories of Roma members besides the “indigenous Roma minority”? If so, how numerous were they, and what was Austria’s policy towards this segment of the Roma population? Was there a separate education strategy for national minorities, including those from Hungary, Croatia and Slovenia and their children similar to the Austrian Roma strategy up to 2030? If so, could the delegation please describe it in detail; if not, why not?
According to Austria’s data, in the 2022/2023 school year, 32.4 per cent of children aged three to six attending early childhood education facilities had a first language other than German, meaning a significant proportion of preschool-age children belonged to various national minorities and did not have an adequate command of German. What measures were being taken to help members of these population groups learn German? Additionally, what was Austria’s policy on preserving their native languages? Could more information be provided about the teaching of the Roma children’s native language? What was the Austrian Government doing in this regard to provide native-language instruction for children belonging to other minorities, such as the Croats, whose numbers were more than four times those of the Roma?
According to the Committee’s information, in recent years an average of approximately 1.2 million children enrolled in primary school each academic year. How many children were required to attend preschool institutions in the year before entering primary school, and how many of those children entered primary school in the 2023/2024 school year? What measures did the Government take with regard to those who did not begin schooling in the 2023/2024 school year? Under the current rules, various measures were available to ensure that parents took a responsible approach to their children’s participation in education, including administrative measures. How were such measures applied in Austria in relation to parents or the “baron” of a Roma community?
How was a uniform quality management system in education achieved at all levels of the school system? How could equal guarantees of the right to education be ensured throughout Austria? What percentage of children at compulsory school age were tested for school readiness before starting school, as required by the State? For those who did not, what were the reasons? Could statistics and information be provided for the 2024/2025 school year? What special support was provided to them and what were the results?
What was meant by “insufficient support” as a reason for school dropout? Did this mean insufficient support from the State? What did the term “establishing a feedback culture” mean? How was the allocation of places in kindergartens and primary schools determined? Were educational and childcare services the same throughout the country, or did they differ? Were all such services free of charge, or were some subject to fees? Could the State party provide up-to-date statistics on federal budget funding for cultural activities of national minorities, as well as comparative charts showing the amounts and percentages for the most recent post-COVID years?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said there were six recognised groups of minorities within Austria: Hungarians, Croats, Slovenes, Czech, Slovak and Roma. The structures and legal frameworks regarding these monitories were completely embedded into the State’s education and administrative system. Curricula for schools with minorities were almost identical to schools with non-minorities, but contained important information for the targeted minority groups. Through this, the State aimed to ensure these minorities were fully included within the education system.
The system of German language training was one of the key foci of the Government. Austria was currently investing significantly more funds in the field of language training, and offering German support classes to those whose first language was not German. Pupils within the class who needed additional German training received this intensively but remained as part of the German class system. The State party had substantially expanded the number of teachers in this area and aimed to hire more teachers in this field to support German and language training.
There was an obligation for every child attending school to attend a preschool institution, enabling children to be properly prepared for the next phase of schooling. More than 90 per cent of pupils attended the last year of preschool education. Minority children had the options to receive subsidies to ensure preparation for school.
Questions by Committee Experts
JOO-YOUNG LEE, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, said inclusive education had regressed within the State party. Did Austria have a plan to move from special schools to inclusive education? Would this cover all children with disabilities, so they were not kept in separate settings? How did the State party ensure that human review of the results of children with disabilities was ensured and was not a formality?
Another Expert asked about the evaluation of special schools compared to inclusive schools?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said steps were being taken to advance with inclusive education in Austria and ensure all the necessary materials and curricula were being developed for this group. The State was currently implementing the new curricula. A few years ago, it was ensured that as many pupils with disabilities, who wanted to, could attend an eleventh or twelfth year in education, and not in training institutions. This was part of ongoing conversations in Austria. There was a critical quantity of parents who demanded specific training and education for their children, not in an inclusive setting.
The national minorities act strengthened the position of national minorities in Austria, recognising the six national minorities. It also prioritised a reform of the court system in Corinthia, with the aim of safeguarding languages in the long term.
The right to use administrative services through non-digital means remained in effect. The digital Austrian service centre supported citizens in accessing Government services online. Austria currently held seventh place in the European digital skills ranking, well above the average. An initiative had been launched to encourage the participation of older persons in the digital environment, which was having success. Research had been conducted on artificial intelligence development in the labour market and its impact on professions.
Public opinion did have influence on social assistance, as well as non-governmental organizations, but ultimately, it was the Länder which implemented changes. Persons with disabilities were an important aspect of the social assistance reform, with improvements planned for this group, including that care allowances were not counted towards social assistance, among others.
Closing Statements
JOO-YOUNG LEE, Committee Expert and Country Rapporteur, said the dialogue was a shared moment of reflection of what the rights of the Covenant meant for the daily lives of people in Austria: a care worker far from home, a person seeking international protection in Austria, or a family worried about next month’s rent. Austria had much to be proud of, but at the same time, several issues had been raised, including the inadequacy of social security benefits, the affordability of housing, inclusive education and equal education opportunities, as well as the State party’s responsibilities beyond its borders. Ms. Lee thanked the State party for the constructive dialogue, as well as all those who had made the exchange possible.
ELISABETH HANDL-PETZ, Austrian Federal Chancellery and head of the delegation, thanked the Committee for the constructive dialogue, which was crucial to the success of the Covenant. Austria would carefully review the Committee’s recommendations and incorporate them into the national process. Ms. Handl-Petz thanked civil society members for their extensive contributions, as well as all of those who had made the dialogue possible.
ASRAF ALLY CAUNHYE, Committee Vice-Chair, expressed deep gratitude to the delegation of Austria for the enriching discussions and the positive spirit which had prevailed throughout the proceedings. He thanked all those who had made the dialogue possible, and wished the delegation a safe journey home.
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CESCR26.012E