25 police officers from Austria will be on duty at the European Football Championship in Germany. There should be entry controls for public viewings. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) announced this at a press conference on Monday. On the one hand, the officials are scene-informed bodies (SKO) who will look after the home fans at the scene of the event, and on the other hand they are supposed to coordinate security issues relating to the team and the fans with the German authorities.
Additional forces on standby
“The European Championships are a very special challenge that we face,” said the Interior Minister, referring to the war in Ukraine and the “Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7th.” This means that “sporting events in particular present a particular security challenge,” explained Karner. The German police, supported by private services, ensure security at the scene of the incident. In addition to the 25 civil servants, other staff are on standby in Austria so that they can be deployed in Germany if necessary. This applies, for example, to explosives detection dogs and their handlers. Unlike the 2006 World Cup, there will be no law enforcement units in Germany this time. At that time, the Vienna Alarm Department (WEGA) was in the neighboring country.
Apparently the threat of terrorism is seen as the greatest potential danger. Karner pointed out that since the attack on October 7, 2023, the terror alert level in Austria has also been increased to the second highest level of four. The intelligence services are in close contact. When it comes to countering terrorism, it is of course part of the planning that drone attacks are possible and can be repelled.
Police in the team bus
German police officers also work with private individuals to ensure the safety of the team at the scene of the incident. Günther Marek, head of the UEFA Euro 2024 task force, emphasized that an official will sit on the bus on all trips by the team, which is exclusively accommodated in the Berlin Schlosshotel. Here too, the Austrian civil servants have coordination tasks. ÖFB sports director Peter Schöttel – himself a 63-time team player and participant in two World Cups – said that as a player it is important that “you are as unaware as possible of the security measures and can concentrate on football”.
Continuous border controls
ÖFB President Klaus Mitterdorfer appealed to home fans to register with the Foreign Ministry before traveling to Germany, “so that we know where everyone is.” According to his and Karner’s information, around 20,000 fans from Austria are expected in Germany for each Austria game. In total, at least 60,000 fans should travel to Germany. “Of course we hope that there are significantly more because we qualify for the other games,” said Karner. In any case, he assumes that the team will manage it.
In Austria, the focus is on public viewings on the one hand, and fan flows through the country on the other. “Almost all neighboring countries have qualified. There will certainly be travel from Italy and Slovenia, for example,” expects Karner. Schengen will be suspended for the duration of the European Championship, which means that there will be continuous border controls at the German-Austrian crossings during the Euro.
Access controls at public viewings
So far, around 80 public viewings have been registered in Austria. “We assume that there will be significantly more before the start of the European Championship,” said the Interior Minister. It seems certain that at least at major events there will be access controls that will also check what someone wants to take into the area. Details about the concepts depend on the respective circumstances: how many people the public viewing is designed for, whether it is indoor or outdoor, etc.
