Foreign Students Get Short Shrift on Transit Passes

Restrictions on subsidised student transport passes in Austria are under fire from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on charges of discrimination.

In a case addressing unequal treatment for non-Austrian students, the ECJ concluded 4 Oct. that Austria had not justified regulations in Vienna, Upper Austria, Burgenland and Styria, where students are only eligible for discounts if their parents receive family support payments, in violation of EU law.

Since parents are only entitled to receive family support payments if they live in Austria, this has unfairly barred foreign students from receiving the same advantages, according to the court.