The Economic Council (§§ 48 to 52 Federal Statistics Act) of Statistics Austria is composed of 12 independent members, who are appointed and delegated for a term of office of five years.
(1) Three members are appointed by the Federal Chancellor
(2) Five members are delegated by the following Federal Ministers (one member each):
(3) Four members are delegated by the Works Council
Main tasks:
The Economic Council’s main tasks are (§ 52. Federal Statistics Act):
(1) The Economic Council shall supervise the management of Statistics Austria. Economic Council members shall have a duty to Statistics Austria to perform their duties with all due diligence. The aforesaid is without prejudice to the responsibilities of the Statistics Council pursuant to Article 47 hereabove or to the authority of the Federal Chancellor and the federal ministers to supervise and instruct.
(2) The Economic Council may at any time require the management to submit a report on Statistics Austria matters. Any individual member may also require submission of a report, but only to the Economic Council itself; in the event the management of Statistics Austria refuses to submit such a report, its submission shall be mandatory only if a total of five Economic Council members support the request. Report requests made by the Economic Council Chair do not need to be seconded by any other member.
(3) The Economic Council may vision and audit any Statistics Austria books and records that are not subject to statistical secrecy and also its assets, namely its liquidity and securities portfolios; it may also authorise individual members or, in the case of specific duties, particular specialists, to carry out particular tasks.
(4) The Economic Council shall inform the Federal Chancellor of anything affecting the asset position of Statistics Austria.
(5) The duties of the Economic Council are:
1. to submit to the Federal Chancellor nominations for the position of external auditor to audit the annual accounts;
2. to audit Statistics Austria’s annual accounts and management report and to report thereon to the Federal Chancellor;
3. to come to decisions concerning the multi-year general plan and on work programmes and budgets (Article 39) and remunerations (Article 32);
4. to accept reports on Statistics Austria’s management, expenses and income and internal budget control;
5. to approve collective and company agreements entered into by Statistics Austria;
6. to issue rules of procedure for the Director General - Finance of Statistics Austria that set limits for investments, the granting or taking of loans and the execution of employment and other contracts requiring the approval of the Economic Council;
7. to reject or pass with a two-thirds majority resolutions to request the Federal Chancellor to dismiss the Director General - Finance;
8. to approve the purchase and disposal of real estate, holdings, undertakings and business units;
9. to approve performance bonuses and pension promises to the Director General - Finance, the Director General - Statistics, technical managers and senior officers;
10. to pass or reject resolutions concerning requests to be made to the Federal Chancellor to approve the Economic Council's rules of procedure;
11. to accept the accounts presented by the Director General – Finance.
(6) The Economic Council shall submit to the Federal Chancellor a report pursuant to (5) subsection 2 hereabove stating the manner and scope of its audit of the management of Statistics Austria during the financial year, of the parties who audited the annual accounts and management report and whether the final results of such audits have given rise to any material criticisms.
(7) The Economic Council members referred to in Article 48 (2) subsections 1 and 2 shall have a duty to the Federal Chancellor and the federal ministers who delegated them to inform same of all resolutions passed by the Economic Council
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