Austrian Court Faces Caseload Surge, Demands More Staff

The Austrian Federal Administrative Court (BVwG) experienced a substantial surge in its workload last year, with new cases rising by 25% to a total of 30,550 in 2025. This increase places significant pressure on the court's resources, prompting its leadership to call for more staff.

Asylum-related cases continue to dominate the court's docket, accounting for 51% of all new proceedings initiated in 2025. This reflects the ongoing challenges in processing refugee claims within the European Union. Alongside asylum matters, the court also handled a considerable number of cases, 7,600, related to challenges against the newly introduced ORF broadcast contribution fee.

Christian Filzwieser, President of the BVwG, highlighted that while the court managed to conclude 17% more cases in 2025 compared to the previous year, the growing volume necessitates additional support. He formally requested at least twenty new positions to adequately address the increasing number of tasks assigned by the government, including those stemming from the Freedom of Information Act and new EU asylum regulations.

Filzwieser stressed the critical importance of judicial funding, warning that underfunding the courts harms the state. Delays in legal proceedings can postpone infrastructure projects and potentially lead to compensation claims against the Republic if the court cannot decide cases within statutory deadlines due to resource constraints. The court's leadership also noted that while the Presidential position was vacant for over a year before Filzwieser's appointment in February 2024, the presidium is now fully staffed.