Euro-commissioner perceives Austrian family allowances unlawful

The EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility Marianne Thyssen perceives the Austrian system of family allowances as unlawful. According to the Labour Minister Ján Richter, Thyssen has responded in this way to the letter from the Visegrad Four (V4: Slovakia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary) labour ministers on the new legislation approved by Austria, which will introduce as of January 1, 2019 varying family allowances. The level of such allowances when paid abroad would depend on the purchasing power in the country where a child has permanent residence. The four countries in the joint letter claimed that the law stands in opposition to EU legislation and the principle of equal treatment, and asked the European Commission to look into the case. This legislation should affect the socio-economic status of 87,500 children living in the V4 countries. According to Ján Richter, the Euro-commissioner perceives the system as unlawful. "She will take every step at her disposal to make sure that the legislation won't be in effect in Austria," claimed Richter referencing the letter.