Between Europeanization, Unitarism and Autonomy. Remarks on the Current Situation of Federalism in Austria

Aquest article descriu els problemes actuals del federalisme a Àustria. D’acord amb la Constitució federal de 1920, Àustria és una federació amb nou Länder (comunitats autònomes), i el federalisme és un dels principis bàsics d’aquesta constitució. Tanmateix, els Länder afronten ara tendències centralitzadores, a causa de l’europeïtzació i l’unitarisme. D’altra banda, tenen una forta identitat regional i estan sentimentalment molt arrelats en la població austríaca. A més, és important la participació dels Länder en el procés de presa de decisions en l’àmbit europeu. Tot i això, la divisió de competències entre la federació i els Länder quant a legislació i administració és complicada i cal que es modernitzi. En el passat, hi ha hagut diversos projectes de reformes en l’àmbit federal que han fracassat, mentre que diverses reformes en les constitucions dels Länder han dut més innovacions en el marc dels mateixos. Tanmateix, els paradigmes del debat de reforma del sistema federal austríac han canviat: fins a principis de la dècada dels noranta del segle XX, les reformes constitucionals pretenien reforçar el paper dels Länder; des de l’entrada d’Àustria als projectes de reforma de la UE, es posa en dubte l’eficàcia de les estructures federals austríaques. Segurament, la crisi econòmica i financera augmentarà la pressió per endegar reformes estructurals.The following article describes current challenges of Austrian federalism. On ground of the Federal Constitution from 1920 Austria is a federation with nine autonomous Länder. Federalism is one of the basic principles of the constitution. Nevertheless the Länder are faced with centralizing drive due to Europeanization and unitarism. On the other hand the Länder have a strong regional identity. The Länder are emotionally deeply rooted in the Austrian population. The Länder also participate well in the decision making process on European level. Nevertheless the division of competencies both in legislation and administration between Federation and Länder is complicated and needs to be modernised. In the past various reform projects on federal level had failed while various reforms in the Land constitutions have led to more innovation on Land level. Despite these facts paradigms of reform debates on Austria´s federal system have changed: Until the early nineties of 20th century constitutional reforms aimed to strengthen the role of the Länder. Since Austria´s accession to the EU reform projects the efficiency of the federal structures of Austria are doubted. Economical and financial crisis probably will increase the pressure for structural reforms.El presente artículo describe las dificultades actuales del federalismo en Austria. De acuerdo con la Constitución Federal de 1920, Austria es una federación de nueve Länder (comunidades autónomas), y el federalismo es uno de los principios básicos de esta constitución. Sin embargo, los Länder afrontan ahora tendencias hacia el centralismo, a causa de la europeización y el unitarismo. Asimismo, los Länder representan una fuerte identidad regional y están muy arraigados sentimentalmente en la población austríaca. Además, tienen un papel importante en la toma de decisiones en el ámbito europeo. No obstante, la división de competencias entre la federación y los Länder en lo referente a la legislación y la administración es complicada y necesita ser modernizada. En el pasado, han fracasado varios proyectos de reforma en el ámbito federal, mientras que varias reformas en las constituciones de los Länder han propulsado más innovaciones en el marco de los propios Länder. Sin embargo, los paradigmas de los debates de reforma en el sistema federal austríaco han cambiado: hasta principios de los años noventa del siglo xx, las reformas constitucionales pretendían reforzar el papel de los Länder; desde la entrada de Austria en los proyectos de reforma de la UE, se duda de la eficacia de estas estructuras federales austríacas. Asimismo, la crisis económica y financiera probablemente aumentará la presión para reformas estructurales

Federalism without federal values? Austrian citizens’ attitudes towards federalism and their effects on political culture

In his 2004 paper “Austria a federation without federalism?” the Canadian researcher Jan Erk stated that “the Austrian federation seems to work more as a unitary system because all political issues are set in a pan-Austrian frame of reference. This is because the federation lacks territorially based societal heterogeneity to sustain a principled commitment to federalism. Societal homogeneity induces a centralist political outlook at all levels of government which undermines the notion of self-rule in constituent units essential for federalism. (…) [T]he empirical evidence strongly suggests that the Austrian federation's centralist disposition stems from its social structure, not its formal constitution.” (Erk 2004: 20) Jan Erk does not stand alone with this estimation; not even in Austria. In the context of the discussion about the reform of Austrian federalism, Ewald Wiederin, an Austrian scholar and expert on federalism, characterized Austrian citizens’ attitudes towards federalism as follows: “Föderalist ist man nicht in der Sache, sondern für das Gemüt.” (“One is not a federalist when it comes to factual issues but for the mind.”) (Wiederin 2004: 58). This statement implies that federalism is deeply rooted in Austrian citizens’ minds and that they value the existence of the nine Länder. Yet, they are not in favor of lively federalism which results in different laws and different standards throughout the country. According to Wiederin Austrians prefer a unitary federation without federal competition among the Länder. Finally, Peter Bußjäger remarks that Austrian federalism is a problem of mentality (Bußjäger 2002: 149). According to Bußjäger citizens approve of unitary living conditions in the whole country while at the same time being in support of the notion that important matters of legislation remain within the autonomous sphere of competencies of the Länder. Presently this paradox seems to shape Austrian federalism. But is it really true? Is there any empirical evidence that substantiates this thesis

Bundesstaatsreform ja, aber welche? Modelle für die Verteilung der Gesetzgebungszuständigkeiten zwischen Bund und Ländern

'Eine der schwierigsten Themenstellungen für den im Jänner 2005 beendeten Österreich-Konvent bildete die Neuverteilung der Gesetzgebungszuständigkeit im föderalen System Österreichs. Wie sich zeigen sollte, bildete diese Frage auch eine der maßgeblichen Bruchstellen im Konvent. Es gelang nicht, einen Konsens zu den verschiedenen Optionen, die sich für die Reform des bundesstaatlichen Systems stellten, zu finden. Die Tatsache, dass das bundesstaatliche System als solches nach dem Konventsauftrag beizubehalten war, darf nicht darüber hinweg täuschen, dass über die Leistungsfähigkeit und Chancen des Föderalismus in Österreich im Konvent ein tiefgreifender Dissens bestand. So blieben lediglich verschiedene, im zuständigen Ausschuss 5 des Konvents diskutierte Alternativen für die Neugestaltung des bundesstaatlichen Systems zurück. Ob und welche dieser Vorschläge in der weiteren Verfassungsdiskussion aufgegriffen werden, lässt sich nicht prognostizieren.' (Autorenreferat)'The division of the competencies within the Austrian federal system represented one of the most difficult questions on the agenda of the Austrian Convention which concluded its work in January 2005. It turned out to be one of the most important cleavages of the Convention since it was impossible to reach consent about the various alternatives of reforming the federal system. Even though it was agreed upon that Austria should maintain its federal structure, significant dissent existed with regard to the efficiency and future of Austrian federalism. Merely a few alternatives for the reconstruction of the federal system, which have been discussed in Working Group 5 of the Convention, remain. If and which of these proposals are likely to be incorporated in the persistent debate on reforming Austria's constitution in the aftermath of the Convention is presently not predictable.' (author's abstract

The Austrian Bundesrat – Imperfect and Unreformed

According to many legal and political scientists the Austrian Bundesrat is generally considered to be a paradigmatic example of a politically and legally weak second chamber embedded in a strongly centralised federal system. This view is justified. However, there is the need for a more differentiated view with regard to Austria’s federal system and its second chamber