The Gordian knot was once untied with just one blow, but the coalition is slowly unraveling the tangle that emerged in personnel policy.
At least several personnel decisions were made in the run-up to yesterday’s Council of Ministers. On Tuesday evening, Economics Minister Martin Kocher (VP) announced that Natalie Harsdorf-Borsch would be proposed to the Federal President as the new head of the Federal Competition Authority. On Wednesday morning it became public who would be nominated for the General Council of the National Bank (OÖN reported exclusively).
Social partnership strengthened
There were certainly surprises. The Greens nominated three people who tend to be associated with the SP environment. It was said that the Greens are not concerned with haggling for positions, but with qualifications.
The social partnership was strengthened again. Before Black and Blue, the employee representatives were represented in the General Council of the National Bank, but they were not taken into account in the last appointment. Economic Chamber President Harald Mahrer has now been reappointed President of the National Bank. His vice president will be top trade unionist Ingrid Reischl. It was actually expected that environmental economist Sigrid Stangl, who has been a member of the General Council since March, would be promoted to this position.
ÖGB President Wolfgang Katzian was pleased about the personnel decision yesterday: “After a few years of interruption, trade union participation in the General Council of the OeNB has been restored.”
Support for Matejka
However, the outstanding personnel issues in the judiciary and especially at the Federal Administrative Court were not resolved yesterday either. Justice Minister Alma Zadic (Greens) explained that there was already a finished presentation to the Council of Ministers. In any case, she hopes that it will be accepted soon.
The management of the BVwG has been vacant since December 1, 2022. A high-profile commission named Judge Sabine Matejka first for this position. But this has not yet been implemented, which is also due to the fact that Michael Sachs is heading the BVwG on an interim basis. He, in turn, wanted to become head of the Federal Competition Authority.
The ÖVP therefore opposed Matejka. Most recently it was considered that Christian Filzwieser, who was third in line for the position, could come into play. But the Greens don’t want to drop Matejka for reasons of equality.
The appointment of the instruction council in the justice department, where a coalition agreement is necessary, is still undecided. Zadic, on the other hand, will soon propose a new general prosecutor to the Federal President.
The new General Council of the National Bank
The General Council of the National Bank is the highest supervisory body; its members are appointed for five years. The head of the Chamber of Commerce, Harald Mahrer, was re-confirmed as President of the General Council. At the suggestion of the Greens, top ÖGB official Ingrid Reischl will become his vice president. The Greens also nominated the co-founder of the SP-affiliated Momentum Institute and economist Leonhard Dobusch. ÖBB board member Silvia Angelo was also appointed; she had been traded as an SP ministerial reserve in a Sora paper. Wüstenrot board member Stephan Koren was reappointed. University professor Stefan Pichler is new.
