Vienna will end its German-language courses for refugees next year, a move city officials say is driven by financial strain but one that has already ignited political backlash. Social Affairs Councillor Peter Hacker of the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) confirmed the decision in comments to Der Standard, noting that while current courses will continue until completion, no new programs will be funded by the city’s Social Welfare Fund (FSW) after 2025, according to ORF News.
For years, Vienna stepped in to provide language classes that city leaders argued should have been the responsibility of the federal Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF). The FSW financed about 1,700 course places in 2024 alone an outlay of €1.9 million and roughly €20 million between 2017 and 2024. Hacker reiterated his criticism that the ÖIF has chronically under-supplied courses in the capital, forcing the city to cover the gap.
Now, he says, Vienna can no longer afford to do so. Facing a multibillion-euro deficit, the city is under pressure to cut costs, and the savings from eliminating German classes roughly match their recent annual expense. According to Hacker, demand for courses far outpaces the ÖIF’s offerings; he noted that 4,000 eligible refugees recently received letters saying there was no available course for them.
The ÖIF has firmly rejected the accusations, insisting that every qualified applicant is offered a course “within a short time.” The agency says Vienna has failed to produce a single verified case of an eligible person being denied a placement.
Vienna’s Green Party sharply condemned the cuts, calling them a blow to the city’s long-held commitment to early integration. “What happened to ‘integration from day one’?” party leader Judith Pühringer asked. “Cutting German classes is incredibly short-sighted. Language is the foundation for everything that follows.”
