An OSCE participating State since June 25, 1973, Austria is a federal republic to Germany’s southeast that is also a member of both the Council of Europe and the EU. The country, which hosts the OSCE headquarters in Vienna, has periodically had its elections observed by the OSCE/ODIHR, chaired the OSCE in 2000, and will chair the OSCE once more in 2017. 

Austria appeared before the Commission during its 2000 Chairmanship, and annually hosts numerous OSCE and OSCE PA events at OSCE headquarters. Additionally, Austria is home to other international organizations, including the IAEA and EU Fundamental Rights Agency. In recent years, the OSCE and the Helsinki Commisison have both increased their focus on Austria due to issues related to the economic downturn and migration.