At the 17th EU-Russia summit in the resort Sotchi on the Black Sea coast on 25 May 2006 no progress was made in the sensitive issue of a common energy policy but both sides stressed their wish to intensify dialogue. Russian President Vladimir Putin referred to the EU as a “key international partner”. EU Council President and Austrian Federal Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel praised the open discussion.
Russia wanted to sell oil and gas, Europe wanted to buy oil and gas. “This is a win-win situation“, stated the Federal Chancellor. The Energy Charter, which has not yet been ratified by Russia, required Moscow to liberalise its energy market and open it up to foreign investors, and consequently to give up the export monopoly of the government-owned energy group Gazprom. A peaceful solution of the nuclear conflict with Iran was sought.
The second main subject was the new partnership and cooperation agreement aiming at an intensification of bilateral relations. The current agreement expires at the end of 2006 and will be renewed for an indefinite period. In this context, Schüssel reminded of the importance of human rights and democracy as the basis for the relations between Russia and the EU. Agreements on facilitated visa procedures and the repatriation of illegal migrants were signed. ■

President in office of the European Council, Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel and EU Commission President José Manuel Barroso have invited leading representatives of the world religions to a dialogue on “fundamental rights and mutual respect” to Brussels on 30 May 2006. The topic of discussion is the contribution of religious communities to the united Europe. ■

Austria tried to provide “impetus” to the Europe debate, said EU Council President and Federal Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel at a conference of the European Affairs Committees of the national EU parliaments in the Austrian Parliament in Vienna on 22 May 2006. In his speech Schüssel explained that Europe had to be “kept together”. Austria’s intention was to “carry away” all European countries. Regarding the European Constitution the Chancellor said that the process of reflection should be continued with a defined content and a fixed schedule. The decision about the text should be taken by 2008.
As one of the top achievements of the Austrian Presidency Schüssel mentioned the consensus on the EU budget 2007 to 2013, which had recently been endorsed by the European Parliament. ■

The informal meeting of the EU environment ministers in Eisenstadt and Rust (19 to 21 May 2006) was well received by the delegates, participants and the specialised press. On the initiative of Environment Minister, incumbent Council President Josef Pröll the public was for the first time in the history of the EU involved in a working meeting of a Council of Ministers. Under the motto “Europe listens”, repre-sentatives of communities, Länder and NGOs discussed environmental technology with the EU environment ministers. The discussion showed that the use of environmental technologies had remarkable effects on the environment, jobs and the value-added and also played a major role in urban ecological measures, e.g. regarding air and noise pollution. Today about 3.5 million people are employed in this sector in the EU-25. The European environmental industry registered a turnover of 216 billion euro in 2004 corresponding to an EU GDP of 2.1%. ■

“Europe listens”, was also the slogan of the informal Council of EU agriculture ministers at the Danube University in Krems from 28 to 30 May 2006. Items on the agenda were strategies and prospects regarding rural development, with a focus on innovation, education and consulting. According to Council President and Agriculture Minister Josef Pröll, it was also vital to intensify the relations between teaching and research in the field of agriculture. ■

A special informal meeting of EU foreign ministers was held at the convent of Kloster-neuburg (Lower Austria) on 27 and 28 May 2006. It was chaired by Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik, President in office of the European Council. An agreement was reached to create a clear legal basis for the EU Constitution – rejected by France and the Netherlands last year – by 2009 (European elections). “The Treaty on the EU Constitution is to be pursued as a European project. It has not been declared dead”, said Plassnik after the deliberations. The Foreign Minister confirmed that the German EU Council Presidency (first half of 2007) would submit “viable proposals” on the future approach to the Constitution by mid 2007.
At the EU summit of heads of state and government in June the EU Presidency had “to ensure that all were on board”, stated Plassnik. Future steps could be adopted only jointly. At least some “stimulus had been provided to the debate on Europe’s future” in Klosterneuburg. ■

The 96th German Day of Catholics held in Saarbrücken on 28 May 2006 ended with an appeal for more solidarity in society. Among the numerous prominent participants were German Federal President Horst Köhler and Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel as well as EU Council President Federal Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel.
In his speech Schüssel again pledged his support for the EU Constitution and expressed his conviction that the EU would “not find a better text even in two years“. The draft enshrined the central role of people in the economy and society and was “inspired in Christianity”, stressed the Federal Chancellor, who also called for a dialogue of Churches. ■

On 18 May 2006 Austrian Federal President Heinz Fischer paid an official visit to Bulgaria. He also participated in the 13th Central European Presidents’ Meeting in Varna (19 May 2006). The top item on the agenda of the bilateral meeting in Sofia as well as of the Presidents’ Summit in Varna were the likely EU accession of Bulgaria and Romania in early 2007 as well as closer cooperation in the fields of energy, security and economy.
The presidents of the Central European states rejected an EU enlargement stop and advocated that the European Union should continue to expand. However, after the EU entry of Romania and Bulgaria, which were now in the “accession finals”, and after the “concluding negotiations” with Croatia, there would be no “guarantees or admission tickets with concrete dates” for the remaining Balkan states, emphasised Federal President Fischer.
In brining the region closer to the EU there should be no “standard procedures and bloc solutions”. “Each individual country had to be examined closely and carefully before accession”, stated Fischer. At the same time there was, however, a great interest in a stable Balkans with close ties to the EU, added the Federal President. The European perspective was highly important for the security of the region, the security of political systems and the economic development. ■

“We support the regional integration efforts on the African continent. The European Union with its long-term integration experience is able to offer its specific support, notably in the area of conflict prevention and peace keeping“, said Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik in Vienna on 22 May 2006 after the meeting of foreign ministers of the EU Troika with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The basic principle of the EU and ECOWAS was regional cooperation among partners on an equal footing.
According to Plassnik, it was important to arrive at a better understanding of migration issues in the countries of origin, the transit countries as well as the migrants’ target countries. Cooperation in development aid was therefore a long-term measure of relevance in this context, said Plassnik. ■

It was not globalisation with its opportunities and risks but provincialism – a tendency of “diminishing and denigrating things“ – that posed the greatest threat to economic development, said Federal Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel at the 34th Economics Conference of the Austrian National Bank (OeNB) in Vienna on 22 May 2006. Globalisation was a reality and its challenge was to deal responsibly with all its opportunities and risks, said Schüssel.
The Federal Chancellor emphasised Europe’s increasingly stronger role as a global player with a densely knit network of international treaties. Europe was not only an important trading partner and political power but also a donor of development aid for up to 1.5 billion people, e.g. in the Mediterranean countries, North Africa and the Caucasus.
However, globalisation was not only a blessing but also required adjustments of the economic and working environment. By investing in education, research and innovation, the European Union had initiated important developments, underlined the Federal Chancellor.
After joining the EU, Austria had undergone a process of “Europeanisation”, with the result that today we are the largest investor in South Eastern Europe, break export records and are those benefiting most of the dynamic trend of the past few years“, said Schüssel. Therefore Austria was an excellent example that there was “no need to be afraid of globalisation”. According to a study, in Austria the number of enterprises increasing staffing levels due to internationalisation had been twice as high as that of companies reducing their workforce, underlined Schüssel.■

The opening up of Eastern Europe in 1989 and Austria’s EU entry in 1995 boosted economic growth by 0.5 to 1% annually and employment figures by 100,000 to 150,000. As a recent study of the Economic Research Institute (Wifo) shows, Austria benefited greatly from the EU’s Eastern enlargement in 2004. ■

The initial public offering (IPO) of Österreichische Post AG started at Vienna Stock Exchange on 31 May 2006. By selling off 49% of the state’s shares in the public mail company, the state monopoly came to an end. Future shareholders were promised high dividends.
The preferential subscription period for private investors was, however, terminated earlier than scheduled on 23 May 2006. The original deadline for the preferential allotment of up to 400 shares was reduced due to the great demand. The normal subscription period for private investors is running until 29 May 2006.
Institutional investors may subscribe shares of the mail services up to 30 May 2006. The price margin per share ranges between 17 and 19 euro. The number of shares is 31.5 million plus one greenshoe of 2.8 million. In the first years up to 70% of the profit are to be distributed as dividends. In view of the great demand, investment bankers expect an issue price within the upper range of the price margin. The sales profit from going public will go directly into the federal budget. About 670 million euro are expected, which will be used for early repayment of the debts of the state-owned holding company ÖIAG.
With annual sales of 1.7 billion euro and 25,192 employees, Österreichische Post AG is Austria’s largest logistics services provider. It is the third largest European postal company listed on the stock exchange. ■

The planned merger of OMV and Verbund to form a single large Austrian energy group was cancelled on 23 May 2006. Shortly after the Conference of Governors of the Länder had unanimously demanded a 51%-majority holding of the public sector in the new group, Minister for Economics Martin Bartenstein and Finance Minister Karl-Heinz Grasser announced in a joint press conference that the project would not be realised in this legislative period. The control of water power was the subject of controversy. The Governors had requested a 51%-majority holding of the state in the new company guaranteed in the Constitution. ■

The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra will present the third “Concert for Europe” – the cultural highlight of the Austrian EU Council Presidency – in the gardens of Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna on 2 June 2006. In recent years jazz legend Bobby McFerrin and Zubin Mehta had conducted the orchestra. This year it will be led by Plácido Domingo. More than 500,000 viewers will watch the concert live via the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF). Globally the concert transmitted by numerous TV stations will reach about 250 million fans. As Federal Chancellor and President in office of the European Council Wolfgang Schüssel explained, this concert was a “present of the musicians to the people in Europe. With works by Shostakovich, Schumann, Mozart, Rossini, Johann Strauß, de Falla and Hellmesberger, musical greetings are sent from Vienna to the world“. ■

The National Fund of the Republic of Austria will make an art database accessible on the Internet in autumn of this year. It will allow victims of the NS regime to reclaim works of art which they had not been able to locate. As artistic and cultural objects will be included in the database in respect of which there is no reliable information if they had been acquired unlawfully, it will also help to clarify possible restitution claims.
In 1998/99 the National Fund was given a legal mandate to utilise the objects of art transferred to it from public ownership to the benefit of the victims of National Socialism. This includes works of art in the museums and collections of the Republic and of the City of Vienna that had been acquired in the context of the NS regime but for which no persons entitled to restitution could be identified. As research on the origins has not been concluded in the individual museums and collections, the transfer to the Fund has not yet taken effect. By making the list of the objects to be transferred globally accessible in the bilingual Internet database, the National Fund will make best use of the time before concluding research on the origins.
At present the National Fund’s cooperation partners of the public collections are familiarised with the functionalities and technical requirements of the art database. The first steps towards realising the digital “gallery” have already been taken in summer 2005, when the National Fund initiated various cooperation projects. ■

On 23 May 2006 the Life Sciences Center Vienna of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) was inaugurated at Campus Vienna Biocenter. The building realised according to plans by Boris Podrecca houses the research institutes IMBA (Institute of Molecular Biotechnology) and GMI (Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology) as well as the Vienna Open Lab.
On a gross floor surface of about 20,000m2 the building accommodates laboratories, offices, guest rooms, an auditorium as well as seminar and meeting rooms and a visitors’ lab.
The IMBA (directed by university professor Josef Penninger) combines basic and applied research in biomedicine. About 100 scientists do research on functional genetics, in particular in the context of pathogenesis. The findings are to be taken into account in the development of innovative approaches to the prevention, diagnosis and therapy of diseases.
The GMI (directed by university professor Dieter Schweizer) is dedicated to basic research in the fields of cell and developmental biology and plant genetics. The Institute’s focus is on the molecular mechanisms of epigenetic phenomena. Currently, about 50 scientists are active at the GMI.
The “Vienna Open Lab“ promotes communication with the public. Austria’s first bioscientific visitors’ lab offers schools and other interested guests an opportunity to conduct molecular biological tests under scientific guidance. The new building of the Austrian Academy of Sciences is located at Dr. Bohr-Gasse 3 in the third district of Vienna. It is situated in the proximity of the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) and the Max F. Perutz laboratories of the University and the Medical University of Vienna. The IMBA and IMP cooperate very closely in their research projects. ■

After the EU Council of Ministers of Culture in Brussels on 18 May 2006, Secretary of State for Art and Media and incumbent Council President Franz Morak reported together with Commissioners Viviane Reding and Jan Figel on the results of the deliberations. “I am pleased that we have found a solution to guarantee the continuity of the programmes ‘Culture 2007’ and ‘Media 2007’ with increased budgets“, stated Morak. The budget of “Culture 2007“ was 400 million euro and that of “Media 2007“ 755 million euro, with both programmes running for seven years. As Morak emphasised, the Austrian Council Presidency had succeeded in making substantial progress in all dossiers, eight of which were proposals for legislation. The subjects covered ranged from programmes promoting culture and the media (e.g. European Capital of Culture, the Citizenship Programme or the Year of Intercultural Dialogue) and the finalisation of the UNESCO Convention to the directive concerning audiovisual media services. Morak, Reding and Figel were pleased about the fact that this had been the first common discussion on the subject “content and the creativity industry” in the Council. “In the future content policy should be an integral part of European economic, technological and cultural policy”, stated Morak, who had initiated the first discussion of this topic in the Council. ■

A Europe-wide unparalleled Tibetan health and culture centre as well as a Tibetan monastery are being built in the former mining community Hüttenberg (Carinthia). The centre will also include a four-star hotel with a restaurant and a wellness zone integrating a teahouse. On 14 May 2006 the cornerstone was laid in the presence of the Dalai Lama himself, who also commemorated his life-long friend, Alpinist and Tibet researcher Heinrich Harrer (“Seven Years in Tibet“), who had been born in Hüttenberg and died last January.
In the future the Dalai Lama will stay in Hüttenberg during his trips to Europe.
The extraordinary building project is realised by the Rogner group from Carinthia. Considerable financial aid is granted by the federal government and the Land of Carinthia. Governor Jörg Haider stated that “this provided strong impetus to this structurally weak region“. Vice Chancellor Hubert Gorbach offered his support for a media-term expansion into an “International Center of Higher Tibetan Studies“. Minister of Health Maria Rauch-Kallat stressed that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) was an important offer complementing classical Western medicine. It was committed to a holistic conception of the human being and defined healthcare as active prevention. This idea had also been incorporated into the new Austrian health promotion scheme. The 14th Dalai Lama and Peace Nobel Prize Laureate Tenzin Gyatso stated that the new centre was a contribution to preserving the endangered Tibetan culture, a place “where we can exchange experiences“. Today’s world was a “multi-ethnical, multi-cultural and multi-religious” entity. ■

In the framework of the Austrian EU Council Presidency, young fashion designers from all Member States recently presented their creations at the “EU Young Fashion Summit 2006“ in Vienna’s Hofburg. Participants from Austria were Markus Hausleitner, Jakob Knebl and Martin Sulzbacher. Italian star fashion designer Valentino was also present. Fashion by Viennese designer Atil Kutoglu was presented in the evening show. The festival was hosted by Secretary of State for Art and Media Morak. He opened the fashion summit stating that fashion was “one of the fabrics which our every-day lives are made of. Fashion is architecture to wear“. ■

On 24 May 2006 physicist Ferenc Krausz was granted the “Quantum Electronics Award“ by the US-American IEEE Laser and Electro-Optics Society. The head of the Max-Planck Institute for Quantum Optics in Garching near Munich and honorary professor at the Technical University of Vienna was paid tribute to for his “extraordinary and outstanding technical contributions that have pioneered the field of quantum electronics, laser research and electro-optics“. In concrete terms, Krausz received the award for his contributions to the development of ultra-rapid light pulses. For the “Science“ journal this had been one of the ten most important achievements of 2002 (at that time Krausz was still professor at Vienna Technical University) in the field of natural sciences. With attosecond flashes – an attosecond is one billionth of a billionth of a second – the scientist for the first time succeeded in directly observing electrons in the shell of the irradiated atoms. ■

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the birthday of Austrian author Ingeborg Bachmann (1926-1973), a series of interdisciplinary events was recently inaugurated. The programme explores new approaches to Bachmann’s literary work at different venues in Vienna up to 10 June 2006. The anniversary is celebrated with an exhibition in Palais Palffy, a symposium and an unconventional concert series. “Writing against the war – Bachmann set to music“ had been developed by the Haydn Trio Eisenstadt in collaboration with the Bachmann family. The Haydn Trio Eisenstadt – Harald Kosik (piano), Verena Stourzh (violin) and Hannes Gradwohl (cello) – has won renown as one of Austria’s leading chamber music ensembles. Five composers were commissioned to write works for piano trio based on texts by Bachmann: David Froom and Jeffrey Mumford (USA), Bernd Richard Deutsch, Herbert Lauermann and Norbert Sterk (Austria). Music had played an important role in Ingeborg Bachmann’s life and work: allusions to Schönberg, Wagner and Offenbach can be found in her novel “Malina“, and she composed her poetry like music. She wrote two opera librettos for Hans Werner Henze: “Der Prinz von Homburg“ (“The Prince of Homburg”) and “Der junge Lord“ (“The Young Lord”).■

In the early morning hours of 15 May 2006 Günther Nenning – quarrelsome publicist, socialist, trade unionist and Green – died aged 84 in Tyrol. The nonconformist and bridge builder between Marxism and Christianity had described himself as a “Red-Green-half-Black“. Nenning, fought against the Vietnam war and the Zwentendorf NPP and became a founding father of the Austrian Green Party after the grass roots campaign against the Hainburg power plant. Moreover, he chaired the journalists’ trade union during several decades. Federal Chancellor Schüssel hailed Nenning as one of Austria’s most “alert and courageous publicists“. He will also go down in history for the 21-volume anthology of Austrian literature after 1945 (“Landvermessung“), which he had compiled in his last year of life. According to Secretary of State Morak, Günther Nenning had reflected “the spirit and the zeitgeist of the Second Republic unlike any other person” in Austria. He had “polarised, and above all nobody in this county remained indifferent to him”. ■

Austrian composer Otto M. Zykan died (aged 71) cycling in Sachsendorf (Lower Austria) on 25 May 2006. He was known as an “uncompromising promoter of a new sound” and a creative brain questioning the borders between genres. The Viennese born in 1935, who had studied at the University of Music of his native city, composed operas, concerts, chansons, stage and film music. He also created singular TV spots for the shoe company Humanic (“Franz!“). In 1965 he founded together with H(einz) K(arl) Gruber and Kurt Schwertsik “Salonkonzerte“ and in 1966 the ensemble “MOB art & tone ART“. With the opera “Singers Nähmaschine ist die beste“, Zykan celebrated his first great success in 1966. Together with film director Franz Novotny he caused a scandal in 1977 with “Staatsoperette“, a satirical TV film about the history of the First Republic. In 1980 his opera “Kunst kommt von Gönnen“ was premiered. In a homage to the dead, Secretary of State Morak said that Zykan had “always considered himself a fighter against the institutionalisation of art“. He had “greatly contributed to Austria’s breakthrough to modernism”. On 14 June 2006, Zykan’s work “Ave Schwermut“ will be premiered at the Wörthersee Classics festival. ■

The background of the event “Austrian fan and anti-racism work for EURO 2008“ held in the Austrian Parliament is the European campaign “Football against Racism in Europe“ (FARE). It organises intercultural activities in Austrian sport together with sports associations, fan clubs, migrant organisations and schools. Since its foundation in 1999 in Vienna, FARE has been supported by the Department for Sport of the Federal Chancellery, stressed Secretary of State for Sport Karl Schweitzer: “The combat against racism and hooliganism in football stadiums is a major concern to us. The recent violent incidents in Europe have shown once more that this is a burning issue requiring speedy common action“, said Schweitzer. The Austrian Football Federation (Österreichischer Fußballbund/ÖFB) had announced its readiness to cooperate with Fair Play and FARE in the Austrian-Swiss application for EURO 2008. Secretary of State Schweitzer has taken a step ahead and proposed an anti-hooligan law for Austria: “We should take advantage of the experience of the British government, which introduced the world’s most stringent ‘Anti-Hooligan Act’ in 2000, and consider adopting such a law also in Austria. Known violent leaders should be deprived of their passports and prevented from entering our country.“ Schweitzer thinks that the obligation of reporting during a game or regional banishment are minimum measures to be taken. “Austria should face this issue now so as to be ready for the European Football Championship in 2008“, concluded the Secretary of State for Sport. ■

“Not all the funds were spent as too few project proposals had been submitted”, explained Secretary of State Schweitzer at a press conference in Laa/Thaya in the framework of the meeting of Sports Media Austria (SMA), the association of Austrian sports reporters. The special federal sports promotion scheme had been endowed with funds for the support of trainers and young talents of 4.6 million euro and 2.2 million euro, respectively, in 2006. Associations are granted financial aid from these funds only if they present eligible projects. “The challenge has partly not been taken up”, explained Schweitzer. Some associations were even requested to repay funds as the projects realised did not correspond to the concepts originally submitted. Schweitzer also informed the sports reporters present about the milestones in sports policy in the recent past and drew special attention to the Day of Sport on 23 September 2006 on Heldenplatz in Vienna. ■

Secretary of State for Sport Schweitzer opened a climbing wall for pupils that is also suitable for competitions in a school courtyard in Hegelgasse in Vienna’s city centre. Together with numerous professional climbers and two school champions, Schweitzer himself conquered the new “Vienna City Rock“. ■

With three bronze medals won by Sabrina Filz¬moser (under 57 kg), Andi Mitterfellner (under 66 kg) and Ludwig Paischer (under 60 kg), Austria successfully concluded the European Judo Championship in Tampere (Finland). “With three medals and an overall team success, the Judo Association may look forward to Beijing 2008 with a lot of optimism“, said Schweitzer. “We have earned medals in all European championships since 2000, we are on the right track“, Hans Peter Kutschera, President of the Austrian Judo Association (ÖJV), stated with satisfaction. ■