Thursday, 18 February 2021, Berlin, German Foreign Office, Germany: Michael Roth, German Minister for European Affairs, welcomed his Austrian counterpart, Mag. Karoline Edtstadler and Austria’s Ambassador in Germany, Dr. Peter Huber, for a bilateral exchange about the incumbent strategies concerning the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic between Austria and Germany as well as the issue of providing a European perspective for a general solution regarding border closures, and the freedom of movement of EU citizens.
Currently the frontier between Tyrol and Bavaria is shut down with people allowed into Germany merely on ad hoc bases.
The issue of anti-Semitism in Europe was likewise discussed, and particularly the concrete measures being enforced in both countries to combat prejudice against Jewish people. Only this month Austria launched a handbook, and guidelines to raise awareness against anti-Semitism in the context of integration for migrants, and foreign-born citizens.
Karoline Edtstadler, Minister for the EU and the Constitution at the Austrian Chancellery likewise held a meeting with the German Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn.
The focus of her visit to Germany was her participation in the conference “Unboxing Hate Speech”. This was initiated by the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection together with the German Foreign Office and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation as part of the German chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in order to exchange information on initiatives, national laws and criminal prosecution in the area of “hate speech” on the internet and to develop countermeasures and best practices to effectively combat hate speech.
For further information
Austrian Embassy in Germany (HE Dr. Peter Huber): https://www.bmeia.gv.at/oeb-berlin/veranstaltungen/detail/article/bundesministerin-edtstadler-in-berlin/
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Picture of ministers Michael Roth and Karoline Edtstadler – Courtesy of Auswärtiges Amt
