Indicator history

There are the so called Volksgruppenbeiräte [National Minority Advisory Councils]. According to the National Minorities Act [Volksgruppengesetz] they must be heard prior to the adoption of legislation or policies affecting the interests of their ethnic groups; they may submit proposals for the improvement of the situation of their ethnic group. However, the government is not obliged to report to the National Minority Advisory Councils and the obligation to hear them is widely ignored in reality. In practice, they are regarded as a government tool to control independent national minority organisations. This is especially relevant regarding their role in the allocation of funding. The Council Members are selected by the government, the half part of the members are to be nominated by national minority organisations.

In some Austrian municipalities (Graz, Linz) aliens’ advisory boards whose members are third country nationals have been set up enabling migrants to have a say in local affairs. However, the effectiveness of these boards as a tool for political participation is rather questionable. They are only consultative bodies whose competences are restricted to issues concerning migration and integration. The influence of these bodies is therefore very restricted and their establishment cannot be seen as an alternative to the introduction of electoral rights for third country nationals.

At the Ministry of Interior an asylum and migration advisory board was established in 2001. The mandate of the board is to give advice on refugee issues, immigration, asylum and integration. Furthermore the board is entitled to give recommendations to the aliens’ department concerning legal residence on humanitarian grounds.

Sources:

http://www.ris.bka.gv.at/GeltendeFassung.wxe?Abfrage=Bundesnormen&Gesetzesnummer=10000602 

http://www.linz.at/soziales/5207.asp; http://www.bmi.gv.at/cms/BMI_OeffentlicheSicherheit/2001/05_06/Artikel_07.aspx;

http://www.graz.at/cms/ziel/411382/DE/