Austria's ruling government coalition presents a bill that bans to wear niqab in public places, reports BBC. " We are committed to an open society, which also presupposes open communication. A full-face veil in public places stands in its way and will therefore be banned, "reads the introduction to the project.

The government also considers to introduce restrictions for women on wearing niqab and other religious veils in state institutions. Experts assess this legislative initiative as the coalition’s attempt to curb the popularity of extremist right-wing Freedom Party, which is against the growth of migrants. 

According to some estimates, about 150 thousand women in Austria wear full-face veils and niqabs. The ban on wearing niqabs is the same in the mountainous regions as it is in Vienna, where a large number of tourists arrive from the Gulf for their vacations in the winter.