Vienna (PK) – The Labor and Social Committee, the Human Rights Committee and the Budget Committee will meet next week. The Presidential Conference sets the agenda for the next plenary session. The TRACES exhibition. SLEDI, an art, music and literature project reflecting the deportation of Slovenes from Carinthia during the Second World War, opens. The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly traditionally meets for its winter session in the Vienna Hofburg.
Monday, February 19, 2024
The Europol Joint Parliamentary Control Committee meets in Ghent. The commission, made up of members of national parliaments and the EP, will deal with Europol's activities in the fight against the illegal arms trade and the fight against trafficking in human beings. On the Austrian side, deputies Wolfgang Gerstl (ÖVP), Reinhold Einwallner (SPÖ), Christian Ries (FPÖ) and federal councilor Harald Himmer will be represented. (Ghent, Belgium)
18:00:
The President of the National Council, Wolfgang Sobotka, together with Molden Verlag invites you to the presentation of the book “Pretty Kitty and the Rothschild Women”. After Sobotka's opening words and greetings from Styria's managing director Matthias Opis, historian and journalist Martina Winkelhofer talks to author Roman Sandgruber about the book. (Parliament, Elise Richter Local 2)
Media employees must register in advance at [email protected].
Tuesday, February 20, 2024
09:00:
The launch event takes place ahead of this year's Zero Project Conference. This year, National Council members from all parliamentary groups will once again present international solutions in the areas of inclusive education and IT. Following opening remarks and welcome from National Council President Wolfgang Sobotka and Project Zero founder Martin Essl, as well as keynote speeches from Roberta Cordano, Rector of Gallaudet University in Washington DC, the five innovations of a total of 77 will be presented at the Zero Project Conference for their innovative projects that have been awarded effective and scalable solutions.
Kira Grünberg (ÖVP) presents the inclusive training program for medical students at Johannes Kepler University Linz. Verena Nussbaum (SPÖ) presents a computer application supported by UNICEF for young people with communication difficulties. Rosa Ecker (FPÖ) presents a project to coordinate early childhood education programs in Portugal. Sibylle Hamann (Greens) presents a tactile and inclusive piece to promote the development of all children in Australia. Fiona Fiedler (NEOS) provides information on the “backward integration” of the Ungargasse school center in Vienna. Parliamentary Director Harald Dossi's closing remarks will be followed by an inclusive musical performance by the White Hands Chorus from Nippon, Japan. The live stream will be available in the media library shortly before the event begins. (Parliament, National Council Hall)
Media employees must register in advance at [email protected].
13:00.:
There are 24 points on the agenda of the Labor and Social Affairs Committee's program. Deputies would like to discuss, among other things, bills on protected professional titles for social educators and social workers, an educational bonus for social security beneficiaries and an expansion of photo registration points on electronic cards. There are also numerous proposals from opposition factions on the topics of pensions, accessibility, equal treatment, inflation, social benefits and migration. (Parliament, Federal Council Chamber)
Wednesday, February 21, 2024
1:30 pm:
The Human Rights Committee scheduled a meeting. The agenda has not yet been defined. (Houses of Parliament)
18:00:
The TRACKS exhibition will take place at Parliament. SLEDI opens. SENSE. SLEDI is an art, music and literature project reflecting the deportation of Slovenes from Carinthia during the Second World War, the climax of which occurred on April 14 and 15, 1942, when more than 1,000 people were expelled from their homes. As part of the opening of the exhibition, after introductory words from the President of the National Council, Wolfgang Sobotka, there will be a conversation with the exhibition curator Karl Vouk. Later, historian Brigitte Entner gives a presentation entitled “Anti-people and anti-state”/“Narodu in državi sovražni”. Then, actors Katarina Hartmann and Michael Kristof-Kranzelbinder read the letters from the displaced people. Visiting the exhibition is possible from February 21st to 29th, 2024 as part of a free guided tour of the Parliament. (Parliament, Theophil Hansen Local 3)
Media employees must register in advance at [email protected].
Thursday, February 22, 2024
09:00:
National Council President Wolfgang Sobotka opens the winter meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE PA), which is held annually in Vienna at the OSCE headquarters. This year's Winter Meeting marks the second anniversary of the war of aggression against Ukraine. Other conference topics include artificial intelligence and security, the rights of political prisoners and the impact of migration on the security situation in the OSCE region. On the Austrian side, the second president of the National Council, Doris Bures, as well as deputies Reinhold Lopatka, Gudrun Kugler and Carina Reiter (ÖVP), Axel Kassegger (FPÖ) and David Stögmüller (Greens) will also be represented. (Vienna, Hofburg)
10 a.m.:
The budget committee deals, among other things, with reports on federal liabilities and subsidies and the monthly successes for the last quarter of 2023. Bills from the ÖVP and the Greens provide for an increase in the deductibility of church contributions to 600, as well as extensions of contributions to the energy crisis and vaccination offers against COVID-19. (Houses of Parliament)
10:30 am:
The Presidential Conference defines the agendas for the next plenary sessions of the National Council. You can find more information about the agendas in the “TOP no Conselho Nacional” broadcasts: Parliamentary correspondence | Austrian Parliament. (Parliament, Presidential Office)
5pm:
The President of the National Council, Wolfgang Sobotka, the National Fund of the Republic of Austria and the Cemetery Fund jointly invite you to the presentation of the book “Houses of Eternity. Renovation of Jewish Cemeteries in Austria”. As part of the book presentation, the 2024 edition of the “Guide to visiting Jewish cemeteries in Austria” will also be presented. The opening words will be given by the President of the National Council, Sobotka, and the introductory words will come from the Vice-President of the Israeli Community (IKG), Claudia Prutscher. The deputy secretary general of the National Fund, Judith Pfeffer, presents the publications. This will be followed by a panel discussion on the topic “Jewish Cemeteries as Cultural Heritage” with the university professor of garden monument preservation Brigitte Mang, the president of the European Jewish Congress and honorary president of the IKG Vienna Ariel Muzicant, the landscape architect Gerhard Rennhofer, the chairman of the committee for the preservation of the Klosterneuburg Jewish cemetery, Heinz G. Schratt, and the architect and cathedral builder Wolfgang Zehetner. (Parliament, Elise Richter Local 2)
Media employees must register in advance at [email protected].
(final) barrel/lan
NOTE: Current dates can be consulted on Parliament's online calendar. Media workers must register in advance for filming and photography at [email protected].
National Council and Federal Council meetings can also be followed via live streaming and are available as video on demand in the Parliament's media library. Follow the Austrian Parliament on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or sign up for a free email subscription to Parliamentary Correspondence.