The Austrian Legal System and Laws: a Brief Overview
by Johannes Oehlboeck and Immanuel Gerstner, published on GlobaLex, June 2005 (GlobaLex is an electronic legal publication dedicated to international and foreign law research. Published by the Hauser Global Law School Program at NYU School of Law)

1. Introduction
2. Austrian Legal System
3. Legal Resources

Austrian Laws

Federal Constitutional Laws

• Federal Constitutional Law - B-VG

• Basic Law on the General Rights of Nationals

• Protection of the Rights of the Home

• Resolution of the Provisional National Assembly

• Protection of Personal Liberty

• Neutrality of Austria

Legislation and legal data bases,

Institutions and other websites

• Austrian Legal Information System  Austrian federal and regional law and the official journal with full text search, decisions of the Austrian high courts

• Rechtsdatenbank
  exhaustive commercial legal data base with full text search in all important Austrian legal journals

• Austrian Parliament - official drafts and informations ("Materialien") from the legislative process

• Austrian Constitutional Court

• Telekom-Control Commission, KommAustria and RTR-GmbH
  Austrian Regulatory Authority for Broadcasting and Telecommunications

• Federal Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology Telecommunications department

• Data Protection Commission
  and Data Protection Registry

• Federal Chancellery
  Media affairs division

• www.help.gv.at
  Guide for Austrian authorities, offices and institutions

• Arge Daten - Austrian Society for Data Protection
  Informations about data protection and data security in Austria

• rechtsprobleme.at
  Big collection of decisions and publications, especially about internet law

• internet4jurists.at
  Legal problems of the internet, many decisions

• Austrian Bar Association

• it-law.at
  Publications about internet and telecommunication law

• www.help.gv.at
  Practical help with Austrian public authorities (parts in English)

• Normative Zusammenhänge
  Laws and frequently asked (legal) questions about the internet

• Federal Competition Authority
  incl. Information on Austrian Merger Notification and Procedure and

• German Laws
  Laws of the Federal Republic of Germany

• EUR-Lex
  European Union law

• Court of Justice of the European Communities

• European Court of Human Rights

• European Commission - DG Information Society

Austrian Laws

Federal Laws

• Federal Act on the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF Act)

• Federal Act with which certain legal aspects of electronic commercial and legal transactions are to be regulated (E-Commerce Act)

• E-Government Act

• Federal Act on the establishment of an Austrian Communications Authority ("KommAustria") and a Federal Communications Board (KommAustria Act – KOG)

• Federal Law Stipulating Provisions for Private Television (Private Television Act – PrTV-G)

• Private Radio Broadcasting Act – PrR-G

• Rules of Procedure of the Federal Council

• Federal Act concerning the Protection of Personal Data

• Federal Electronic Signature Law (Signature Law - SigG)

• Federal Act on the Organisation of the Universities and their Studies (Universities Act 2002)

• Federal Law on the Rules of Procedure of the National Council (Rules of Procedure Law of 1975)

• Introductory Act to the Administrative Procedure acts 1991 - EGVG

• General Administrative Procedure Act 1991 - AVG

• Service of Documents Act

• Administrative Penal Act 1991 - VStg

Ask an austrian lawyer (law austria)

• Ask an austrian lawyer

Books: Austrian law in English

• Books: Austrian law in English

English-German | German-English

Austrian Laws

more Federal Laws

• Administrative Enforcement Act 1991 - VVG

• Federal Ministries Act 1986 – BMG

• Parliamentary Elections

• Federal Act on the Press and other Publication Media (Media Act)

• Export Financing Guarantees Act 1981

• Export Guarantees Act 1981

• Purchase Contract Awards Act 2002

• Animal Protection Act

• Cartel Act

• Competition Act

• Form on Concentrations

Supreme Courts

The Supreme Court is the final court of appeal for civil and criminal proceedings.  The Administrative Court deals with cases of alleged legal offences in connection with decisions taken by the administrative authorities.  The Constitutional Court deals with proprietary claims lodged against the federal, state, regional or municipal authorities when these claims cannot be dealt with by normal legal channels nor by an administrative authority. The Constitutional Court also passes verdict in the case of disputed responsibilities between:

• courts of law and administrative authorities

• the Administrative Court and any other court of law, notably between the Administrative Court and the Constitutional Court itself, or between the regular courts of law and other courts

• between the federal states, and between a federal state and the federal authorities.

At the instigation of the Federal Government or a State Government, the Constitutional Court also reaches a finding on whether a legislative or executive act falls within the purview of the federal or the state authorities.

General Information

• www.bundeskanzleramt.at
  Website of the Federal Chancellery of Austria

• www.aeiou.at
  Cultural information about Austria in electronically accessible form

• Country Study: Austria (Library of Congress) December 1993

• Portals to the World: Austria (Library of Congress)

• Background Notes: Austria (U.S. Dept. of State) September 2004

• Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments: Austria (U.S. Central Intelligence Agency)

• Consular Information Sheets / Travel Warnings - Austria (U.S. Dept. of State)

• Country Information: Austria (U.S. Dept. of State)

• Country Reports on Economic Policy and Trade Practices - Austria (U.S. Dept. of State) in PDF

• Economic Briefing: Austria (The Economist)

• Embassy of Austria, Washington

• Governments on the WWW: Austria (Gunnar Anzinger)

• NATIONAL LIBRARY: Österreichische Nationalbibliothek

• Permanent Mission of Austria to the UN

• U.S. Embassy, Vienna (U.S. Dept. of State)

• World Factbook: Austria (U.S. Central Intelligence Agency)

• http://dict.leo.org/
  German-English dictionary, especially for computer terminology

Related websites

• Lawguru.com

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