Austria is a wealthy modern welfare state with a population of about 8 million people. The majority of the population is white and German speaking. Autochthonous and recognised minorities are the Croats, Slovenes, Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks and Roma. Starting in the late 1960s Austria became a country of immigration, predominantly attracting younger workers from former Yugoslavia and Turkey.

In general, all major principles of the Directives have been incorporated into the Austrian legal framework.

The definitions of direct and indirect discrimination have been quoted literally from the Directives. Harassment and victimisation are also covered.

Despite the quite comprehensive legal framework, the enforcement of it is still deficient. There are a couple of reasons for this finding: Firstly, there is still an enormous lack of awareness in the overall population – even about the mere existence of the legislation. Another reason is the very complex and scattered legal framework; - more than 40 legal acts could be relevant.