| Type of parliamentary body |
Multifunctional |
| Nature |
Permanent |
| Related to chambers |
Nationalrat
|
| Date of creation |
17 December 2013 |
| Last renewal date |
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| Mandate |
The Committee is responsible for preliminary deliberation of bills concerning Austria as a business and industrial location. This comprises competition rules, industry, commerce and trade as well as certain energy-related topics. The following items of business are dealt with: Federal Government bills, private members' bills, popular initiatives or Federal Council bills. The bills are referred to the Committee by the Speaker of the National Council. |
| Membership |
The National Council determines the number of members and substitute members of each committee. The members and substitute members are recruited from the parliamentary groups in proportion to their number of members. The parliamentary groups communicate to the President the names of the members and substitute members to which they are entitled, who are thereupon considered elected for the entire legislative period.
As of March 2014 the Committee has 24 members
|
| Working methods |
The Chairperson decides on the agenda, convenes committee meetings, opening and closing them. Committees are deemed to have a quorum if more than half of their members are present. Such a quorum is only required for votes and elections. At the beginning of deliberations on an item of business the committee elects a rapporteur, on whose proposal the item of business may be discussed in its entirety or in part or during separate general and special debates. The committee Chairperson recognizes the members who have asked for the floor in the order in which they made their request. Unless expressly decided otherwise, all committee decisions are taken with a majority of the members present. The members of the federal government and the State secretaries have the right to participate in all of the proceedings of the committees. The committees may also require the presence of members of the federal government at their deliberations. Although the committee sessions of the National Council are not generally open to the public, the rules of procedure of the National Council make an exception in several special instances. For example, the public is admitted to deliberations on federal government reports being finalized by a committee, and not therefore discussed in a plenary session of the National Council, and to fundamental debates on referendum petitions at which experts and witnesses are heard. The reports of the committees sessions are made public. |
| Relations with other parliamentary bodies |
There is only an informal exchange of information between the members of the committees (because members of the respective committees are also members of other committees). A bill can be referred to another committee. |
| Relations with external bodies |
Members of the Federal Government (ministers), their representatives or other experts may be summoned by the Committee to provide information orally or in writing. NGO representatives are usually not allowed to attend sessions, unless they are summoned as experts by the Committee. NGOs may also express their opinion by submitting written statements on bills. |
| Subjects dealt with |
Economic policy and economic outlook of the European Union; amendments of trade regulations aiming at facilitation of starting and transferring an enterprise; reports of the energy regulatory authority E-Control Austria, amendments of Austrian legislation with regard to EU-legislation in the field of wholesale energy market integrity and transparency and industry emissions |
| CONTACT INFORMATION |
|
PRESIDING OFFICER(S)
|
| Name |
Mr. Peter Haubner |
| Notes |
Chairman, Economic Affairs Committee |
| Address (if different from above) |
Parliament, A-1017 Vienna |
| Phone |
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| Fax |
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| E-mail |
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| Website |
http://www.parlament.gv.at/PAKT/VHG/XXV/A-WH/A-WH_00001_00381/index.shtml
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|
SECRETARY
|
| Name |
Mr. Christoph Konrath |
| Notes |
Clerk of the Committee |
| Address (if different from above) |
Parliament, 1017 Vienna |
| Phone |
+ 43 1 40110 2929 |
| Fax |
+ 43 1 40110 2624 |
| E-mail |
christoph.konrath@parlament.gv.at |
| web site: |
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| Notes |
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