Vienna (PK) – On November 9th, Parliament will commemorate the November pogroms, 85 years ago. At the National Council’s Budget Committee, negotiations on the 2024 budget traditionally begin with a public hearing of experts. Several other specialized committees of the National Council will also meet next week. The Federal Council is dealing with the latest resolutions of the National Council and its EU committee is also meeting.
Monday, November 6, 2023
A delegation from the Austria-Bulgaria Bilateral Parliamentary Group, Romania is visiting Romania until 9 November.
5:45 pm:
Digital trends and associated opportunities and challenges for society are the topic of a panel discussion in parliament with representatives from Austrian politics and international experts. On the podium are Florian Tursky (State Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance), Stefanie Lindstaedt (Founding President, Institute for Digital Sciences Austria (IDSA)), Ana Simic (General Director, DAIN Studios Austria, Ross King (Head of the Competence) “Data Science and Artificial Intelligence”, Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT)), Frode Rein
(Head of Strategy and Innovation Section, Stortinget Norwegian Parliament) and Andy Richardson (Program Manager, Parliamentary Standards, Inter-Parliamentary Union (UIP)). The opening words come from the President of the National Council, Wolfgang Sobotka. The Parliamentary Directorate, together with the European Center for Parliamentary Research and Documentation (ECPRD), invites you to the panel discussion. (Parliament, Theophil Hansen Local 3)
Media representatives must register in advance for the discussion panel at [email protected].
Tuesday, November 7, 2023
10 a.m.:
The Court of Auditors Committee is carrying out a follow-up assessment of AustriaTech – Sociedade Federal para
technology policy measures GmbH, as well as three auditors’ reports on the Hohe Tauern National Park, plastic packaging waste and railway crossings. (Parliament, Erwin Schrödinger Local 1)
10 a.m.:
The EU Committee of the Federal Council begins with a discussion on the current activity report of the European Court of Auditors with the Austrian representative Helga Berger. The Federal Councilors are also dealing with a proposal for a Commission regulation. These are plants obtained using certain new genomic techniques and foodstuffs and feed obtained from them. (Parliament, Ludwig Wittgenstein Local 5)
10:30 am:
The President of the National Council, Wolfgang Sobokta, receives the President of the National Council of the Swiss Confederation, Martin Candinas, for a working discussion in Parliament. (Parliament, reception room)
Wednesday, November 8, 2023
December 10, 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. On this occasion, Parliament establishes priorities that point to the importance of human rights for democracy. Austrian artist Victoria Coeln lets the parliament facade shine in grids of light in the “Light of Human Rights” on select days between November 8, 2023 and January 28, 2024.
09:00:
The Federal Council is dealing with the latest resolutions of the National Council. These include a protection clause for new pension recipients and a cap on pension adjustments next year, stricter sanctions for depictions of child abuse and mandatory child protection concepts. At the beginning of the meeting, Federal Minister for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology Leonore Gewessler answered questions from Federal Council members.
The meetings of the National Council and the Federal Council are broadcast live in the Parliament’s media library. (Parliament, Federal Council Chamber)
11am:
The Labor and Social Committee intends to discuss an amendment to the Heavy Night Work Law and the Federal Nursing Benefit Law. In its applications, the SPÖ is concerned, among other things, with nursing staff having easier access to hard work pensions and reducing pension deductions for hard workers who have received an invalidity or occupational disability pension. The FPÖ calls for a legal right to transitional care, the inclusion of prisoners in legal health insurance and a federal Corona reparation fund. The NEOS, in turn, are in favor of reducing unemployment insurance contributions, promoting apprenticeships in SMEs and a new president of the elderly security committee. (Houses of Parliament)
2pm:
The second president of the National Council, Doris Bures, receives the vice-president of the Hungarian Parliament, Lajos Olah, for discussion in Parliament. (Parliament, Presidential Office)
18:00:
The book “Transit Istanbul – Palestine: Jews fleeing southeastern Europe” tells stories of escapes via Istanbul to Palestine during the Second World War. The escape of Viennese Holocaust survivor Karl Pfeifer, who received the Simon Wiesenthal Prize from the Austrian Parliament in 2021, could largely only be organized through a secret and informal network. In memory of Karl Pfeifer, his escape from Budapest via Istanbul to Palestine will be remembered as part of a book launch in parliament.
The book will be presented by author Reiner Möckelmann, and actress Martina Ebm will read it. There will then be an interview with Karl Pfeifer’s widow, Dagmar Pfeifer, Pfeifer’s friend from Istanbul, Robert Schild, and the general secretary of the National Fund of the Republic of Austria for the Victims of National Socialism, Hannah Lessing. The opening words come from the President of the National Council, Wolfgang Sobotka. (Palais Epstein, inner courtyard)
Media representatives must register in advance for the event at [email protected].
Thursday, November 9, 2023
8:30 am:
The Home Affairs Committee has not yet finalized its programme. (Parliament)
10 a.m.:
The Family and Youth Commission is still working on its agenda. (Houses of Parliament)
11am:
The Foreign Policy Committee’s agenda has not yet been finalized. (Houses of parliament)
15:00.:
It is not yet clear which European projects will be discussed in the National Council’s EU Committee. (Houses of parliament)
5pm:
The commemoration event on the occasion of the 85th anniversary of the November pogroms begins with opening words from the President of the National Council, Wolfgang Sobotka, and a video greeting from the Speaker of the Israeli Knesset, Amir Ohana. The destroyed synagogues in Austria and their virtual reconstruction will then be the focus of a presentation by Bob Martens, from the Vienna University of Technology, and Herbert Peter, from the Academy of Fine Arts. Then, the President of the Jewish Community of Vienna, Oskar, speaks German. After a recording of the ORF documentary “Old Hate – New Madness”, presenter Lisa Gadenstätter finally meets Shoah survivor and former Auschwitz prisoner Benno Kern in a conversation with contemporary witnesses. (Parliament, National Council Hall)
Accreditation is required for media representatives. Registration for the memorial event is possible at [email protected]. To, you must electronically submit a media card or letter of credit from a media company.
Accreditations will be issued on the day of the memorial event, starting at 3:30 pm, at the check-in of media representatives at the Agora, in the visitor center. Admission of media representatives will be priority between 3:30 pm and 4:00 pm.
Friday, November 10, 2023
10 a.m.:
The budget committee’s discussions on next year’s budget traditionally begin with a hearing with experts. The hearing will be broadcast live on the parliament’s website media library and can then be accessed as video on demand. (Parliament, Erwin Schrödinger Local 1)
After the budget hearing, the budget committee discussed the law accompanying the 2024 budget, which includes a total of 27 government legislative proposals with budgetary implications. Among other things, it involves the creation of 100 new medical offices, as well as additional funds for the switch to climate-friendly heating and other environmental funding, the forestry fund, federal museums, AGES, extracurricular youth work and the Gusen Memorial . . Furthermore, people who were prosecuted or convicted in the Second Republic due to consensual same-sex sexual contact must be fully rehabilitated or compensated. (Parliament, Erwin Schrödinger Local 1)
4 pm.:
The Budget Committee is negotiating new proposals beyond the Federal Finance Act and the 2024 Budget Accompaniment Act. (Parliament, Erwin Schrödinger Local 1)
(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.