Die Presse, 6 November 2009

In a movement that is now in its third week, Austrian students once again took to the streets on 5 November to protest against poor conditions in universities and the reform of qualifications required by the Bologna Process. At the same time, authorities were seeking to set aside "another billion for universities," an initiative announced by a front-page headline in Die Presse, which is superimposed on a photo-montage of the main protagonists in the saga: the rector of the university of Vienna, Chancellor Werner Faymann, and the ministers for Research, Finance and the Economy. As funding for universities was the only item to be increased in the 2009 budget, the social-democrat Chancellor has promised that more resources will be made available... but not before 2020, explains Die Presse. However, if the conflict continues, given that the public is largely sympathetic to the students, it may develop into a widespread social movement, warns the Vienna daily.