Federal Environment Agency (Austria)

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AustriaAustria  Federal Environment Agency Limited Liability Company (UBA-GmbH)
(short: Federal Environment Agency GmbH)p1
Logo of the Federal Environment Agency
State level Federation
position Outsourced legal entity (100% owned by the Republic of Austria)
legal form GmbH
At sight Federal Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology
founding 1985 (as GmbH since 1999)
Headquarters Vienna 9th , Spittelauer Lände 5
management Management Monika Mörth and Georg Rebernig
Employee 502 (12/2018)
sales 58.2 million euros (12/2018)
Website www.umweltbundesamt.at

The Federal Environment Agency (proper spelling: Federal Environment Agency; actually: Federal Environment Agency Limited Liability Company (UBA GmbH) ) is the most important experts institution for the environment in Austria . As one of the leading environmental consultants in Europe, the Federal Environment Agency stands for the transformation of the economy and society to ensure sustainable living conditions. The experts develop decision-making bases at local, regional, European and international level, work transparently and impartially and are in dialogue with politics, administration, business, science and civil society. The customers and partners of the Federal Environment Agency include not only large companies but also scientific and political institutions in Austria, the EU and beyond. The Federal Environment Agency is based in Vienna - Althangrund .

history

Federal Environment Agency

The Federal Environment Agency was established as a federal agency with the federal law of March 20, 1985 on environmental control . According to Section 1, Paragraph 1 of the Environmental Control, the Federal Environment Agency was a subordinate agency in the then Federal Ministry for Health and Environmental Protection .

According to Section 1, Paragraph 2, Item 1–4 Environmental Control, the Federal Environment Agency was formed from:

  1. the organizational unit of the Federal Ministry for Health and Environmental Protection for the measurement and control of ionizing radiation;
  2. the organizational units for air hygiene and radiology of the federal bacteriological-serological testing institutes;
  3. the Federal Institute for the Water Management of Karst Areas in Vienna and
  4. the organizational unit for radiology of the Federal Institute for Water Quality in Vienna.

The Federal Environment Agency at that time had its seat in Vienna as well as a branch west with the seat in Salzburg and a branch south with the seat in Klagenfurt (§ 2 para. 1 environmental control). The tasks were defined in Sections 3 to 5. According to the 2nd section with § 10 and following, the Federal Environment Agency also exercised environmental control.

The newly created "Federal Environment Agency" post area was created in accordance with Section 15 (1) from the then Federal Ministry for Health and Environmental Protection and the then Federal Ministry for Agriculture and Forestry , according to Z 1–4

  1. the employees of the organizational unit of the Federal Ministry for Health and Environmental Protection for the measurement and control of ionizing radiation;
  2. the employees of the organizational units for air hygiene and radiology of the federal bacteriological-serological testing institutes;
  3. the employees of the Federal Institute for Water Management in Karst Areas in Vienna;
  4. the employees of the organizational unit for radiology of the Federal Institute for Water Quality in Vienna.

Outsourcing to the Federal Environment Agency GmbH

With the federal law on environmental control, which came into force on January 1, 1999, and the establishment of a Federal Environment Agency with limited liability (Umweltkontrollgesetz) , the core tasks of the Federal Environment Agency were redefined. According to Section 5, Paragraph 1, “the previous 'Federal Environment Agency' of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Youth and Family was spun off from the federal administration. In accordance with this federal law, a limited liability company assumes its duties . The company runs the company 'Federal Environment Agency Limited Liability Company (UBA-GmbH)'. In the following, this company is referred to as the 'Federal Environment Agency'. "

With the declaration on the establishment of the company on January 4, 1999, the company, which is 100% owned by the Republic of Austria in accordance with Section 5 (4) and is based in Vienna, was represented by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Youth and Family (BMUJF) , entered in the commercial register at the Vienna Commercial Court on October 30, 1999 :

"The shareholder Republic of Austria takes into account the assumed capital contribution as a contribution in kind: the assets previously managed and used by the Federal Environment Agency including all associated rights and legal relationships, claims and debts to the value of ATS 67,039,880.69 according to the audited opening balance sheet as of January 1st, 1999 , whereby the contribution in kind of the Republic of Austria amounts to ATS 1,000,000. "

- New entry in the commercial register as of October 30, 1999.

Even though, in accordance with Section 5 (5), the share capital of the Federal Environment Agency Limited Liability Company (UBA-GmbH) is still a nominal value of one million schillings , the articles of association were made at the general assembly on December 18, 2001, entered in the commercial register on January 23, 2002, "Adjusted in accordance with the 1st Euro-JuBeG" and the contribution made was converted to EUR 72,672.83.

Also in accordance with Section 5 (4), the Federal Environment Agency is "entitled to add the federal coat of arms to its company ."

After the environmental agendas under the black and blue Federal Government Schüssel I on April 1, 2000 , affiliated to the previous Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry , led by Federal Minister Wilhelm Molterer ( ÖVP ) and renamed the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management (BMLFUW) (entered as a change in the commercial register on November 8, 2014), the Federal Environment Agency was also subject to this ministry. The change on January 8, 2018 to the then Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism under the black and blue Federal Government Kurz I with Federal Minister Elisabeth Köstinger (ÖVP) was entered as a change in the commercial register on February 21, 2018. (The adaptation to the designation of the responsible Federal Ministry was not adapted in the Federal Act on Environmental Control and the Establishment of a Federal Environment Agency Limited Liability (Umweltkontrollgesetz) , so that, in accordance with Section 5 (4), "the exercise of company rights for the federal government [...] Federal Minister for the Environment, Youth and Family [incumbent on]. ")

After another amendment to the Federal Ministries Act by the Federal Government Kurz II , the Federal Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology took over responsibility for the Federal Environment Agency with the Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) in January 2020.

Organs of the Federal Environment Agency

In accordance with Section 12 (1) of the Environmental Control Act, the company has one or two managing directors, although the appointment of authorized signatories is permitted. The Federal Environment Agency is represented by the two appointed managing directors jointly or, in the event that one managing director is prevented from doing so, by the other jointly with an authorized signatory. According to Paragraph 2, “the managing director is to be appointed by the Federal Minister for the Environment, Youth and Family on the basis of a public tender in accordance with the Federal Act on Transparency in Filling Positions in State-Related Corporate Sectors , Federal Law Gazette I No. 26/1998 .” In addition, the following apply for the appointment, dismissal and representation of the Federal Environment Agency, the provisions of the second section of the GmbH Act on social organs.

Paragraph 3 specifies the composition of the Supervisory Board. This consists of eight nominated members and consists of:

The founding managing directors were Wolfgang Struwe (born March 20, 1945) and Georg Rebernig (born July 26, 1963). After Struwe left, Rebernig became sole managing director with effect from January 1, 2002. On February 1, 2018, Monika Mörth (* February 8, 1973), until then a member of the Supervisory Board (since February 2014), was appointed as an additional managing director, see organizational chart . The two managing directors, Monika Mörth and Georg Rebernig, run the Federal Environment Agency GmbH on an equal footing.

Locations

Since it was founded, the Umweltbundesamt GmbH has had its legally anchored company headquarters in Vienna and its main location is Spittelauer Lände 5 in the 9th  district of Alsergrund . Further locations are in Ingen-Housz-Gasse 3 and Grundlgasse 5, both also in the 9th district, and in Brigittenauer Lände 50–54 in the 20th district of Brigittenau . The three locations in the 9th district are in the immediate vicinity, the location in the 20th district near the Friedensbrücke , all are located in rented properties.

According to a press release from November 2018, there is an interlaboratory test facility for immission measurements at Wiener Handelskai , which as of July 2019 does not appear in the list of locations on the website of the Federal Environment Agency.

On October 24, 2017, Environment Minister Andrä Rupprechter (ÖVP) signed for the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management (BMLFUW), Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP; Provincial Government Mikl-Leitner I ) for the State of Lower Austria and Mayor Stefan Schmuckenschlager (ÖVP) for the municipality of Klosterneuburg , a declaration of principle according to which the Federal Environment Agency is to be relocated to Klosterneuburg. According to the information at the time, the move will cost 46.5 million euros .

On November 16, 2018, the Umweltbundesamt GmbH announced that the Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism (BMNT; formerly the BMLFUW) had decided on a new building for the Federal Environment Agency in Klosterneuburg based on the fundamental decision of October 2017. The funds for this are to be raised from the BMNT's reserves of 35 million euros and through self-financing of 9.8 million euros from the Federal Environment Agency. The state of Lower Austria has promised co-financing in the amount of 12 million euros. The Federal Environment Agency brings in 9.8 million euros in self-financing. General renovation is required in the main building in Spittelauer Lände. According to the management, the four rented laboratory and office locations in the 9th and 20th district are to be relocated to the new building as "by far the best and also the most cost-effective solution for the Federal Environment Agency, but the location at Handelskai with the ring test facility remain. With the decision, “not only a modern, functional building is possible”, but “it also saves costs in the long term”. In addition, "the new location in Klosterneuburg is easily accessible by public transport". However, a specific date for the actual move has not yet been set (November 2018).

Since the headquarters of the Federal Environment Agency Limited Liability Company (UBA-GmbH) are determined with Vienna in accordance with Section 5 (4) of the Environmental Control Act, a change in the law would be necessary for the relocation to Klosterneuburg. This should be done in a timely manner.

Tasks and areas of activity

The tasks and areas of activity of the Federal Environment Agency are detailed in the Environmental Control Act:

  • § 6 Company purpose and tasks (Paragraph 1: "The Federal Environment Agency is the federal environmental protection agency. ...")
  • § 7 information rights, administrative assistance and data protection
  • § 10 guidelines for corporate governance

National work

Mission statement of the Federal Environment Agency:

“As the most important environmental expert in Austria and one of the leading environmental consultants in Europe, we stand for the transformation of economy and society to ensure sustainable living conditions. Our experts develop decision-making bases on a local, regional, European and international level. We work transparently and impartially and are in dialogue with politics, administration, business, science and civil society. "

The work of the Federal Environment Agency is based on the following target images:

  • Low Carbon Society
    • Climate protection
    • sustainable energy supply and use
  • Cleaner Production
    • Greening of production processes
  • Securing natural capital for society
    • preventive conservation of species, habitats and ecosystems
    • sustainable use of environmental resources
  • Transformation of economy and society
    • Development of environmentally friendly, low-pollutant forms of economy and consumption

The activities of the Federal Environment Agency therefore include:

  • Collection, processing and analysis of data on the environmental situation in Austria (including air quality , soil information , radiation protection , water quality )
  • Developing methods, recommendations and decision-making bases for environmental policy
  • Development of strategies to improve the environmental situation
  • Measurement of environmental pollution
  • Participation in the enforcement of federal laws
  • Technical coordination of various international environmental programs in Austria
  • Environmental consulting for companies, scientific and political institutions in Austria, the EU and beyond.

International consultancy

The Federal Environment Agency's international advisory activities focus on environmental consulting and institutional capacity building. The experts act as advisors to international organizations such as the EU Parliament , EU Commission , UNEP and OECD . The Federal Environment Agency supports new and future EU member states and countries of the EU neighborhood policy in setting up administration and national legislation in the environmental sector. Since 1998, the Federal Environment Agency has been involved in more than 110 country partnerships, so-called twinning projects in 27 countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina , Bulgaria , Georgia , Croatia , Lithuania , Malta , Macedonia , Poland , Romania , Slovakia , Slovenia , Serbia , the Czech Republic , Tunisia , Hungary and Cyprus . Overall, the radius of action extends from Eastern and Southeastern Europe to the Mediterranean countries and Central Asia.

The Federal Environment Agency employs 502 people (December 2018 annual financial statements) from more than 55 disciplines.

Environmental control report

The cross-media environmental control report (UKB) , which appears every three years, is the standard work on the environmental situation in Austria. The report is aimed primarily at decision-makers, especially at the federal and state level, as well as interest representatives, and provides the latest information for their daily work. To this end, he focuses on the most important challenges of environmental issues and takes into account above all those aspects in which important decisions have to be made in the next few years.

Legal background

Web links

Commons : Federal Environment Agency  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Federal Environment Agency Limited Liability Company (UBA GmbH), FN 187010s: Company details from the company register , shown in firmenmonitor.at the Wiener Zeitung .
  2. ↑ Management on the website of the Umweltbundesamt GmbH, undated, accessed on August 1, 2020.
  3. ↑ a b c Facts & Figures on the website of the Umweltbundesamt GmbH on the status of the annual financial statements on December 31, 2018, accessed on July 26, 2019.
  4. ↑ The Federal Law of March 20, 1985 on Environmental Control ( Federal Law Gazette No. 127/1985 ) came into force on May 1, 1985 and is listed in the Federal Legal Information System (RIS) under the short title Environmental Control . On January 1, 1999, it was repealed with the Federal Act on Environmental Control and the establishment of a Federal Environment Agency with limited liability (Environmental Control Act) .
  5. ↑ See in Section 13 of the Environmental Control Act, Founders' Declaration and Registration in the Commercial Register: “The declaration on the establishment of the company must be submitted by the Federal Minister for the Environment, Youth and Family. The Federal Environment Agency is to be registered by its management for entry in the commercial register. "
  6. ↑ Federal Environment Agency Limited Liability Company (UBA-GmbH), FN 187010s: New entry on October 30, 1999 in the commercial register , presented in firmenmonitor.at of the Wiener Zeitung .
  7. ↑ Organization on the website of the Federal Environment Agency GmbH, undated, accessed on July 26, 2019.
  8. ↑ a b Contact & addresses on the website of the Umweltbundesamt GmbH, undated, accessed on July 26, 2019.
  9. ↑ a b c d Ingeborg Zechmann: New building for the Federal Environment Agency in Lower Austria. In: Press release of the Federal Environment Agency, November 16, 2018, on the Federal Environment Agency GmbH website, accessed on July 26, 2019.
  10. ↑ a b Federal Environment Agency is moving to Klosterneuburg. In: noe. ORF.at , November 16, 2018, accessed on July 26, 2019. ("It is planned to completely close the current four office and laboratory locations in the federal capital. This means that all around 500 employees will move to the new headquarters, which will be ready in 2023 Only the ring test facility at Handelskai remains in the capital. ")
  11. ↑ agencies, tsc: Federal Environment Agency to Klosterneuburg moved, Vienna sour. Policy statement signed. 46.5 million euros in costs. Vienna sees a breach of the law and fears the first signal that black and blue want to starve the city. In: Kurier , October 24, 2017, accessed July 26, 2019.
  12. ↑ a b About us 1 on the website of the Federal Environment Agency, undated, accessed on July 26, 2019.
  13. ↑ Environmental control reports on the website of the Umweltbundesamt GmbH, undated, accessed on July 26, 2019.