VIENNA: Austria’s government has agreed to tighten its espionage laws, closing a long-criticised loophole and threatening foreign agents with much harsher punishment. Under the draft legislation, now entering the review process, spying against international organisations based in Austria would become a criminal offence for the first time.
Until now, espionage was punishable only when it targeted Austrian interests. The proposed reform would extend criminal liability to spying against the European Union, the United Nations and other international bodies with headquarters in Austria. Spying against Austria itself would carry a maximum prison sentence of ten years, up from five. Espionage against an EU institution or an international organisation based in the country would be punishable by up to five years in prison, reported by Austrian Press Agency.
Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger of NEOS said espionage endangers Austria’s security as well as its standing as a home to global institutions. Vienna hosts the United Nations, the OSCE, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the International Organization for Migration and OPEC, making the city an attractive target for foreign intelligence services.
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner of the ÖVP and State Secretary for Constitutional Protection Jörg Leichtfried of the SPÖ said the law would also target the recruitment of agents. Both recruiting someone for a foreign intelligence service and agreeing to be recruited would become criminal offences. Leichtfried warned of “disposable agents,” people recruited for a single task, such as photographing a sensitive site, often without knowing who sent them or why.
The government also wants tougher penalties for cyberattacks, data sabotage and damage to computer systems carried out by or for foreign intelligence services. Justice Minister Anna Sporrer said the reform was intended to protect Austria’s critical infrastructure, while Economy Minister Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer described it as important for the country’s reputation as a business location.
The legislation forms part of a broader diplomatic and security shift. Meinl-Reisinger said the Foreign Ministry had adopted stricter rules for accrediting diplomats. Since the coalition took office, 63 visa applications have been refused and eight Russian diplomats expelled. She also said three installations had been removed from the Russian Embassy’s “antenna forest” in Vienna.
Security expert Thomas Riegler welcomed the proposal, calling it more than a security-policy milestone. Austria, he argued, had for too long treated espionage too lightly. Yet he cautioned that a stronger law alone would not make espionage disappear.
