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1. Health is and will remain the most valuable thing in life. Groundbreaking developments are emerging in medicine. Personalized vaccines could lead to a breakthrough in cancer treatment, while new drugs could significantly delay the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
2. The madness of the Second World War claimed an estimated 60 million lives. The victims are commemorated on Liberation Day, 8 May. A special day for Austria is 5 May, when Allied soldiers liberated the Mauthausen concentration camp.
3. “Austria is free!” Austria’s sovereignty was officially restored on 27 July 1955, and the last British soldier left Austrian soil on 25 October. Parliament will hold numerous commemorative and anniversary events in 2025 under the motto “80-70-30,” which refers to the 80 years since the end of the war, the 70 years since the end of the occupation, and the 30 years since Austria joined the EU.
4. Cautious optimism is permissible in the economy. Hopefully, Austria will at least be able to leave the recession behind after two years. Even if there will be price increases around the turn of the year, the time of the really big inflation shocks now seems to be over.
5. For many, the dream of owning their own home has recently been a dream. There are signs of relief for prospective house builders, for whom financing has been made more difficult by strict lending criteria and high interest rates. This is because the strict lending rules imposed on banks by the so-called KIM Regulation will expire in mid-2025. The end of the KIM Regulation also coincides with falling interest rates, which should make loans more affordable again. The KIM Regulation was introduced in 2022 with the aim of preventing borrowers from becoming over-indebted and banks from defaulting.
6. The fall of the Assad regime has rekindled the hopes of many Syrians for peace and freedom. People in the country hope to finally turn over a new leaf. But the situation remains fragile.
7. The global political situation as a whole remains fragile, especially where Ukraine and the Middle East are concerned. But elsewhere, there are some tender glimmers of hope. In the crisis-ridden Sahel region, Senegal is seen as a democratic rock. For Europe, however, Senegal has not only become more important in economic terms in recent years. With its reliable multi-party democracy, the country of 18 million inhabitants is increasingly seen as a key security policy partner.
8. The Chinese New Year begins on 29 January 2025 and marks the start of the Year of the Wood Snake, which will last until 16 February 2026. As a highly symbolic animal in Chinese astrology, the Wood Snake stands for wisdom, intuition, and inner strength—qualities that can generally be put to good use.
9. Previously, official secrecy was applied in Austria, but now, a lot of information is to be made accessible to citizens at a low threshold. The burial of official secrecy, an Austriacum from the 1920s, was long overdue. Rest in peace, official knowledge!
10. Twelve years after Schladming, Austria is once again hosting the World Ski Championships. From 4 February to 16 in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, the most beautiful images will be transported to the wide world. Ideally, the red-white-red hopefuls will ensure many medal wins.
11. Austria has waited since 1998 to participate in a soccer World Cup. In 2025, team boss Ralf Rangnick’s squad has a good chance of qualifying for the 2026 finals in the USA, Canada, and Mexico against Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cyprus, and San Marino. The comebacks of key players David Alaba and Xaver Schlager, in particular, have increased optimism.
12. Motorsport fans can look forward to the most exciting year in Formula 1 for a long time in 2025, with four teams battling for the title in the final year of the current regulations. If there are also some surprise candidates, the world championship battle could become historic.
13. As we all know, good things take time—sometimes decades. After a construction period of 24 years, the Koralm Railway will go into operation in December. The high-performance line between Graz and Klagenfurt is part of the new southern railway line. 50 of the 130 kilometers run in tunnels, 33 of them in the heart of the line, the Koralm Tunnel.
14. Exceptional artist Anja Plaschg vulgo Soap & Skin will perform at the Orpheum in Graz on 10 January, the Vienna Konzerthaus on 17 January, and the Klagenfurt Festival on May 24. May “Born to Lose” be just the title of one of her (great) cover songs.
15. Whether Guns N’ Roses’ performance on July 24 at the Ernst Happel Stadium will be a joyful event depends mainly on the condition of singer Axl Rose.
16. The “machine” has been running like clockwork for 20 years. To mark their anniversary, the pop innovators from Bilderbuch 2025 are giving numerous concerts, including an open-air show in Toscanapark on 1 August as part of the Salzkammergut Festwochen Gmunden.
17. The pop present and future is female. Lana Del Rey releases a new album entitled “The Right Person Will Stay” in May—also a nice 2025 hope! -Lady Gaga returns musically in February with dark pop after her “Joker” outing.
18. Writer Alherd Bacharevich has been on the run from tyranny in his home country for years and will be awarded the Leipzig Book Prize for European Understanding on 26 March. His new novel, Europe’s Dogs, has an evocative title.
19. An entire castle becomes a stage: To mark the 400th anniversary of Schloss Eggenberg in Graz, the UNESCO World Heritage Site will be the theme and setting of the Styria Show 2025.
20. A nice sign of inclusion: from 1 January, companies with more than 400 employees must appoint an “accessibility officer.”.
21. After the holidays, please work constructively on forming a government in Austria. It is hoped that the coalition negotiators will rise above their party’s political shadows, tackle key projects that can no longer be postponed, and surprise the population with one or two proposed solutions—thus sparing us new elections.
22. This is not a pandemic but a celestial phenomenon: amateur astronomers eagerly await the “T Coronae Borealis outbreak.” This is a nuclear explosion that only occurs every 80 years. As soon as it does, “T Coronae Borealis” will shine as brightly as a polar star for a week.
23. Smart idea: According to EU regulations, cell phones will become more durable and repairable in the future. Cable clutter will be a thing of the past by the end of 2024.
24. Another fateful year for e-mobility: the EU’s stricter CO2 emission regulations force car manufacturers to sell more e-cars; otherwise, they will have to pay fines. The proportion of e-cars must be at least 20 percent. This will only work with smaller models and lower prices. So, more cheap and smaller e-cars are finally coming onto the market.
25. The power of confidence is also being relied on at the “highest level”: The Holy Year 2025 in Rome, which began on 24 December 2024, will be held under the motto “Pilgrims of Hope,” picking up on a central theme of Pope Francis.
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