Lexi Webster
The Federal Council of Austria, also known as the Bundesrat, is the upper house of the Austrian Parliament. It represents the nine States of Austria at a federal level. The Federal Council and the National Council, if in joint session, form a third parliamentary body: the Federal Assembly that convenes for the oath of office of the President of Austria. The Federal Council is made up of a president (elected for a term of half a year) and 2 vice-presidents. The deputies may ally along party lines and form parliamentary groups, which have to meet a quorum of five seats, if not admitted by particular resolution.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Federal Council's role | Upper house of Austrian Parliament |
| Federal Council's power | Less powerful than the National Council |
| Federal Council's members | Deputies of Bundesrat |
| Federal Council's deputies | Can ally along party lines and form parliamentary groups |
| Federal Council's deputies | MPs of Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ), Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) and The Greens |
| Federal Council's president | Nominated by the largest party of each state in semi-yearly intervals |
| Federal Council's meeting place | Austrian Parliament Building in Vienna |
| Federal Council's meeting place | Previously met in Hofburg Palace during parliament building renovation (2017-2023) |
| Federal Council's meeting place | Currently meets in a chamber formerly used by the National Council's budget committee |
What You'll Learn
- The Federal Council is the upper house of the Austrian Parliament
- The Federal Council is made up of a president and two vice-presidents
- The Federal Council has to approve every new law decided for by the lower chamber
- The Federal Council and the National Council form a third parliamentary body: the Federal Assembly
- The Federal Council has the right to veto federal laws passed
The Federal Council is the upper house of the Austrian Parliament
The Federal Council has to approve every new law decided for by the National Council, but the latter can overrule the Federal Council's refusal to approve in most cases. The Federal Council and the National Council, if in joint session, form a third parliamentary body: the Federal Assembly that convenes for the oath of office of the President of Austria.
The deputies of the Federal Council may ally along party lines and form parliamentary groups, which have to meet a quorum of five seats. Currently, the MPs of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ), the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) and The Greens form political groups in the Bundesrat. The President of the Federal Council is nominated by the largest party of each state in semi-yearly intervals and is elected for a term of half a year, along with two vice-presidents.
The Federal Council met in the Hofburg Palace during a major renovation of the parliament building from 2017 until 2023. Since 2023, it has met in a chamber formerly used by the National Council's budget committee.
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The Federal Council is made up of a president and two vice-presidents
The Federal Council is the upper house of the Austrian Parliament, representing the nine States of Austria at the federal level. It is far less powerful than the National Council, which is the lower house. The Federal Council and the National Council, if in joint session, form a third parliamentary body: the Federal Assembly that convenes for the oath of office of the President of Austria.
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The Federal Council has to approve every new law decided for by the lower chamber
The Federal Council of Austria is the upper house of the Austrian Parliament, representing the nine States of Austria at the federal level. It is far less powerful than the National Council, the lower chamber, which is where Austria's federal legislative authority is concentrated.
The Federal Council is made up of a president, who is elected for a term of six months, and two vice-presidents. The deputies may ally along party lines and form parliamentary groups, which have to meet a quorum of five seats. The MPs of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ), the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) and The Greens form political groups (Fraktionen) in the Bundesrat. The President of the Federal Council is nominated by the largest party of each state in semi-yearly intervals.
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The Federal Council and the National Council form a third parliamentary body: the Federal Assembly
The Federal Council is the upper house of the Austrian Parliament, representing the nine States of Austria at the federal level. It is part of a bicameral legislature alongside the National Council, which is the lower house. The Federal Council is far less powerful than the National Council, which has to approve every new law decided for by the lower chamber. The latter can, in most cases, overrule the Federal Council's refusal to approve.
The Federal Council and the National Council, if in joint session, form a third parliamentary body: the Federal Assembly. This body convenes for the oath of office of the President of Austria. The Federal Council is made up of a president (elected for a term of six months) and two vice-presidents. The President of the Federal Council is nominated by the largest party of each state in semi-yearly intervals.
The deputies may ally along party lines and form parliamentary groups, which have to meet a quorum of five seats, if not admitted by particular resolution. Currently, the MPs of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ), the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) and The Greens form political groups (Fraktionen) in the Bundesrat. Although there is a NEOS member, political groups require five members.
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The Federal Council has the right to veto federal laws passed
The Federal Council of Austria is the upper house of the Austrian Parliament, representing the nine States of Austria at the federal level. It is also known as the Bundesrat. The Federal Council is made up of a president, who is elected for a term of six months, and two vice-presidents. The deputies of the Bundesrat have never achieved the status of a counterbalance in relation to the National Council. The National Council is the lower house of the Austrian Parliament, and it is where Austria's federal legislative authority is concentrated.
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Frequently asked questions
The Federal Council is the upper house of the Austrian Parliament. It represents the nine States of Austria at the federal level.
The Federal Council is far less powerful than the National Council, which is the lower house of the Austrian Parliament. The National Council is where Austria's federal legislative authority is concentrated.
The Federal Council has to approve every new law decided for by the National Council. However, the National Council can overrule the Federal Council's refusal to approve in most cases.
The President of the Federal Council is elected every six months. They are nominated by the largest party of each state.
The Federal Council meets in the Austrian Parliament Building in Vienna. From 2017 to 2023, it met in the Hofburg Palace while the Parliament Building underwent renovations.
