Austrian Association for Public and Social Economy

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The Austrian Association for Public and Social Economy (Verband der Öffentlichen Wirtschaft und Gemeinwirtschaft Österreichs (VÖWG) is the austrian lobby of enterprises and institutions of public interest, as well as establishments, which carry out services of general interest, whatever their ownership or status, also in the form of Public-Private Partnerships. VÖWG also acts as the Austrian section of the European Centre of Enterprises with Public Participation and of Enterprises of General Economic Interest (CEEP) in Brussels as well as of the International Centre of Research and Information on the Public, Social and Cooperative Economy (CIRIEC) in Liège. Being member to those organisations the association also represents its members’ interests on the boards and institutions of the European Union and therefore is able to co-shape decisions of European Law.

[edit] Development

The association was formed in 1952, using the name of "Working group for Austrian Public Economy". In the year of 1990 it was renamed as "Austrian Association for Public and Social Economy". When the importance of local tasks and services grew following the years of reconstruction, for three decades local representatives as Vienna City Executive Councilors Franz Nekula and Fritz Hofmann as well as chairman of parliament of state Johann Hatzl served as presidents. Since October 2000 the office had been held by former federal minister Ferdinand Lacina, who in December 2005 was replaced by former federal minister Caspar Einem who also serves as president of CEEP. On November 26, 2007 senior local politician Christian Oxonitsch was elected president of VÖWG after Einem had withdrawn from politics. The office of chair man has been held by Gerhard Greiner since 1990 who has also been chair man of the Austrian Association of Local Enterprises (Verband kommunaler Unternehmen Österreichs (VKÖ) since 1992.