European Travel News from WhereWhenWhy.EU

AUSTRIA TRAVEL NEWS

Alpine ski resorts to become unviable within decades?

13 December 2006

Global warming could make some Alpine ski resorts unviable within decades. A report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said lower-lying slopes may soon be unusable. Resorts in Germany were most at risk with areas of the Austrian and Italian Alps being the next most vulnerable, these are followed by some slopes in France and Switzerland.

The study covered 666 Alpine slopes. At present 90% of the 666 slopes have a covering of snow for at least a 100 days each year. The report warned that just a 1 degree centigrade rise in average temperature would reduce this to 500 viable slopes. On current predictions this is likely to happen between 2020-2025. A two-degree rise, predicted by some to occur by 2050, would reduce the number of viable resorts to 400.

Germany,Austria,Italy,France,Switzerland

Algerians to move more freely in Europe

13 November 2006

The 15 Schengen zone members (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden) today announced that they would no longer consult each other before issuing visas to Algerians. This move is expected to cut waiting times from 15 days to one to three days.

Algeria,Austria,Belgium,Denmark,Finland,France,Germany,Iceland,Italy,Greece,Luxembourg,Netherlands,Norway,Portugal,Spain,Sweden

Bird Flu

Updated September 2006

To date there have been no cases of the deadly H5N1 virus in poultry or wild birds in the UK. However, birds in Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Turkey have been affected.

UK,Austria,France,Germany,Greece,Hungary,Italy,Slovakia,Slovenia,Turkey