A. Austria in the European Union


I. EU Policies

Austria's Role in the European Institutions

Austria is represented in all the institutions of the European Union. Nominated by the Austrian Government for a second term, Franz Fischler was reappointed on 15 September 1999 as the member of the European Commission responsible for agriculture, rural development and fisheries. The Austrian nationals Peter Jann and Josef Azizi are members of the European Court of Justice and the Court of First Instance, respectively, and the Austrian Christine Stix-Hackl is one out of eight Advocates-General supporting the European Court of Justice. Hubert Weber, whose term of office as the member of the European Court of Auditors nominated by the Austrian Government expired on 31 December 2001, was nominated for a further term of six years.

The European Court of Justice dealt with 57 new cases referred to it by Austrian courts for preliminary rulings. At the end of 2001 there were eleven cases pending against the Republic of Austria concerning alleged breaches of Community law. Austria introduced two actions for annulment with regard to the ecopoint system for regulating the transit of heavy goods vehicles through Austria.

Austria has 21 seats in the European Parliament, which held twelve regular plenary sessions in Strasbourg as well as eight mini plenary sessions in Brussels. One of the principal issues discussed in 2001 was the future of the Union, and in particular the composition and mandate of the European Convention set up on 28 February 2002. Other important issues of debate were e.g. the political situation in Turkey, especially as regards respect for human rights, and the implications of the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11.

The Committee of the Regions is an advisory body which consists of 222 representatives of regional and local authorities within member states. The Federal Government nominated Austria's twelve members for the new four-year period beginning on 25 January 2002 on 5 December. There were five plenary sessions in 2001. The Committee participated in the debate on the future of the Union, with special reference to the role of the regions in preparations for the Intergovernmental Conferenc e in 2004.

The Economic and Social Committee is made up of 222 representatives of Europe's organised civil society, i.e. the Union's economic and social interest groups. Its members are organised in three groups: employers, workers and various interest groups. Austria nominates twelve members of the Committee, which held nine plenary sessions in 2001.

Under Austrian constitutional law the Austrian Parliament has a right to be informed and is empowered to adopt positions which are of a binding character for the member of the Federal Government representing Austria in the Council if the respective European legal instrument requires federal legislation for its implementation or is directly applicable. The relevant Austrian federal ministers are bound by the terms of these positions, and in dealings with the European Union may depart from them only for vital reasons of foreign and integration policy. In 2001 the National Council (First House of the Austrian Parliament) adopted positions in relation to the meeting of the European Council in Stockholm, EU nuclear policy in the context of accession negotiations with the Czech Republic, and (by the standing sub-committee on EU matters) on alteration of EU policy on nuclear energy. In addition, both Houses of Parliament adopted various resolutions on EU-relevant matters.

Similar powers are exercised by the Austrian federal Länder in relation to their fields of competence. In 2001 the Länder adopted four positions, including one on EU enlargement.

The Austrian positions in the EU Committee of Permanent Representatives are coordinated at weekly inter-ministerial meetings - with representation by the social partners and all the relevant national institutions as well as the local and regional authorities - chaired by the Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs.