Austrian judges, prosecutors strike over staff shortages

Anna-Maria Wukovits, vice president of the Austrian Prosecutors' Association, stated at a press conference that prosecutors "cannot go on like this. We are at our limit." The national judges' association estimates a shortage of over 250 judges, while Wukowits indicated the prosecutor shortage is around 70.

Increased workloads are attributed to more complex cases, including cybercrimes, and the manual review required for AI-generated criminal complaints. The justice ministry acknowledged the concerns but emphasized the government's priority of reducing the budget deficit, which stood at 4.1% of economic output last year, exceeding the EU's 3% limit.

Gerhard Karmuth, president of the Austrian Judges' Association, noted in a statement that the rule of law cannot be sustained solely through judges working unpaid overtime, highlighting that colleagues have been compensating for structural shortages for years by working evenings, weekends, and holidays.