Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen announced that he will not participate in the 30th Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP30), scheduled to be held in Brazil in November, citing “exceptionally high costs this year” as a main reason for his absence. He explained in a statement that “these expenses cannot be covered within the strict budget of the presidency,” referring to the increased logistical costs in the city of Belém, located in the Amazon region hosting the conference. Austria is currently under austerity policies affecting various state institutions due to a financial deficit considered excessive by the European Union, to which Austria belongs. Van der Bellen added, “Adjusting our financial situation requires reducing expenses and joint discipline,” while emphasizing the importance of the climate summit and wishing Brazil all possible success.

Earlier in July, the Austrian president expressed hesitation about going to Belém, joking about the possibility of “sleeping outdoors if infrastructure is insufficient.” The host city faces growing criticism from some participants regarding high accommodation costs. Belém, with a population of 1.3 million, has hotel prices that may exceed $1,000 per night (about 3,670 dirhams), prompting climate conference organizers to denounce “exploitation” in this sector. Despite this, Brazilian authorities last week ruled out relocating the summit and confirmed proceeding with preparations. Conference president André Corrêa do Lago stated that “the countries that make their voices heard in discussions are small island groups, relatively less developed countries, or African countries.” Despite its financial deficit, Austria is among the richest countries in the world and one of the few European countries to elect a leader from the environmental movement.

A new meeting of the organizers is scheduled for next Monday to continue discussions on several issues, including accommodation. Brazil expects to host about 50,000 people during the summit and says it has prepared accommodation data covering more than 53,000 people in Belém. The COP30 conference will be held from November 10 to 21, preceded by a summit of world leaders on November 6 and 7.