May-June 2004

From the Editor

2007-02-15T23:57:33Z

Dear Readers,

Shortly before her death in January, 2002, the Austrian-born photographer Inge Morath took a picture of a border stone between Austria and Slovenia (see photo on homepage). For more than eight decades the village of Pongratzen had been split in half by the border. With Slovenia and nine other countries having entered the European Union, this photograph has now become history. You will find several contributions to this latest development which took place on May 1: one article on East-West migration, one photo reportage and an article on a current art exhibit in Vienna. Read about the results of the Austrian presidential election, the visit of Austria's Minister of Agriculture and two Austrian decorations. Due to financial shortcomings, we will be unable to print the next issue of Austrian Information, but will provide you with an online version on our website at: www.austria.org

Yours sincerely,
Christoph Meran

Austria’s Presidential Election

2007-02-15T23:56:33Z

In Austria's presidential election on April 25, Mr. Heinz Fischer, Deputy Speaker of the Lower House of the Austrian Parliament and candidate of the Social Democratic Party, took 52.4% of the vote against 47.6% for Foreign Minister Benita Ferrero-Waldner, a conservative. Mr. Fischer will assume the presidency on July 8, 2004 replacing current President Thomas Klestil, who is ending two six-year terms. Mrs. Ferrero-Waldner will continue as Foreign Minister. After some forty years in parliament, Mr. Fischer is one of the most experienced social democratic politicians in Austria. At age sixty-five, he is known for his adeptness in mediating partisan bickering among factions. Born in 1938 in Graz, Mr. Fischer studied law at the University of Vienna earning his Ph.D in 1961. He began his career with the Social Democratic Party in the 1960s, rising to Speaker as well as Deputy Speaker of the Lower House of parliament.

Consular Statistics 2003

2007-02-15T23:55:40Z

"Missing Austrian Mountain Climber Found After a Search Operation in Chile," "Ten Austrian Hostages Freed After Weeks in the Sahara," "Austrian Earthquake Victim in Iran Flown Out of Iran, Leg Saved" - these are just some of the compelling headlines reporting the consular assistance within the Foreign Ministry offered to Austrians in need. The consular statistics for 2003 included 2,460 official consular acts per day conducted by the Austrian missions abroad. These acts are coordinated and supported by the Legal and Consular Section of the Foreign Ministry. "It is one of the most noble and most important duties in my Ministry - and it is for me a personal concern that fellow citizens who need help abroad are helped quickly and unbureaucratically."

Austrian Minister of Agriculture and Environment Visits the U.S.

2007-02-15T23:54:40Z

Austrian Federal Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Water Management Josef Pröll visited Washington for bilateral talks. On April 30, the Minister met with U.S. Secretary of the Department of Agriculture Ann Veneman, President of the American Farm Bureau Federation Bob Stallman, as well as representatives from non-governmental organizations such as Greenpeace.

Book Presentation

2007-02-15T23:53:18Z

“What do very diverse Austrians, such as Federal Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel and Carinthian Governor Jörg Haider, have in common? They both were influenced by their stay in the U.S.A.,” explained Professor Günter Bischof, Director of Center Austria of the University of New Orleans at the presentation of the book, The Americanization/Westernization of Austria on April 5, 2004 at the Austrian Embassy in Washington, D.C.

East-West Migration After European Union Enlargement

2007-02-15T23:32:15Z

by Rainer Münz

En Route Through the ‘Other’ Europe

2007-02-15T23:30:57Z

One of the misconceptions of our time is the assumption that there is little left in Europe to be discovered. Karl-Markus Gauß and Kurt Kaindl prove otherwise with their reportage on the 'other’ Europe, where luxury and the "cutting edge" have not yet reached. In a collaborative effort, Gauß took up pen and, together with Kaindl and his camera, began a journey through the ten new members of the European Union to seek out the cultural richness of Europe¹s unknown corners and unrevealed lives. The following is a small selection from their work since 1999 on the new member countries of Central, Eastern,- and Southern Europe.

A Photo Reportage by Karl-Markus Gauß and Kurt Kaindl

2007-02-15T23:27:07Z

In Bratislava and a few other Slovakian cities, life has long resembled that of Western European cities with their fashions and fast, everyday tempo of life. But the majority of Slovaks live in small villages, and there in the countryside, old traditions and customs are still cultivated to this day. Such is predominately the case in the German village of Hopgart where this farm woman poses proudly and confidently before the camera.

Austrian Decorations

2007-02-15T23:25:32Z

Baritone Jerome Barry and Ambassador Randolph M. Bell

FREE ENTRANCE

2007-02-15T23:24:01Z

On March 10, 2004, the BAWAG FOUNDATION opened for the first time an exhibit of artists as a group in celebration of the enlargement of the European Union by ten new member states. FREE ENTRANCE presents assembled works by twelve artists from the capitals of Austria's Central and Eastern European neighbors: Bratislava, Budapest, Ljubljana, Prague, and of course, Vienna. The exhibit will run until June 19. Over the last number of years, a whole series of exhibitions have been dedicated to this region, but most of them have provided only one interpretation and, thus, contributed to supporting an attitude regarding Central and Eastern Europe as an exotic region.