I read:
So its sounds like a Verein is very easy to start in Austria and Germany,
rather easy yes.
does it provide tax-free status?
no it's really hard to get that status, but since most "vereins" don't make money there is no tax, it's more about tax deductable donations.
The next question is whether we can use tax-free money from the EU to fund a conference outside of the EU without paying taxes.
can't see why not
cheers,
x