Attorney Ernst Brandl has already drawn attention to himself several times with his pragmatic approach to the sometimes excessive regulations of the banking and insurance market.
He originally studied music, but eventually found his fulfillment in law studies. His résumé also includes postgraduate studies at the University of Chicago and Harvard University. Brandl was a research assistant at the Constitutional Court and a lawyer at the Federal Securities Authority.
During his career, the lawyer Ernst Brandl has worked on a number of interesting legal cases: including the banking scandals surrounding Hypo-Alpe-Adria and most recently at the commercial bank. Now the Elector of Krumlov is dedicated to sustainable beekeeping and the Miëlo diversity project.
Julie Brass
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In 2000 he founded the law firm Brandl & Talos with Thomas Talos, which now has around 70 employees. In the spring of this year, the lawyer retired from the management of the law firm in order to devote himself, among other things, to his sustainable bee project in his chosen home town of Krumlov. The NÖN asked Ernst Brandl for an interview.
NÖN: With your law firm, you represented almost exclusively banks and insurance companies. What made you switch sides around 20 years ago after your service at the Federal Securities Authority?
Ernst Brandl: My expectation of learning at the agency was exceeded in many ways. Both interpersonal and professional. Just the right addition to my training to start a law firm specializing in banking and capital markets law with Thomas Talos.
What were the most challenging cases that you were allowed to attend?
Brandl: The special cases certainly include representing the custodian bank in the Auer-Welsbach complex, advising injured parties in the Hypo-Alpe-Adria scandal and now also representing savers from the Commerzialbank Mattersburg against the Republic and the Province of Burgenland.
Speaking of the commercial bank: What is your view of things – has the supervisory authority failed to control the bank? Are larger banks subject to stricter controls than small institutions?
Brandl: I think it is unbelievable that the Financial Market Authority (FMA), the state of Burgenland as the cooperative auditor and the auditors did not notice anything about the machinations in the bank. It confirms my impression from many proceedings that the FMA’s audit focus is more on working through checklists than on critical content-related thinking. As a cooperative auditor, the state of Burgenland made the goat to the gardener and let the auditor check himself. After a simple comparison of the very high savings interest paid by the commercial bank with the interest rate paid by other banks, the state and the supervisory authorities must have noticed that something is wrong. I don’t even need to apply different standards of auditing between large and small banks.
After more than 20 years, what made you decide to withdraw from the firm as managing director?
Brandl: I will continue to be available to our clients as a lawyer and the law firm as a consultant in the future. But I no longer wanted to take care of the management and not stand in the way of our young lawyers in the further expansion of the firm.
How long have you been living in Krumau am Kamp? What connects you with the Waldviertel community?
Brandl: In my childhood I was always on vacation in the Waldviertel and have been a fan of this area ever since. That’s why my wife and I have revitalized a farm here and we are happy every day that we have found such a beautiful piece of earth. We made a lot of friendships here. Despite its small size, Krumlov has a functioning infrastructure and an active club life.
How did you get into beekeeping?
Brandl: I kept talking to Krumauern, who told me that 30 years ago you had stumbled upon partridges and pheasants, hedgehogs and moles. And in the course of time almost all of these living things disappeared. What these animals have in common is that they feed on insects. Science confirms this observation: biodiversity, ecological balance, the future of nature and thus our diet are at stake! When I started beekeeping in 2008, it affected me.
What are you doing to achieve this goal?
Brandl: We have created as large contiguous areas as possible in Krumau and Traismauer, on which no pesticides may be used. We reimburse the neighboring farmers for the “damage” they suffer from the reduced yield from not using the plant toxins. Our bee and wild insect populations, which have grown to 100 colonies, have around 100 hectares of sustainably managed fields available to find unpolluted nectar and pollen and to multiply. The dimensions are large: in summer, up to five million bees roam unpolluted areas the size of 143 soccer fields. Since 2014 we have planted around 1,500 fruit, linden and maple trees, which also provide food for insects and animals. The project is financed from the sale of honey, the honey beer created together with BrauSchneider (Schiltern) and the mineral water drink “Switchel”, which was developed with Vöslauer.
Should a NÖN reader want to buy honey from Brandl, where should he go?
Brandl: Anyone who wants to support the Miëlo diversity project can register on our website www.mielo.eu inform and like to order. Most of the proceeds will be invested in expanding the project.
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