In a recent legislative update, the Austrian government has confirmed a decisive move to prohibit marriages for individuals under the age of 18, as announced by Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer on Monday. Currently, the Austrian Civil Code stipulates that the legal age for marriage is 18, but it allows an exception for minors aged 16 and 17 who can marry with parental consent and court approval. The new reform will eliminate this exception, ensuring that marriage is exclusively for adults aged 18 and older. According to local media, Justice Minister Alma Zadic noted that this change is also aimed at combating forced marriages.
This legislative shift is in response to UNICEF’s global campaign calling for a minimum marriage age of 18. Within the European Union, marriage legislation varies by member state, but all states require that the legal age of marriage corresponds to the age of majority, generally set at 18. Nonetheless, most countries retain the power to stipulate exceptions should they choose. The new Austrian policy aligns with General Comment No. 4 by the Committee on the Rights of the Child, which advises on increasing the minimum age for marriage to 18 irrespective of parental consent.
The reform also includes a provision to ban marriages between first cousins, further indicating Austria’s commitment to overhauling its marriage laws to protect youth and align with international standards.
For additional details on this legislative reform, you can view the original announcement by Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer on Twitter.
Further context and implications of these changes can be explored in the original report by JURIST.