Country

Austria

Status
Delayed
Last Update
07/08/2026
Assessment of CASE
Started
The Ministry of Justice has prepared a first draft

Last update: 6 August 2026.

 

The Government of Austria has established a working group to implement the SLAPP Directive. According to the government, the inclusion of various stakeholders—particularly from the media sector—was welcomed.

 

The Ministry of Justice prepared a draft bill in October 2025. However, this first draft has not been published yet. It ist still object to political negotiations between the governing parties.
This  initial draft, which also takes into account the Commissions Anti-SLAPP recommendation (EU 2022/758 of 27 April 2022) and provides for measures even in purely national cases, includes:
  1. the possibility of imposing substantial penalties,
  2. the possibility of prematurely dismissing manifestly unfounded cases,
  3. rules for the reimbursement of most costs. However, this reimbursement does not include pre-litigation costs, which often reach a considerable amount and are capable of exerting a significant deterrent effect.
But the conservative party (ÖVP) refuses to give its consent. In particular, rules for purely national cases are rejected and the possible sanctions are considered too high.
As a result so far neither the Commission Recommendation (EU) 2022/758 of 27 April 2022 (for purely national cases) nor the Directive (EU) 2024/1203 of the European Parliament (for cross-border cases) or the Directive of the Council of 11 April 2024 have been implemented.

 

Source:

Coalition Against SLAPPs In Europe

CASE is a coalition of European NGOs that recognize the threat posed to public watchdogs by Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs).

European Centre For Press & Media Freedom

The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) was founded in 2015 in Leipzig, Germany, and operates under European press freedom charters.

Mapping Media Freedom documents press and media freedom violations across Europe. The documented incidents are publicly accessible and can be explored, filtered, and searched through the interactive Alert Explorer.