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Vienna will sharply increase the cost of reserving a public barbecue site on the Donauinsel, raising the fee from 10 euros to 45 euros. The decision was approved on Thursday afternoon by the city council, prompting both political defense and criticism.
The governing Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) justified the hike by pointing to recommendations from the Austrian Court of Audit, while the Greens condemned the measure as excessive and socially insensitive.
Greens Call Increase “Disproportionate”
Green council member Kilian Stark expressed surprise at the scale of the change, noting that the fee will rise by 350 percent. While moderate adjustments could be discussed, he argued, this increase went far beyond what was reasonable. Stark also emphasized that the Court of Audit had highlighted the need to consider social fairness when adjusting public fees.
SPÖ Defends Decision as Economically Necessary
SPÖ councilor Astrid Rompolt rejected the criticism. She said the Court of Audit had asked the city to review the economic viability of its services, and the evaluation showed that certain barbecue areas — particularly those where firewood is provided — required higher cost recovery.
Rompolt stressed that free, non‑reservable barbecue sites would continue to be available on the Donauinsel. She also noted recurring issues with people booking multiple time slots at the previous low price of 10 euros but failing to show up for all of them.
Broad Political Support Despite Green Opposition
In the final vote, the Greens stood alone in their opposition. The fee increase was supported not only by the governing SPÖ and NEOS but also by the opposition parties FPÖ and ÖVP, securing a broad majority in the council.
- Hector Pascua with reports from vienna.at/picture: Image by Marcel Rusu from Pixabay
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