1. 1st HRWG – Meeting 6/7 February 2006

2. HISTORICAL MILESTONES
Celtic Kingdom of Noricum
Province of the Roman Empire
Bavarian settlement/Carolingian March
996
1156
1282
1522/1526
„Ostarrichi“
Duchy
600 years of Habsburg rule began
Division into Spanish and Austrian Line/Hungary and Bohemia added
Maria Theresia/Josef II establish basis for a modern state („enlighted absolutism“)
1804/1806
1867
1914
1918
Proclamation of the Empire of Austria/End of Holy Roman Empire
Establishment of Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand/Outbreak of Word War I
Defeat of Centralpowers/Dual Monarchy disintegrated/Austria became Republic

3.
1920
1938
1939
Constitution
Occupation by Hitler‘s troops „Anschluss“
Outbreak of World War II
Declaration of Independence/Begin of 2nd Republic
1955
1979
1989
1995
„Österreich ist frei!“ Signing of State Treaty / UN-Membership
Vienna becomes UN-seat
Fall of the „Iron Curtain“: new relations with old neighbours / Application for EU-membership
Austria becomes member of the EU

4. Together in the Future…!
1998
1999
2002
First Austrian Presidency of the Council of the EU
Schengen Treaty in force
EURO
Enlargement: from periphery to centre
Beginning of the 2nd Austrian Presidency of the Council of the EU

5. AUSTRIA IN BRIEF Inhabitants: 8,207.000 of total
(plus compared to year before)
51% women, 49% men
Religion: 73,7% catholic
9 „Länder“ (Provinces)
2.359 Municipalities

6. AUSTRIAN ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE
Legislature:
carried out by the Federation („Bund“) or the „Länder“ according to the competence assigned by the Federal Constitution (including budget autonomy for both)
Judiciary:
carried out exclusively by the Federation
ordinary successive stages of appeal:
District Court -> Regional Court -> Court of Appeal -> Supreme Court
extraordinary successive stages of appeal:
Constitutional Court (since 1920) – control of legislation and administration (human rights violation)
Administrative Court (since 1867) – control of administration

7. Executive Power: Federation:
- „Direct Federal Administration“: is carried out by federal ministers and federal authorities; regional administration is carried out by federal authorities only in areas explicitly mentioned in the Federal Constitution eg general public security, military, customs, judicial system
- „Indirect Federal Administration“: regional administration that is not explicitly assigned to the federation is carried out by the Province Governor and his/hers subordinated provincial authorities on the basis of federal law and bound by instructions of the Federal Ministers

8. „Länder“ (Provinces):
- Administration of the competences of the Länder is carried out by the provincial authorities headed by the Province Governments; responsible for all competences not explicitely assigned to the Federation by the Federal Constitution
Municipalities:
- self-governing bodies
- execute also state administration (means that local authorities carry out competences originally assigned to the Federation or the Länder under their supervision)

9. PUBLIC SERVICE IN AUSTRIA
Number of Persons employed on (full-time equivalent)
Federal Government
„Länder“ (Provinces)
Municipalities
Federal Government employment
7,1 % work in ministries, 92,4 % in numerous subordinate federal agencies (schools, courts of justice, prisons, revenue offices, police authorites, etc)
37,7 % of civil servants are women; majority of contractual employees women
37,4 % of men and 56,5 % of women in Federal Government A Level
63,2 % age 40+
during the period from 1991 to outsourcing/corporatisation projects: persons employed by Federal Government strongly decreased approx =>

10. LET‘S START… !