Organisation
The Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK) houses a wide range of important and promising subject areas, all of which are indispensable for Austria and its citizens in their everyday lives.
Not only does the BMK set the course for a sustainable and climate-friendly policy and economy, it also regulates and manages transport on Austria's roads by land, air, water and rail, ensures energy supply, promotes research and the provision of innovative technologies "Made in Austria" and implements the mobility of the future today.
The Federal Ministry is divided in the following Directorate Generals:
- Executive Committee and Internationale Affairs
- Mobility
- Innovation and Technology
- Transport
- Environment and Circular Economy
- Climate Action and Energy
organisation chart (PDF, 340 KB)
The tasks in detail
The area of climate action and environmental protection includes, among others, the topics of emission protection, environmental ombuds offices, environmental impact assessments, metrology, evaluation and documentation in environmental protection and in environmental monitoring as well as research in the area of environmental protection, insofar as it does not fall within the scope of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research.
The education, training and development of the staff of the public environmental protection administration and affairs of environmental support with the exception of urban water management and aquatic ecology also fall within the competence of the BMK. Waste management and the remediation of contaminated sites are also assigned to the BMK, as are the areas of species protection, nature conservation and landscape protection and natural caves, protection from ionising radiation and the transport of toxins.
The energy sector is also handled by the BMK, insofar as the affairs concerned do not fall within the scope of the Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs. This also includes, in particular: the electricity industry and its planning, promotion of electrification and the management of electrical energy. Further topics are heavy current path easements, nuclear energy, nuclear coordination, and intervention and management measures regarding coal, oil and natural gas.
A key field of action of the BMK is transport policy. This includes, in particular, hydraulic engineering with regard to waterways and transport regarding the railways, shipping and aviation. This also comprises the regulation of access to railway infrastructure, ship verification, shipping-specific affairs of hydraulic engineering with regard to waterways, air traffic control, aeronautical meteorological services, advertising for passenger and freight transport, automotive engineering and affairs of the traffic police, accident research, road construction and the construction and maintenance of federal roads. The BMK is also responsible for the management of the equity of the Federal Government in the Autobahnen- und Schnellstraßen-Finanzierungs-Aktiengesellschaft (ASFINAG), and in the Alpen Straßen Aktiengesellschaft and the Österreichische Autobahnen- und Schnellstraßen Aktiengesellschaft, as long as the Federal Government is a shareholder of these companies.
The BMK is responsible for hydraulic engineering with regard to the navigable rivers Danube and Morava as well as the Thaya from the state border and other waterways, as well as the water supply and sewerage system, insofar as they do not fall within the scope of a different Federal Ministry, or also for the administration of the Marchfeld Canal.
Issues of commercial passenger and freight transport including the commercial carriage of goods in pipelines with the exception of water pipe affairs are also handled by the BMK. Its competence also comprises affairs of the carriage of passengers and goods in plant traffic, the Austrian Federal Railways including the construction and administration of structures and properties of the Federal Government dedicated to the purposes of the Austrian Federal Railways, affairs of the management of the Federal Government’s equity in other railway undertakings and in the Schieneninfrastrukturfinanzierungs-GesmbH or affairs of companies that exist for the interests of the rail infrastructure, as long as the Federal Government is a shareholder.
Another focal point for the BMK is research and technology development. This includes economic and technical research, insofar as it does not fall within the scope of the Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs, but also, in particular, the affairs of the Austrian Research Promotion Agency and the Austria Wirtschaftsservice-GesmbH. The BMK also focuses on industrial property rights, particularly the patent and utility model system. Last but not least, outer space affairs also fall within the scope of the BMK.