The Public Prosecutor’s Office for Economic Affairs and Corruption (WKStA) will now investigate the complaint of abuse of office filed by the People’s Party against Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens). The statement of facts was originally received by the Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office.
But they do not see themselves as primarily responsible for this. “We have submitted them to the WKStA,” authority spokeswoman Nina Bussek told the APA on Friday afternoon. As she explained, the Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office did not make it clear whether there was sufficient suspicion initially to consider or initiate a concrete investigation against Gewessler. This assessment is left to the WKStA.
ÖVP: “Power abused”
In its complaint, the ÖVP accuses Gewessler of “deliberately abusing her authority (…)” by agreeing to the EU renaturation regulation, as she had not reached an agreement with the states and the ÖVP-led Ministry of Agriculture.
Gewessler’s actions at EU level were “unlawful under domestic Austrian law and contrary to the relevant constitutional and ordinary legal requirements,” the statement of facts said.
From the ÖVP’s point of view, the EU Nature Conservation Regulation affects matters in which legislation is also a matter for state. The Länder issued a negative uniform declaration on this in November 2022, which was supplemented in May 2023 by a new uniform declaration of the Länder.
The advertisement complains that a deviation from a uniform declaration of the federal states is only possible for compelling reasons of integration and foreign policy that are not apparent here.
Minister not impressed by advertisement
Gewessler seemed unfazed after the ÖVP ad was filed. “I am very calm about any legal action,” she said on the sidelines of the Austrian World Summit (AWS) on June 20 in Vienna.
She voted in favor of the renaturation law in accordance with the law, “and I am not only following the legal situation, but also the long-standing practice.” Gewessler described the EU renaturation decision as a “victory for nature.” She was “very happy that I could contribute to that.”
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
