Austria advances law change to crack down on espionage

VIENNA: Austria is planning to widen the scope of its espionage law and introduce tougher sentencing for offenses in response to an increase in so-called hybrid threats, ministers said Wednesday.

A draft bill to be submitted to parliament includes jail sentences of up to 10 years for spying to the detriment of Austria, Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger and Interior Minister Gerhard Karner told journalists.

The bill also includes sentences of up to five years for espionage targeting the EU or international organizations, as well as new penalties for the recruitment of agents, they said.

“In the future it will not only be about espionage to the detriment of Austria, but also to the detriment of international organizations or the EU,” Meinl-Reisinger said.