Date

28^th of February 2019

Type of Act

(name in English / in the official language)

Decision of the Constitutional Court, G319/2018 ua

Enacted by

Constitutional Court

Reference to the Constitution (art.)

Art 3 Protocol No 1 to the ECHR

Subject area

Electoral law

If the act implements a source of EU Law: cite the relevant EU legal source

Comment

In a decision on the exclusion from the right to vote, the Constitutional Court followed its case-law, according to which it already considers the older legal situation for convicted persons on the basis of the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights and the European Court of Justice to lie within the (wide) scope of discretion of the legislator in the case of restrictions of the right to vote.

The Constitutional Court sees no reason to depart from this ruling. The considerations made in this decision on the constitutional conformity of the automatic exclusion from the right to vote apply all the more to the newer provisions for convicted persons. These provide for the exclusion from the right to vote only in the case of an individual court decision, which is to be imposed as an ancillary penalty within the framework of the sentencing. Therefore the Court does not find a violation of Art. 3 of Protocol No 1 to the ECHR.

Secondary sources/ doctrinal works (if any)

Available Text

https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokument.wxe?Abfrage=Vfgh&Dokumentnummer=JFT_20190228_18G00319_00

Date of entry into force

Date

29^th of March 2019

Type of Act

(name in English / in the official language)

Decision of the Supreme Administrative Court, Ro 2018/02/0023

Enacted by

Supreme Administrative Court

Reference to the Constitution (art.)

[Art 47 Fundamental Rights Charter]

Subject area

If the act implements a source of EU Law: cite the relevant EU legal source

Art 47 Fundamental Rights Charter

Comment

The court had to decide whether a conviction of a bank (as a legal entity) as the result of administrative criminal proceedings necessarily presupposes an administrative criminal conviction of the executives (board members, managing directors).

The background to this was the implementation of EU regulations in financial market law, which provided for the criminal liability of legal entities.

In the absence of applicable special provisions, the Supreme Administrative Court deemed it necessary to have recourse to the Administrative Criminal Code (VStG), which gives the bank a procedural legal position that meets the requirements of the right to a fair trial. The procedural guarantees required by Art. 47 GRC are therefore also guaranteed for the legal person in proceedings under the VStG.

Having clarified other aspects of the administrative criminal proceedings against the bank, the court notes that it is in any event irrelevant whether and, if so, against which natural person   administrative criminal proceedings are or have been conducted.

Secondary sources/ doctrinal works (if any)

Available Text

https://www.vwgh.gv.at/medien/mitteilungen/ro_2018020023.pdf?6x8bh4

Date of entry into force

Date

6^th of March 2019

Type of Act

(name in English / in the official language)

Decision of the Supreme Administrative Court (Verwaltungsgerichtshof),

Enacted by

Supreme Administrative Court

Reference to the Constitution (art.)

--

Subject area

Reference to Climate change

If the act implements a source of EU Law: cite the relevant EU legal source

Refers to EUs emission trading scheme

Comment

The Supreme Administrative Court had to deal with an appeal against a decision of the Federal Administrative Court, which prohibited the construction of a third runway of the Vienna airport.

The Court discussed whether the construction of the third runway should be prohibited in order to avoid climate change. The Administrative  Court confirmed that climate protection is one of the relevant issues in the environmental impact assessment. However, it would fall short to deny an airport permission to build a (further) runway in view of the advancing global climate change if the overall greenhouse gas emissions from air traffic remain unchanged. The law of the European Union therefore relies on the so-called "emissions trading system" to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by aircraft operators. Accordingly, greenhouse gas emissions from aviation are generally allocated to aircraft operators, but not to airport operators. The Court concluded, that climate protection is therefore not an obstacle to the approval of the third runway.

Secondary sources/ doctrinal works (if any)

Available Text

https://www.vwgh.gv.at/medien/mitteilungen/ro_2018030031.pdf?6vyi6f

Date of entry into force

Name of the Act/s

Bundesgesetz, mit dem das Strafgesetzbuch und die Strafprozeßordnung 1975 geändert werden

(Strafrechtsänderungsgesetz 2018)

Bundesgesetzblatt I Nr. 70/2018

Date of publication

25.10.2018

Type of Act

(name in English / in the official language)

Federal Law

Enacted by

Reference to the Constitution (art.)

Article 10 para 1 number 6 Federal Constitutional Law

Subject area

Criminal law; terrorism

If the act implements a source of EU Law: cite the relevant EU legal source

Directive (EU) 2017/541 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2017 on combating terrorism and replacing Council Framework Decision 2002/475/JHA and amending Council Decision 2005/671/JHA

Comment

The law introduces a new criminal offence in the form of travels for terroristic purposes and extends the competence of Austrian Courts to criminal offences committed by Austrian citizen in relation to terrorism in foreign countries.

Secondary sources/ doctrinal works (if any)

Available Text

https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokument.wxe?Abfrage=BgblAuth&Dokumentnummer=BGBLA_2018_I_70

ELI: https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/eli/bgbl/I/2018/70/20181025

Date of entry into force

26.10.2018/01.11.2018

Name of the Act/s

Bundesgesetz betreffend die Bereinigung von vor dem 1. Jänner 2000 kundgemachten Bundesgesetzen und Verordnungen (Zweites Bundesrechtsbereinigungsgesetz ) – 2.BRBG

BGBl. I Nr. 61/2018

Date

14.08.2018

Type of Act

(name in English / in the official language)

Federal Law

Enacted by

Reference to the Constitution (art.)

Each single article providing the Federation with legislative power

Subject area

Sources of Law; simplification of legislation

If the act implements a source of EU Law: cite the relevant EU legal source

Comment

The 2. Federal Deregulation Law abolishes all federal laws and regulations and all federal laws and provisions having the nature of principles of legislation which have been published before January 1th, 2000 and are still in force by December 31th, 2018 except all laws and regulations enumerated in the annex to the law. Other exceptions regard constitutional laws and provisions, regulations based on constitutional provisions, agreements based on Article 15a Federal Constitutional Law, international treaties.

The law regards roughly 2.500 federal laws and regulations which constitute circa 50% of the existing federal provisions.

Secondary sources/ doctrinal works (if any)

Available Text

https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokument.wxe?Abfrage=BgblAuth&Dokumentnummer=BGBLA_2018_I_73

https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/eli/bgbl/I/2018/73/20181122

Date of entry into force

January 1th, 2019