National Council, Danube Region Conference, EU Main Committee, events, international visits
Vienna (PK) – The National Council will meet next week on Wednesday and Thursday for two days of meetings. The MPs could, among other things, decide on parts of the construction and housing package presented by the federal government as well as legislative proposals for a reduction in land consumption through an amendment to the Contaminated Site Remediation Act, a strengthening of monument protection, the end of continuous lighting of wind turbines at night and a new liability regime for trees outside the forest .
On the occasion of Austria’s chairmanship of the EU strategy for the Danube region, the 9th Conference of Parliament Speakers will take place in Parliament, during which the countries of the Danube region will exchange ideas. For this reason, a public visit to Parliament is not possible between Monday lunchtime and Tuesday evening.
Monday, March 18, 2024
The traveling exhibition Parliament on Tour is making its next stop in Baden in Lower Austria until March 31st. The interactive traveling exhibition about parliamentarism and democracy is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is intended to bring parliament and its actors to all citizens in the federal states. (Josefsplatz, Baden)
10 a.m.: The EU Main Committee is meeting ahead of the European Council meeting on March 21st and 22nd. On the agenda of the EU heads of state and government are, among other things, Ukraine, security and defense as well as the Near and Middle East. Chancellor Karl Nehammer and EU and Constitutional Minister Karoline Edtstadler will be available to the committee. (Parliament, Federal Council chamber)
3:50 p.m.: As part of the 9th Conference of Parliament Speakers of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region, National Council President Wolfgang Sobotka will meet with the Bulgarian Parliament President Rossen Zhelyazkov for a discussion. (Parliament, Presidential Office)
16.30 o’clock: National Council President Sobotka will also meet with the Chairman of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefantschuk for talks. (Parliament, Presidential Office)
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
09.00 a.m: On the occasion of Austria’s chairmanship of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR), the 9th Conference of Parliament Speakers will take place in Parliament. The conference will be opened by National Council President Wolfgang Sobotka and Federal Council President Margit Göll. Members of the EU strategy for the Danube region are the nine EU member states Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia and Romania as well as the five EU candidate countries Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and Ukraine . The first session of the Danube Region Conference is about security in the Danube Region, with a keynote speech by Velina Tchakarowa (Senior Advisor, Austria Institute for European and Security Policy). (National Council Hall, Parliament)
Media representatives are asked to register for the conference in advance at media service@register at parliament.gv.at.
10.45 a.m.: On the occasion of the conference, Parliament is opening an overview exhibition on the Danube region with contributions from Bulgaria, Germany (Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria), the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Austria, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Ukraine and Hungary. Objects and insights into the history and society of the individual countries are intended to help promote mutual understanding and deepen existing cooperation. The exhibition can be viewed in the colonnade until March 30th. (Pillar Hall, Parliament)
11.30 a.m.: The second session of the Danube Region Conference deals with the topic of democracy education. Britta Breser (Professor of Democracy Education, University of Vienna) will give the keynote speech. (National Council Hall, Parliament)
12.15 p.m.: Federal Council President Margit Göll will also meet with the Chairman of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefantschuk for a bilateral discussion as part of the Danube Region Conference. (Parliament, Fellerer/Wörle meeting 6)
2.30 p.m.: The third session of the conference highlights the Danube region as a cultural, natural and scientific area. The keynote speech will come from Friedrich Faulhammer (Chairman of the Danube Rectors’ Conference). This is followed by the presentation and acceptance of the final declaration. National Council President Sobotka speaks the final words.
7:00 p.m.: The newly revised permanent exhibition “Talking Tacheles. Anti-Semitism – Danger to Democracy” opens in the Parliament Library. The exhibition focuses on highlighting the current threat of anti-Semitism to democracy and highlights, among other things, the close connection between Austria and Jewish life and the rootedness of hatred of Jews in society. National Council President Wolfgang Sobotka speaks opening words. Speeches will come from Armin Lange (Anti-Semitism Research and Ancient Judaism – Institute for Jewish Studies at the University of Vienna), Noa Mkayton (Head of the Overseas Education and Training Department at Yad Vashem) and Beatrice Kricheli (Culture Councilor at the IKG Vienna). Final words come from the head of the Library & Archives Department of the Parliamentary Directorate, Holger Böck. (Parliament, reception room, library, access via gate 3)
Media representatives are asked to register in advance for the exhibition opening at media service@register at parliament.gv.at.
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
09.00 a.m: The National Council’s agenda includes parts of the housing and construction package, the extension of the Energy Cost Subsidy Act until 2025, a nationwide regulation on vocational training in agriculture, a permanent legal basis for the new Digital University and an amendment to monument protection. In addition, the MPs want to discuss referendums that have been submitted to parliament in first readings – namely the “Abolish Compulsory Vaccination Act – referendum”, the “COVID fine repayment referendum” and the referendum “Justice for nursing staff”. Let’s start the session with a current lesson from NEOS. (Parliament, National Council Hall)
Plenary sessions are broadcast live in the media library.
11 a.m.: National Council President Wolfgang Sobotka welcomes the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola in the House. Before the conversation there will be a film and photo session for media representatives. (Parliament, offices)
Thursday March 21, 2024
8:20 a.m.: Before the start of the National Council meeting, the annual Fairtrade information event will open. National Council President Wolfgang Sobotka welcomes, introductory words come from the CEO of Fairtrade Austria Johanna Mang. This time the focus is on the international context in the cocoa trade. (Parliament, Hypostyle Hall)
Media representatives are asked to register for the information event in advance at media service@register at parliament.gv.at.
09.00 a.m: An amendment to the Contaminated Site Remediation Act to reduce land consumption, investment subsidies for photovoltaic systems for small businesses, the end of continuous nighttime lighting for wind turbines and a new liability regime for trees outside the forest are ready for resolution on the second day of the National Council’s meeting. Finally, the MPs also want to discuss the referendum “Nehammer has to go”. The plenum will start with a question time for the Federal Minister for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology Leonore Gewessler. (Parliament, National Council Hall)
Plenary sessions are broadcast live in the media library.
1:00 p.m.: Members of the New Zealand-Europe Bilateral Parliamentary Group visit Parliament and meet for a debate with members of the Austria-Australia, New Zealand, Oceania Bilateral Parliamentary Group. (Parliament, Ludwig Wittgenstein Local 5)
Friday March 22, 2024
10 a.m.: The Foreign Policy Committee has scheduled a meeting. An agenda has not yet been set. (Houses of Parliament)
Saturday March 23, 2024
The 148th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) will take place in Geneva from March 23rd to 27th under the title “Parliamentary Diplomacy: Building Bridges for Peace and Understanding”. On the Austrian side, Second President of the National Council Doris Bures as well as MPs Reinhold Lopatka (ÖVP), Martin Graf (FPÖ), Ewa Ernst-Dziedzic (Greens) and Nikolaus Scherak (NEOS) are taking part in the meeting. (Switzerland, Geneva).
Monday, March 25, 2024
Representatives of the Union’s parliamentary European committees meet in the European Parliament for the two-day COSAC conference as part of the Belgian EU Council Presidency. On the part of Austria, the MPs Martin Engelberg (ÖVP), Eva-Maria Holzleitner (SPÖ), Petra Steger (FPÖ), Nikolaus Scherak (NEOS) as well as the chairman of the EU Committee of the State Chamber Christian Buchmann (ÖVP), Ferdinand Tiefnig ( ÖVP) and Claudia Hauschildt-Buschberger (Greens) take part. The focus of the meeting is a review of the legislative period 2019 to 2024 and a preview of the Strategic Agenda 2024 to 2029, gender equality policy, strategic autonomy as well as democracy and the rule of law in Europe. (Belgium, Brussels) (final) keg
NOTE: Current dates can be found in the Parliament’s online calendar. Media employees are requested to contact media service in advance for filming and photography@register at parliament.gv.at.
Meetings of the National Council and the Federal Council can also be followed via live stream and are available as video-on-demand in the Parliament media library. Follow the Austrian Parliament on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or sign up for a free email subscription to Parliamentary Correspondence.
Questions & Contact:
Press service of the Parliamentary Directorate Parliamentary correspondence Tel. +43 1 40110/2272 press service@parlament.gv.at
