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Austria Index
The Social Democratic Party of Austria (Sozialdemokratische
Partei Österreichs--SPÖ), until 1991 known as the Socialist Party
of Austria (Sozialistische Partei Österreichs--SPÖ), has its
roots in the original Social Democratic Workers' Party
(Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei--SDAP), founded in 1889 by
Viktor Adler, a young doctor. The SDAP supported revisionist
Marxism and the use of democratic methods to establish workingclass rule in a democratic government. The SDAP was responsible
for pushing through universal voting rights for men in 1905 and
for extending the same for women in 1919. From 1934 to 1945,
during the regimes of Engelbert Dollfuss (1932-34) and Kurt von
Schuschnigg (1934-38) and the takeover by the Nazis, the SDAP was
outlawed. In 1945 it was reconstituted as the Socialist Party of
Austria. In 1991 the party readopted the designation "Social
Democratic."
Moderates such as Karl Renner and Adolf Schärf, each of whom
eventually served as president of the Second Republic, led the
postwar party (see
table 14, Appendix). Their primary interests
lay in increasing SPÖ power in the coalition government rather
than in fostering Marxism. Between 1945 and 1957, the party
supported democratic practices and intraparty cooperation,
programs for higher wages and lower food prices, and increased
government spending on social programs.
The election of Bruno Pittermann as party chairman in 1957
marked the beginning of major policy changes. The party had a
strong following among industrial workers, but party officials
wanted to expand SPÖ membership to the middle class and whitecollar workers and to soften the party's anticlerical position in
order to become acceptable to Roman Catholics. These changes were
expressed in a new party program adopted in 1958. The program
claimed that the SPÖ was "the party of all those who work for a
living," and it stated the party's opposition to communism and
fascism.
The late 1960s brought more changes in party doctrine. A new
economic program in 1967 constituted a shift from concern for the
distribution of wealth to concern for economic growth, including
increasing foreign investment in Austria. Cultural and social
reforms were demanded, and emphasis was placed on attending to
the needs of young people. In line with its appeal to youth, the
party supported a plan to shorten the term of military service.
Under Bruno Kreisky, who became chairman of the SPÖ in 1967,
the party continued its move toward the center of the ideological
spectrum. Although party platforms continued to refer to the
classless society as an ideal, the SPÖ was careful to distinguish
its brand of socialism from the centralized, inefficient version
of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. The party program of 1978
stressed the four principles of freedom, equality, justice, and
solidarity. Central to the SPÖ's philosophy was a guarantee for
all Austrians of freedom from fear, hunger, exploitation, and
unemployment. The freedom to pursue wealth had to be balanced by
the government's guarantee of equal opportunity and social
justice.
Under Kreisky the SPÖ triumphed at the polls in 1970, 1971,
1975, and 1979, and between 1971 and 1983 the party enjoyed an
absolute majority in parliament. The Kreisky governments laid
great emphasis on improving the social welfare system and
achieving full employment. The Kreisky era also featured the
flourishing of the technocrats--SPÖ politicians successful in
business and banking whose lavish life-styles seemed incongruous
in a party supposed to represent the interests of labor.
In the parliamentary election of 1983, the SPÖ lost its
absolute majority, and Kreisky decided to retire from politics
rather than preside over a coalition government. Fred Sinowatz,
Kreisky's minister for education, was chosen as chancellor in a
coalition government with the FPÖ. The Sinowatz era, from 1983 to
1986, proved to be a short interregnum and was not distinguished
by any great achievements
(see Political Developments since 1983
, this ch.).
Franz Vranitzky, born in 1937, became chancellor in June 1986
when Sinowatz resigned after the SPÖ lost the presidential
election to Kurt Waldheim. Vranitzky replaced Sinowatz as party
chairman in May 1988, becoming the first person from a workingclass background to hold this position. Despite his working-class
heritage, Vranitzky had had a successful career in banking before
entering politics.
Under Vranitzky the SPÖ moved to restore its image among
rank-and-file members by improving its methods of intraparty
communication. Computers and direct mail technology were used to
gauge the opinions of members in the provinces, and efforts were
made to improve recruiting techniques by means of recreational
groups. In the area of government policy, Vranitzky stressed that
limits on state activity were necessary, although he noted that
health care and education were fields where market forces had to
be regulated.
Vranitzky displayed a more open attitude toward the question
of privatizing government industries than Kreisky had. To a large
extent, changes in this area were inevitable because of large
losses in the state industrial sector that came to light in 1985.
Vranitzky embraced the principle that privatization should be
pursued if it would lead to greater operational efficiency. The
press dubbed Vranitzky's approach "pinstripe socialism." The
policy has proven to be a responsible one and has been fairly
popular with Austrians.
In 1984 the SPÖ launched a program called Perspectives '90,
designed to promote intraparty discussion on current issues. A
major aim of the leadership was to show that the party was eager
to listen to grass-roots concerns. A series of nationwide debates
eventually led to the issuance of a draft document in 1986 that
incorporated the views of party members on issues such as the
environment, controls on the development of technology, and
democratization of society. Events that had embarrassed the
party, such as the conflict over the Hainburg power plant in 1984
and Minister for Defense Friedhelm Frischenschläger's reception
of Walter Reder in 1985, were also discussed
(see Political Developments since 1983
, this ch.).
An estimated 30,000 party members participated in the
Perspectives '90 meetings, which took place in 1,000 local
groups. The success of this project led the SPÖ to stage the
Congress for the Future in Vienna in the summer of 1987, where
400 of the party's top leaders and intellectual luminaries
discussed the outlook for social democracy. It was agreed that
the SPÖ needed to formulate an alternative to the neoconservatism
of the 1980s that would allow for greater codetermination in the
workplace but also avoid the pitfalls of too much state control.
After the success of this conference, the SPÖ began planning
another that would produce a Social Democratic Manifesto for the
Year 2000.
Membership in the SPÖ is direct (unlike the ÖVP, where a
person joins an organization affiliated with the party). SPÖ's
membership grew rapidly in the postwar period--from 360,000
members in 1946 to its peak of nearly 720,000 members in 1979.
With the loosening of the grip of the Lager on Austrian
society, SPÖ's membership has declined slightly. In the early
1990s, it was estimated at 700,000.
Party organization remained centralized as of the early
1990s. The main link between rank-and-file members and party
leaders are the activists known as Vertrauenspersonen, who
personally collect annual membership dues. At the local level,
the SPÖ is represented by almost 4,000 groups in villages and
towns. Every two years, the SPÖ holds a federal conference that
elects the party executive, which has sixty-five members. Because
of the executive's unwieldy size, a smaller group, known as the
presidium, is selected from it and actually conducts most party
business.
Delegates to the federal conference are drawn from the
various suborganizations of the party. The party has two youth
organizations, the Young Generation (Junge Generation--JG) and
the Socialist Youth of Austria (Sozialistische Jugend Österreichs
--SJÖ). The Group of Socialist Trade Unionists (Fraktion
Sozialistischer Gewerkschaftler--FSG) sends fifty-two delegates
to the conference. There is also a Women's Committee, which has
representatives from each province. Over the years, women have
consistently made up one-third of SPÖ's membership. In 1985 the
federal conference passed an amendment providing for greater
representation of women in the party and larger numbers of female
candidates. Progress toward this goal has been slow, however, and
in 1989 only eleven of the SPÖ's deputies in the Nationalrat were
female.
SPÖ candidates for parliamentary elections are determined by
the Party Council, whose members come from the nine provincial
party organizations. The party executive and the heads of the
nine provincial parties have an input into the selection process.
Roughly one-fifth of the places are reserved for high-ranking
party officials, whose presence in the Nationalrat is considered
imperative.
Data as of December 1993
- Austria-Works Councils
- Austria-AUSTRIAN NATIONAL IDENTITY
- Austria-Introduction
- Austria-Foreign Policy
- Austria-The 1955 State Treaty and Austrian Neutrality
- Austria-The Celtic and Roman Eras THE ALPINE-DANUBIAN REGION BEFORE THE HABSBURG DYNASTY
- Austria-SOCIAL PARTNERSHIP
- Austria-Employment, Unemployment, and Pension Benefits
- Austria-Criminal Court Proceedings
- Austria-Foreign Workers in Austria
- Austria-SOCIAL SECURITY
- Austria-Nazi Economic and Social Policies
- Austria-The Founding of the Dual Monarchy AUSTRIA-HUNGARY TO THE EARLY 1900S
- Austria-DEMOGRAPHY
- Austria-Electoral Politics in the Kreisky Era THE KREISKY YEARS, 1970-83
- Austria-The Habsburg Military HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
- Austria-Other Minorities
- Austria-The Professions
- Austria-FOREIGN RELATIONS
- Austria-Foreign Policy During the Kreisky Era
- Austria-The Freedom Party of Austria
- Austria-Army
- Austria-NATIONAL SECURITY
- Austria-The Structure of Agriculture
- Austria-Elections and Parties
- Austria-The Thirty Years' War, 1618-48
- Austria-Attitudes Toward Minorities
- Austria-Political Life of the 1920s and Early 1930s
- Austria-Political Developments since 1983
- Austria-Special Courts
- Austria-The 1945 Election and Consolidation of the Austrian Government
- Austria-End of the Kreisky Era
- Austria-The End of the Habsburg Empire and the Birth of the Austrian Republic
- Austria-Uniforms, Ranks, and Insignia
- Austria-Personnel, Conscription, Training, and Reserves
- Austria-NEUTRALITY AND THE ARMED FORCES
- Austria-Ordinary Courts
- Austria-Four-Power Occupation and Recognition of the Provisional Government
- Austria-Internal Developments in Austria
- Austria-Foreign Trade and the Balance of Payments FOREIGN ECONOMIC RELATIONS
- Austria-Foreword
- Austria-STRATEGIC CONCEPTS AND MISSIONS OF THE AUSTRIAN ARMED FORCES
- Austria-Growing German Pressure on Austria
- Austria-The Social Democratic Party of Austria
- Austria-The Services Sector
- Austria-Army Equipment
- Austria-Historical Background ECONOMIC GROWTH AND GOVERNMENT POLICY
- Austria-The War of the Spanish Succession The Turkish Wars and the Siege of Vienna
- Austria-Newspapers and Periodicals MASS MEDIA
- Austria-Chapter 2 - The Society and Its Environment
- Austria-RELIGION
- Austria-Acknowledgments
- Austria-The Parliamentary Election of 1990
- Austria-POLITICAL DYNAMICS
- Austria-Domestic Issues
- Austria-Loss of Leadership in Germany
- Austria-Events of 1991-93
- Austria-Judicial System Bundesversammlung
- Austria-The Green Parties
- Austria-Energy
- Austria-Radio and Television
- Austria-Repression and Compliance
- Austria-Election of Kurt Waldheim as President
- Austria-Chapter 3 - The Economy
- Austria-Provincial Government
- Austria-Consolidation of Democracy
- Austria-Division and Rebellion
- Austria-HOUSING
- Austria-AUSTRIA
- Austria-The Protestant Reformation in the Habsburg Lands
- Austria-Tourism
- Austria-World War I
- Austria-Jews
- Austria-Overview of the Political Camps THE FIRST REPUBLIC
- Austria-Family Benefits
- Austria-Developments During the 1970s and 1980s
- Austria-Openings Toward the East
- Austria-Transportation and Telecommunications
- Austria-Austria's Integration with the West
- Austria-Absorption of Austria into the Third Reich THE ANSCHLUSS AND WORLD WAR II
- Austria-Chapter 5 - National Security
- Austria-THE COUNTER-REFORMATION AND THE THIRTY YEARS' WAR
- Austria-The Turkish Threat
- Austria-The Chambers of Commerce
- Austria-Immigration
- Austria-Status of Women
- Austria-The Federal President
- Austria-Money and Banking
- Austria-Baroque Absolutism and Enlightened Despotism THE REFORMS OF MARIA THERESA AND JOSEPH II
- Austria-GEOGRAPHY
- Austria-The Chambers of Labor The Chambers of Agriculture
- Austria-Mining and Minerals
- Austria-INTERNAL SECURITY
- Austria-Climate
- Austria-Ecological Concerns
- Austria-The Industrial Sector
- Austria-Chancellor and Cabinet
- Austria-The Foundation of the First Republic
- Austria-The Pragmatic Sanction and the War of the Austrian Succession, 1740-48
- Austria
- Austria-The Austrian Trade Union Federation
- Austria-TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
- Austria-Official Minority Groups
- Austria-The Holy Roman Empire and the Duchy of Austria
- Austria-EDUCATION
- Austria-Military Justice
- Austria-Nationalrat
- Austria-The Strategic Impact of the Reform Era
- Austria-The Austrian People's Party
- Austria-The Agricultural Sector
- Austria-Penal Codes
- Austria-World War II and the Defeat of Nazi Germany
- Austria-The Magic Pentagon
- Austria-Foundation of the Second Republic RESTORED INDEPENDENCE UNDER ALLIED OCCUPATION
- Austria-The Early Medieval Era
- Austria-Domestic Tranquillity under the Grand Coalition
- Austria-The Crisis over Bosnia and Hercegovina THE FINAL YEARS OF THE EMPIRE AND WORLD WAR I
- Austria-The National Election of 1986 and the Grand Coalition of 1987-90
- Austria-The Administrative Court
- Austria-FAMILY LIFE
- Austria
- Austria
- Austria-Two World Wars: 1914-18 and 1939-45
- Austria
- Austria-International Developments, 1815-48 AUSTRIA IN THE AGE OF METTERNICH
- Austria-Incidence of Crime
- Austria
- Austria-Preface
- Austria
- Austria-The Habsburg Dynasty in the Late Medieval Era RISE OF THE HABSBURG EMPIRE
- Austria-Domestic and Foreign Sources of Military Equipment
- Austria-Local Government
- Austria
- Austria-The Congress of Vienna
- Austria-Final Defeat in Germany and Reconciliation with Prussia
- Austria-ECONOMY
- Austria-Domestic Policies
- Austria-The Constitutional Court
- Austria-Air Force
- Austria-Efforts to Improve Competitiveness
- Austria-Chapter 4 - Government and Politics
- Austria-Territorial Expansion, Division, and Consolidation
- Austria-Family Developments after the 1960s
- Austria
- Austria-New Focus on Europe
- Austria-The Subsidy Policy
- Austria-Penal System
- Austria-Health and Health Insurance
- Austria-The Peace of Westphalia
- Austria
- Austria-Emigration
- Austria-SOCIAL MINORITIES
- Austria-NATIONAL DEFENSE
- Austria-The Failure of Neoabsolutism
- Austria-Austria and European Integration
- Austria-Revolutionary Rise and Fall THE REVOLUTION OF 1848 AND NEOABSOLUTISM
- Austria-PRINCIPAL ECONOMIC INTEREST GROUPS
- Austria-Police
- Austria-SOCIETY
- Austria-Chapter 1 - Historical Setting
- Austria-Human Geography
- Austria
- Austria-GEOGRAPHY
- Austria-STRUCTURE OF THE ECONOMY
- Austria-Foreign Workers
- Austria-GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
- Austria-Regional Issues
- Austria-Political and Religious Consolidation under Leopold THE BAROQUE ERA
- Austria-Bundesrat
- Austria-The Federation of Austrian Industrialists
- Austria-SOCIAL STRUCTURE
- Austria-The Defense Budget
- Austria-Electoral System
- Austria -COUNTRY PROFILE
- Austria
Background | | Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent occupation by the victorious Allies in 1945, Austria's status remained unclear for a decade. A State Treaty signed in 1955 ended the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade unification with Germany. A constitutional law that same year declared the country's "perpetual neutrality" as a condition for Soviet military withdrawal. The Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 and Austria's entry into the European Union in 1995 have altered the meaning of this neutrality. A prosperous, democratic country, Austria entered the EU Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. In January 2009, Austria assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2009-10 term.
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Location | | Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia
|
Area(sq km) | | total: 83,871 sq km land: 82,445 sq km water: 1,426 sq km
|
Geographic coordinates | | 47 20 N, 13 20 E
|
Land boundaries(km) | | total: 2,562 km border countries: Czech Republic 362 km, Germany 784 km, Hungary 366 km, Italy 430 km, Liechtenstein 35 km, Slovakia 91 km, Slovenia 330 km, Switzerland 164 km
|
Coastline(km) | | 0 km (landlocked)
|
Climate | | temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain and some snow in lowlands and snow in mountains; moderate summers with occasional showers
|
Elevation extremes(m) | | lowest point: Neusiedler See 115 m highest point: Grossglockner 3,798 m
|
Natural resources | | oil, coal, lignite, timber, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony, magnesite, tungsten, graphite, salt, hydropower
|
Land use(%) | | arable land: 16.59% permanent crops: 0.85% other: 82.56% (2005)
|
Irrigated land(sq km) | | 40 sq km (2003)
|
Total renewable water resources(cu km) | | 84 cu km (2005)
|
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) | | total: 3.67 cu km/yr (35%/64%/1%) per capita: 448 cu m/yr (1999)
|
Natural hazards | | landslides; avalanches; earthquakes
|
Environment - current issues | | some forest degradation caused by air and soil pollution; soil pollution results from the use of agricultural chemicals; air pollution results from emissions by coal- and oil-fired power stations and industrial plants and from trucks transiting Austria between northern and southern Europe
|
Environment - international agreements | | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
|
Geography - note | | landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe with many easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys; major river is the Danube; population is concentrated on eastern lowlands because of steep slopes, poor soils, and low temperatures elsewhere
|
Population | | 8,210,281 (July 2009 est.)
|
Age structure(%) | | 0-14 years: 14.5% (male 609,748/female 581,144) 15-64 years: 67.5% (male 2,785,091/female 2,756,402) 65 years and over: 18% (male 612,613/female 865,283) (2009 est.)
|
Median age(years) | | total: 42.2 years male: 41.1 years female: 43.2 years (2009 est.)
|
Population growth rate(%) | | 0.052% (2009 est.)
|
Birth rate(births/1,000 population) | | 8.65 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
|
Death rate(deaths/1,000 population) | | 9.98 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
|
Net migration rate(migrant(s)/1,000 population) | | 1.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
|
Urbanization(%) | | urban population: 67% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 0.7% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
|
Sex ratio(male(s)/female) | | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
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Infant mortality rate(deaths/1,000 live births) | | total: 4.42 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.39 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
|
Life expectancy at birth(years) | | total population: 79.5 years male: 76.6 years female: 82.56 years (2009 est.)
|
Total fertility rate(children born/woman) | | 1.39 children born/woman (2009 est.)
|
Nationality | | noun: Austrian(s) adjective: Austrian
|
Ethnic groups(%) | | Austrians 91.1%, former Yugoslavs 4% (includes Croatians, Slovenes, Serbs, and Bosniaks), Turks 1.6%, German 0.9%, other or unspecified 2.4% (2001 census)
|
Religions(%) | | Roman Catholic 73.6%, Protestant 4.7%, Muslim 4.2%, other 3.5%, unspecified 2%, none 12% (2001 census)
|
Languages(%) | | German (official nationwide) 88.6%, Turkish 2.3%, Serbian 2.2%, Croatian (official in Burgenland) 1.6%, other (includes Slovene, official in Carinthia, and Hungarian, official in Burgenland) 5.3% (2001 census)
|
Country name | | conventional long form: Republic of Austria conventional short form: Austria local long form: Republik Oesterreich local short form: Oesterreich
|
Government type | | federal republic
|
Capital | | name: Vienna geographic coordinates: 48 12 N, 16 22 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
|
Administrative divisions | | 9 states (Bundeslaender, singular - Bundesland); Burgenland, Kaernten (Carinthia), Niederoesterreich (Lower Austria), Oberoesterreich (Upper Austria), Salzburg, Steiermark (Styria), Tirol (Tyrol), Vorarlberg, Wien (Vienna)
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Constitution | | 1920; revised 1929; reinstated 1 May 1945; note - during the period 1 May 1934-1 May 1945 there was a fascist (corporative) constitution in place
|
Legal system | | civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review of legislative acts by the Constitutional Court; separate administrative and civil/penal supreme courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage | | 16 years of age; universal; note - reduced from 18 years of age in 2007
|
Executive branch | | chief of state: President Heinz FISCHER (SPOe) (since 8 July 2004) head of government: Chancellor Werner FAYMANN (SPOe) (since 2 December 2008); Vice Chancellor Josef PROELL (OeVP) (since 2 December 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor elections: president elected by direct popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); presidential election last held 25 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2010); chancellor formally chosen by the president but determined by the coalition parties forming a parliamentary majority; vice chancellor chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor election results: Heinz FISCHER elected president; percent of vote - Heinz FISCHER 52.4%, Benita FERRERO-WALDNER 47.6% note: government coalition - SPOe and OeVP
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Legislative branch | | bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of Federal Council or Bundesrat (62 seats; members chosen by state parliaments with each state receiving 3 to 12 members in proportion to its population; members serve five- or six-year terms) and the National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: National Council - last held 28 September 2008 (next to be held by September 2013) election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - SPOe 29.3%, OeVP 26%, FPOe 17.5%, BZOe 10.7%, Greens 10.4%, other 6.1%; seats by party - SPOe 57, OeVP 51, FPOe 34, BZOe 21, Greens 20
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Judicial branch | | Supreme Judicial Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Administrative Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof; Constitutional Court or Verfassungsgerichtshof
|
Political pressure groups and leaders | | Austrian Trade Union Federation or OeGB (nominally independent but primarily Social Democratic); Federal Economic Chamber; OeVP-oriented Association of Austrian Industrialists or IV; Roman Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization, Catholic Action other: three composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party or OeVP representing business, labor, farmers, and other nongovernment organizations in the areas of environment and human rights
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International organization participation | | ACCT (observer), ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G-9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
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Flag description | | three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red; the flag design is certainly one of the oldest - if not the oldest - national banners in the world; according to tradition, following a fierce battle in the Third Crusade, Duke Leopold V of Austria's white tunic became completely blood-spattered; upon removal of his wide belt or sash, a white band was revealed; the red-white-red color combination was subsequently adopted as his banner
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Economy - overview | | Austria, with its well-developed market economy and high standard of living, is closely tied to other EU economies, especially Germany's. Its economy features a large service sector, a sound industrial sector, and a small, but highly developed agricultural sector. Following several years of solid foreign demand for Austrian exports and record employment growth, the global economic downturn in 2008 led to a recession that is likely to persist through 2009. The government's stabilization measures could increase the budget deficit to about 2.8% of GDP in 2009 and above 3% in 2010, from about 0.6% in 2008. The Austrian economy has benefited greatly in the past from strong commercial relations, especially in the banking and insurance sectors, with central, eastern, and southeastern Europe, but these sectors have been vulnerable to recent international financial instabilities, and some of Austria's largest banks have required government support. Even after the global economic outlook improves, Austria will need to continue restructuring, emphasizing knowledge-based sectors of the economy, and encouraging greater labor flexibility and greater labor participation to offset its aging population and exceedingly low fertility rate.
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GDP (purchasing power parity) | | $331.2 billion (2008 est.) $324.7 billion (2007 est.) $313.7 billion (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP (official exchange rate) | | $414.8 billion (2008 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate(%) | | 2% (2008 est.) 3.5% (2007 est.) 3.5% (2006 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP) | | $40,400 (2008 est.) $39,600 (2007 est.) $38,300 (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
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GDP - composition by sector(%) | | agriculture: 1.9% industry: 30.7% services: 67.4% (2008 est.)
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Labor force | | 3.633 million (2008 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation(%) | | agriculture: 5.5% industry: 27.5% services: 67% (2005 est.)
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Unemployment rate(%) | | 3.9% (2008 est.) 4.4% (2007 est.)
|
Population below poverty line(%) | | 5.9% (2004)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share(%) | | lowest 10%: 3.3% highest 10%: 22.5% (2004)
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Distribution of family income - Gini index | | 26 (2007) 31 (1995)
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Investment (gross fixed)(% of GDP) | | 22.4% of GDP (2008 est.)
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Budget | | revenues: $196.4 billion expenditures: $200.7 billion (2008 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices)(%) | | 3.2% (2008 est.) 2.2% (2007 est.)
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Stock of domestic credit | | $606.2 billion (31 December 2008) $504.8 billion (31 December 2007)
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Market value of publicly traded shares | | $NA (31 December 2008) $228.7 billion (31 December 2007) $191.3 billion (31 December 2006)
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Public debt(% of GDP) | | 62.6% of GDP (2008 est.) 64.2% of GDP (2004 est.)
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Agriculture - products | | grains, potatoes, sugar beets, wine, fruit; dairy products, cattle, pigs, poultry; lumber
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Industries | | construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, metals, chemicals, lumber and wood processing, paper and paperboard, communications equipment, tourism
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Industrial production growth rate(%) | | 2.4% (2008 est.)
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Current account balance | | $14.27 billion (2008 est.) $12.03 billion (2007 est.)
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Exports | | $179.1 billion (2008 est.) $162.1 billion (2007 est.)
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Exports - commodities(%) | | machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, paper and paperboard, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs
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Exports - partners(%) | | Germany 29.5%, Italy 8.6%, US 4.3%, Switzerland 4.2% (2008)
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Imports | | $179.2 billion (2008 est.) $160.3 billion (2007 est.)
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Imports - commodities(%) | | machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal goods, oil and oil products; foodstuffs
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Imports - partners(%) | | Germany 44.5%, Italy 7.1%, Switzerland 5.2%, Netherlands 4.1% (2008)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | | $16.7 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $18.22 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Debt - external | | $832.8 billion (31 December 2008) $801.4 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | | $261.9 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $247.9 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | | $270 billion (31 December 2008 est.) $240.9 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
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Exchange rates | | euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6827 (2008 est.), 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004)
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Currency (code) | | euro (EUR)
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Telephones - main lines in use | | 3.285 million (2008)
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Telephones - mobile cellular | | 10.816 million (2008)
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Telephone system | | general assessment: highly developed and efficient domestic: fixed-line subscribership has been in decline since the mid-1990s with mobile-cellular subscribership eclipsing it by the late 1990s; the fiber-optic net is very extensive; all telephone applications and Internet services are available international: country code - 43; satellite earth stations - 15; in addition, there are about 600 VSATs (very small aperture terminals) (2007)
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Internet country code | | .at
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Internet users | | 5.937 million (2008)
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Airports | | 55 (2009)
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Pipelines(km) | | gas 2,721 km; oil 663 km; refined products 157 km (2008)
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Roadways(km) | | total: 107,262 km paved: 107,262 km (includes 1,677 km of expressways) (2006)
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Ports and terminals | | Enns, Krems, Linz, Vienna
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Military branches | | Land Forces (KdoLdSK), Air Forces (KdoLuSK)
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Military service age and obligation(years of age) | | 18-35 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for male or female voluntary service; service obligation 6 months of training, followed by an 8-year reserve obligation; conscripts cannot be deployed in military operations outside Austria (2009)
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Manpower available for military service | | males age 16-49: 1,986,411 females age 16-49: 1,944,834 (2008 est.)
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Manpower fit for military service | | males age 16-49: 1,607,456 females age 16-49: 1,576,335 (2009 est.)
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Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually | | male: 50,540 female: 48,042 (2009 est.)
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Military expenditures(% of GDP) | | 0.9% of GDP (2005 est.)
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Disputes - international | | while threats of international legal action never materialized in 2007, 915,220 Austrians, with the support of the newly elected Freedom Party, signed a petition in January 2008, demanding that Austria block the Czech Republic's accession to the EU unless Prague closed its nuclear power plant in Temelin, bordering Austria
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Electricity - production(kWh) | | 58.64 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - production by source(%) | | fossil fuel: 29.3% hydro: 67.2% nuclear: 0% other: 3.5% (2001)
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Electricity - consumption(kWh) | | 61.89 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - exports(kWh) | | 14.93 billion kWh (2008 est.)
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Electricity - imports(kWh) | | 19.8 billion kWh (2008 est.)
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Oil - production(bbl/day) | | 24,850 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil - consumption(bbl/day) | | 285,400 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil - exports(bbl/day) | | 45,580 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Oil - imports(bbl/day) | | 305,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
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Economic aid - donor | | ODA, $1.498 billion (2006)
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Oil - proved reserves(bbl) | | 50 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
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Natural gas - production(cu m) | | 1.532 billion cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption(cu m) | | 8.65 billion cu m (2008 est.)
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Natural gas - exports(cu m) | | 2.788 billion cu m (2008)
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Natural gas - proved reserves(cu m) | | 16.14 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate(%) | | 0.2% (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | | 9,800 (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths | | fewer than 100 (2003 est.)
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Literacy(%) | | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: NA female: NA
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)(years) | | total: 15 years male: 15 years female: 16 years (2006)
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Education expenditures(% of GDP) | | 5.4% of GDP (2005)
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