“When people say that Vienna is a playground for spies, they shouldn’t imagine it as if these spies are engaged in chases in the Viennese underground in trench coats,” Justice Minister Sporrer said.
Austria moved on Wednesday to overhaul its anti-espionage framework, introducing a legislative package that criminalizes intelligence operations targeting foreign states and international organizations based on its territory. Currently, Austrian law restricts espionage prosecutions to activities that directly harm national interests. The new measures extend that scope to protect European Union institutions and international organizations, carrying potential prison sentences of up to five years.
The government intends to increase the maximum prison sentence for core espionage offenses to 10 years. Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger of the liberal NEOS party said the changes are vital to safeguard the numerous international bodies operating in Vienna. These institutions include the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Justice Minister Sporrer said that modern intelligence gathering increasingly extends past traditional espionage operations into technological domains. Advanced technological capabilities now enable sophisticated digital threats that require updated legal tools.
The legislative package introduces tougher penalties for cybercrime, specifically covering acts of digital sabotage such as data damage and disruptions to critical computer systems. Under the updated legislation, recruiting agents or allowing one’s self to be recruited as an agent will likewise constitute a criminal offense.
SPO State Secretary Jorg Leichtfried pointed to the deteriorating international security situation as the primary driver behind the new defensive measures. Leichtfried warned that Austria must prepare for potential attacks, noting that large-scale sabotage operations have already been recorded in several other countries.
“We must strengthen our legal system to be able to counter such attacks,” Leichtfried said, according to Daily Sabah.
The government said that the proposed reforms aim to increase the nation's ability to respond to evolving espionage, cyberthreats, and acts of sabotage.
