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Umweltbundesamt
Environment Agency Austria
© cmisje
Umweltbundesamt ...
… is the leading Austrian expert organisation for all
environmental issues and media.
… is organised in four programmes
 Data & Diagnosis,
 Substances & Analysis,
 Economy & Impact and
 Nature & Usages
… uses an interdisciplinary approach to develop strategic
perspectives for environmental policy in Austria and Europe.
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Mission statement
We work for the conservation
of nature and the
environment and thus
contribute to the sustainable
development of society.
© B. Gröger
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Figures & facts
 Turnover 2008: 35 million EUR
 National projects ca. 25 million EUR
 International projects ca. 10 million EUR
 Employees: 479 (full-time equivalent: 388)
 Percentage of university graduates: 66,4%
 Percentage of women: 51%
 Percentage of women in executive positions: 40%
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History
 1985 Umweltbundesamt created by Environmental
Control Act
 1998 New Environmental Control Act
 Core tasks newly defined
 1999 Legal form of company: Limited Liability
Company
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100% owned by the Republic of Austria (represented by the
Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and
Water Management)
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Competences in the field of
Environmental Protection in Austria
 Austria is a federal state and competences in the field of
environment are shared between federal level and the
provinces
 A lot of co-ordination effort is needed to ensure effective
implementation of EU legislation
 The Environment Agency Austria is supporting dialogue
platforms between federal level and the Provinces (e.g.
„Platform Air“ = „Luftplattform“)
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Federal Competences
Examples of competences of the Federal level for law
making and implementation by Provinces in the name of
the Federal level („Mittelbare Bundesverwaltung“)
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Water protection and management
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Commercial industrial installations
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Hazardous waste and other aspects of waste management (e.g.
permitting of waste treatment facilities)
Some aspects of air protection
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Competences of the Provinces
Examples of competences where law making plus
implementation both lie with the Provinces:
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Physical planning
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Construction law /building permits
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Nature Protection
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Some aspects of Air protection (e.g. emissions from domestic heating
installations)
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Some aspects of Waste Management (mainly non hazardous waste
related)
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Exceptions/Special Cases
 In same cases the law making lies with the Federal level and
the implementation lies with the provinces in their own
name!
e.g. Environmental Impact Assessment
 In some cases both law making and implementation lie with
the Federal Level
e.g. Protection of cultural heritage („Denkmalschutz“), where
specific Federal authorities have been set up at the seats of the
Provinces
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Programmes &
environment strategy processes

Data & Diagnosis
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Conservation of biodiversity
Soil strategy
Rural development
Genetically modified organisms –
risk management
 Environmental impact
assessment and climate change
 Water policy
 Environmental information
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Substances & Analysis
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Chemicals management
Substances and risk management
Economy & Impact
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Integrated air pollution control
Plants and environmental
technology
Climate change mitigation
Material flow management
Nature & Usages
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Sustainable development
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Sustainability strategies
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Services
 Monitoring, management and assessment of environmental
data
 Scenarios for meeting environmental policy targets in
Austria and in Europe
 Environment strategy perspectives & recommendations for
decision-makers in business, administration and politics
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Strengths & competences
Interdisciplinary expertise
 Environmental disciplines
 Software development & operation of applications
 Air quality monitoring, chemical & GMO analysis
 Project management
Networks
 National, European and international cooperation with
science, business and administration
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Sustainable partnerships
 AIT (Austrian Institute of Technology)
Climate change, substance assessment systems, monitoring,
theme detection
 FOEN (Federal Office for the Environment, Switzerland)
Environment observation, environmental economics, water
management, climate, rural areas
 BfN (Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, Germany)
Nature conservation, rural development, biomass, climate change
 BOKU (University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences,
Vienna)
Air & climate, soil and land uses,
risk & safety
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National references (selection)
 Ministry of Agriculture,
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Forestry, Environment and
Water Management
Ministry for Transport,
Innovation and Technology
Ministry of Science and
Research
Health Ministry
Provincial Government Offices
City of Graz
AGES (Agency for Health and
Food Safety)
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ÖBB Austrian Federal
Railways
OMV Oil and Gas Group
REWE International AG
Vienna airport
ÖBf AG Austrian Federal
Forests
Fernwärme Wien (longdistance heating supply
company)
Austrian Lotteries
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International references (selection)
 European Commission
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Target countries
 DG Environment
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 Joint Research Center
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 Eurostat
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 European Environment
Agency (EEA)
 Environment agencies
and administrations in
Europe
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Romania
Bulgaria
Croatia
Serbia
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Montenegro
Macedonia
Kosovo
Albania
Turkey
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Contact & Information
Dr. Violeta Philippitsch
Umweltbundesamt GmbH
Spittelauer Lände 5
1090 Vienna/Austria
Tel.: +43-(0)1-31304 3241
[email protected]
www.umweltbundesamt.at
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