Vienna housing councilor allows air conditioning, comments on Ruck's resignation

Elke Hanel-Torsch, Vienna's councilor for housing and women's affairs, has broken with a decades-old policy by permitting the installation of air conditioning units in municipal apartments, citing the increasing severity of summer heatwaves. This decision reverses a long-standing prohibition by Wiener Wohnen, the city's public housing authority, which had previously only allowed AC in cases of severe health issues.

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I made this decision because I saw that the summers are getting hotter and we must enable tenants to install air conditioning units so they can live well there. This is also a health issue.

"I made this decision because I saw that the summers are getting hotter and we must enable tenants to install air conditioning units so they can live well there. This is also a health issue," Hanel-Torsch stated. While acknowledging that renovations and external shading are also promoted by the city, she stressed the need for immediate cooling solutions for residents until buildings are modernized.

In a separate interview, Hanel-Torsch addressed the resignation of Walter Ruck, former president of the Chamber of Commerce, following allegations of sexist remarks and a "wine cellar" meeting scandal. "Regardless of the Walter Ruck case, I must say that such a woman-discriminating worldview is not tolerable," she commented, distancing herself personally by stating, "I don't know him personally. I have only been in office for a few months, and I was never in the wine cellar with Walter Ruck."

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Regardless of the Walter Ruck case, I must say that such a woman-discriminating worldview is not tolerable.

She also called for a federal-level mandatory reporting system for vacant properties, aiming to improve housing availability. Hanel-Torsch believes that while society has made progress in addressing gender discrimination, there is still work to be done to change outdated views on women. The reform of the municipal housing system, she indicated, will also influence future eligibility for public housing.

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I don't know him personally. I have only been in office for a few months, and I was never in the wine cellar with Walter Ruck.