Austrian Minister Gewessler Meets with U.S. Secretary Buttigieg

© ÖB Washington

Austrian Minister of Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology, Leonore Gewessler and U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, held a virtual meeting on 20 March 2023 to discuss several key issues related to sustainable mobility. The meeting revealed significant overlap in policy goals between Austria and the United States. The main focus of the discussion was on e-mobility, sustainable aviation fuels, digital transformation in mobility, intelligent transport systems, and automation. Minister Gewessler also presented Austria’s innovative and highly popular “Klimaticket” (climate ticket). Introduced in 2022, it allows customers to use the nationwide public transport network in Austria for an entire year at a fixed-price of approximately EUR 1000. Both Secretary Buttigieg and Minister Gewessler are both passionate cyclists and they expressed their shared commitment to promoting sustainable transportation and reducing carbon emissions. The meeting was another important step in strengthening the relationship between Austria and the U.S. in the fight against climate change.