Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs (Austria)

The Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs ( _de. Bundesministerium für europäische und internationale Angelegenheiten or "BMeiA") is Austria's foreign ministry and, therefore, responsible for its relations with foreign countries as well as international organisations, especially the European Union. The ministry is being led by Ursula Plassnik.

The Minister and State Secretary

Since 20 October 2004, Ursula Plassnik (ÖVP) is head of Austria's foreign ministry and but the second woman in this particular position in Austria's history.

Hans Winkler acts as State Secretary within the BMeiA since 4 July 2005 when this post was created in preparation for the upcoming Austrian EU presidency in 2006.

Competencies

The BMeiA is responsible for a variety of matters concerning Austria’s foreign policy and relations, including internationally representing Austria opposite other states as well as international organisations, granting support for Austrians staying or living abroad, foreign aid, and so on.

History

The history of international diplomacy is closely connected to Vienna. Diplomats were for the first time classified as such at the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Furthermore, the United Nations' conferences which led to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961) and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (1963) were both held in Austria's capital city.

The year 1720 is considered to be the origin of an independent Austrian diplomatic service, which was when Emperor Karl VI assigned the administration of foreign relations to a separate minister. After the break-up of the monarchy, foreign affairs were attended to by the Federal Chancellery. It was not before 1959 that a separate Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs ( _de. Bundesministerium für auswärtige Angelegenheiten or "BMaA") was established.

With the new government under Federal Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer, the former BMaA was renamed to better reflect and express "the interconnection, networking, partnership and solidarity characterising Austria's international relations," as Minister Plassnik put it. The old name had "rather conveyed the additional nuance of a demarcation."

List of Austrian Foreign Ministers

First Republic, 1918 to 1938

^*also State or Federal Chancellor
^**as Federal Chancellor

econd Republic, since 1945

External links

* [http://www.bmeia.gv.at/en/foreign-ministry.html Austria's Foreign Ministry]
* [http://www.ada.gv.at/view.php3?r_id=3042&LNG=en&version= Austrian Development Agency]