OMV supports aid organizations
- OMV donates EUR 1 mn – EUR 500,000 each to the Austrian Red Cross and Caritas Austria for support during the coronavirus crisis
- Health and wellbeing are top priorities
- Travel support for providers of care and emergency aid
The global spread of the coronavirus has abruptly changed the way society functions. It is OMV's job to provide the country with energy, safely and responsibly. As one of the largest listed industrial companies in Austria, OMV has a responsibility towards its employees and society. In order to provide support during the coronavirus crisis, OMV is donating EUR 1 mn in the form of OMV fuel cards (OMVCard) – EUR 500,000 each to the Austrian Red Cross and to Caritas Austria. These organizations are currently experiencing high demand because, alongside their regular tasks, they face additional challenges in relation to the coronavirus and are playing a central role in the nation’s crisis management.
“The health and wellbeing of all our employees and society as a whole is our top priority. That is why we are supporting key institutions like the Austrian Red Cross and Caritas Austria. These aid workers accomplish great things. We are helping them get around, which is an essential factor in delivering provisions and support to people in need as well as emergency aid”, says Rainer Seele, Chairman of the OMV Executive Board and CEO.
“We are already seeing the first impacts of the coronavirus pandemic – we see it in the rising number of phone calls for social counseling and in the fact that we need extra emergency accommodation for the homeless. The unemployment rate is at a historic high of 562,522 people. More and more people are suffering hardship through no fault of their own. This underlines how huge the challenges that lie ahead of us still are”, says Michael Landau, President of Caritas Austria. “This is why Caritas is expanding its acute care services throughout Austria. These include, for example, new food distribution points, additional emergency shelters and day centers for homeless people, as well as an Austria-wide coronavirus emergency helpline for people in need. I would like to thank OMV for the generous support in such an important time when solidarity is paramount. In times of need, every donation helps. Based on the noticeable unity of people all over Austria and the tireless efforts of Caritas employees, I am confident that we will master this crisis together”.
“Saving lives is always a team effort. The Red Cross is on a coronavirus-related mission to help people all over Austria. Only together can we stop the virus from spreading. Thank you to OMV for the great support”, said Austrian Red Cross President Gerald Schöpfer.
Background information:
OMV Aktiengesellschaft
OMV produces and markets oil and gas, innovative energy and high-end petrochemical solutions – in a responsible way. With Group sales of EUR 23 bn and a workforce of around 20,000 employees in 2019, OMV Aktiengesellschaft is one of Austria’s largest listed industrial companies. In Upstream, OMV has a strong base in Central and Eastern Europe as well as a balanced international portfolio, with Middle East & Africa, the North Sea, Russia and Asia-Pacific as further core regions. Daily average production was 487,000 boe/d in 2019. In Downstream, OMV operates three refineries in Europe and owns a 15% share in ADNOC Refining and Trading JV, with a total annual processing capacity of 24.9 mn tons. Furthermore, OMV has a 36% participation in Borealis, one of the world’s leading producers of polyolefins. The Company operates about 2,100 filling stations in ten European countries. OMV runs gas storage facilities in Austria and Germany; its subsidiary Gas Connect Austria GmbH operates a gas pipeline network in Austria. In 2019, gas sales volumes amounted to around 137 TWh. Sustainability is an integral part of OMV’s corporate strategy. OMV supports the transition to a lower-carbon economy and has set measurable targets for reducing carbon intensity and introducing new energy and petrochemical solutions.
Caritas
The core mission of Caritas is to see and act upon need as well as to stand up for the weakest people on the margins of our society. This means respecting and protecting human life from beginning to end and helping people in need regardless of their origin, religion or gender. There are 66,000 full-time and voluntary employees in 1,600 locations across Austria who help people in need in the areas of care, people with disabilities, hospice, in the 36 social counseling centers, working for families in need or older people who cannot afford heating, in 42 homeless facilities and 12 mother-child homes. As Caritas, even in times of Corona, we are close to people who need help and support. Holding together and staying apart, and not forgetting the weakest – this is what Caritas' work is characterized by these days.