Ministry of the Interior (Austria)

Federal Ministry of the Interior

Bundesministerium für Inneres
Agency overview
Formed	1848; 173 years ago (1848) as Imperial and Royal Ministry of the Interior
Preceding agency	Imperial and Royal Ministry of the Interior (1848)
Jurisdiction	Government of Austria
Status	Highest federal authority
Headquarters	Palais Modena Innere Stadt, Vienna 48°12′33″N 16°21′57″E / 48.20917°N 16.36583°E / 48.20917; 16.36583Coordinates: 48°12′33″N 16°21′57″E / 48.20917°N 16.36583°E / 48.20917; 16.36583
Annual budget	€2.850 billion (2019)[1]
Minister responsible	Karl Nehammer
Agency executive	Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP), State secretary
Child agencies	Directorate General for the Public Security Federal Police Federal Criminal Police Office BVT EKO Cobra
Website	www.bmi.gv.at

In Austria, the Ministry of the Interior (German: Bundesministerium für Inneres, colloquially Innenministerium, abbreviated: BM.I) is a federal government agency serving as the interior ministry of the Austrian government. It is chiefly responsible for the public security, but also deals with matters relating to citizenship, elections, referendums, plebiscites and the alternative civilian service. The Ministry of the Interior is considered one of the most important ministries in Austria

It operates and oversees the vast majority of the country's law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Police, the Criminal Police Office (BKA), the Bureau for Constitutional Integrity and Counterterrorism (BVT), the Bureau for Anticorruption (BAK), the Cobra Mission Command (EKO Cobra), the Aerial Police Force, and the Special Observatory Unit (SEO). The Directorate General for the Public Security, which is primarily made up of career law enforcement officers, serves as the professional governing body of all these agencies, except for the BAK. Federal law enforcement agencies outside of the ministry's control include the Military Police, the Fiscal Police, and the Judiciary Guard.

Its head and chief executive authority is the Minister of the Interior (Bundesminister), currently Karl Nehammer. Right under the Minister is the General secretary (Generalsekretär), currently Peter Goldgruber, who serves as the agency's head of operations and second-highest-ranking official. The State secretary, currently Karoline Edtstadler (ÖVP), could be seen as an overseeing authority (with no direct executive power) for the coalition party that hasn't obtained the minister post. The ministry is one of the few, that has a cabinet chief (Kabinettchef), he serves as chief of staff to the minister.

The Ministry was originally created as "Imperial and Royal Ministry of the Interior", serving as the empire-wide interior ministry for Austria-Hungary. It was succeeded by the "state office of the Interior" (Staatsamt des Innern) of the First Republic in 1918, and later renamed into "Federal Ministry of the Interior". After the dissolution of Nazi Germany in 1945 the Ministry was reestablished into its current form.

The Palais Modena is the ministry's central headquarters, it is situated in the centre of Austria's capital Vienna.

History[]

Until 1848 internal affairs of the country was under the responsibility of the Austro-Bohemian Court Chancellery which was established by Empress Maria Theresia.^[2] In 1848 the ministry was established with the name of the Ministry of the Interior. Between 1918 and 1920 it was called State Office of the Interior. Then it was merged with the ministry of education and was renamed as State Office and Federal Ministry of the Interior and of Education.^[2] The body was integrated into the federal government in 1923.^[2] Following World War II it was renamed into its current title, Federal Ministry of the Interior.^[2]

Responsibilities[]

The federal agency on cabinet-level is charged with the matters of public security, citizenship and civil status including legal names, elections, referendums and popular petitions as well as emergency management and the alternative civilian service.

As superior of the Directorate General for Public Security, the Minister for the Interior is in charge of the Federal Police, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counterterrorism, the EKO Cobra tactical unit as well as of the Federal Criminal Police Office. Beyond the jurisdiction of the Federal Chancellery, the Ministry is also responsible for the matters of the Austrian states and municipalities, foundations and sovereign wealth funds.

Organization[]

The ministry consists of:^[3]

• Minister of the Interior
  • Cabinet of the Minister
• State secretary
  • Office of the State secretary
• General secretary
  • Secretariat general
  • Department IR: Internal revision
  • Section I: Presidium
    • Group I/A: Employees, Organization, Budget, Training
      • Center for organization culture and equal treatment
      • Department I/1: Personal affairs
        • Sub department I/1/a Fundamental service and stipend legal affairs
        • Sub department I/1/b: Service legal affairs central leadership
        • Sub department I/1/c: Service legal affairs LPD/BZS
        • Sub department I/1/d: Stipend legal affairs central leadership
        • Sub department I/1/e: Stipend legal affairs LPD/BZS
        • Sub department I/1/f: Disciplinary and complaints affairs
        • Sub department I/1/g: Neuaufnahmen executive service - process (NEV)
      • Department I/2: Organization and administration reform
        • Sub department I/2/a: Federal employees protection
        • Sub department I/2/b: Organizational information and communication technology - central leadership - IKT ZL
        • Chancellery of the Ministry of the Interior
      • Department I/3: Budget and controlling
        • Sub department I/3/a: Budget affairs
        • Sub department I/3/b: Department controlling
        • Sub department I/3/c: Cost and performance accounting
        • Sub department I/3/b: Promoting
      • Department I/9: Security academy - SIAK
        • Center for resources management and corporate quality
        • Center for fundamental training
        • Center for further education
        • Center for international affairs
        • Institution for Science and Research
    • Group I/A: Security policy, international affairs, EU, public relation, protocol
      • Department I/4: International affairs
        • Sub department I/4/a: Attachéwesen
        • Sub department I/4/b: International contract affairs
        • Sub department I/4/c: Bi and multilateral affairs
      • Department I/5: Communication
        • Sub department I/5/a: Citizens service
        • Sub department I/5/b: Press office
      • Department I/6: Social Media
      • Department I/7: European Union Affairs
        • Sub department I/7/b: EU fundamental questions and coordination
        • Office of the Minister of the Interior for the permanent representation of Austria at the European Union
      • Department I/8: Protocol and event management
        • Sub department I/8/a: Event affairs
      • Department I/11: Security policy
    • Group I/C: Health, Psychology, Sports - GPS
      • Department I/10: Medical and health affairs
      • Department I/12: Psychological service
        • Sub department I/12/a: Psychological diagnostics and employees selection
        • Sub department I/12/b: Psychological professional education as well as emergency and trauma psychology
      • Department I/13: Sports affairs
        • Sub department I/13/a: General sport affairs
        • Sub department I/13/b: Dienst, Breiten, and top sports
  • Section II: Directorate General for the Public Security
    • Department II/8: Principles and Strategy GD
    • Special forces observation (SEO)
    • Special force Einsatzkommando Cobra / Directorate for special forces (DSE)
      • Department II/DSE/1: Employees, logistics and Budget
      • Department II/DSE/2: Educational and special missions
      • Department II/DSE/3: Operative leadership special missions Einsatzkommando Cobra
    • Group II/A: Organization, operations and missions
      • Date protection office of the State police directorates (DSBa-LPD)
      • Department II/1: Organization, operations and analytics
        • Sub department II/1/a: Structure and employees development
        • Sub department II/1/b: Organization and operations
        • Sub department II/1/c: liability affairs and services
      • Department II/2: Missions affairs
        • Sub department II/2/a: Executive-service
        • Sub department II/2/b: Special missions affairs
        • Sub department II/2/c: Foreign missions
        • Sub department II/2/d: National headquarters Frontex, border patrol, airport and fly security affairs
      • Department II/7: Flight police
      • Department II/12: Traffic service of the Federal Police
        • Sub department II/12/a: Traffic service
        • Sub department II/12/b: National contact headquarters
      • Department II/12: Traffic service of the Federal Police
    • Group II/B: Foreign police, civil and catastrophic safety management
      • Department II/3: Foreign police and border patrol affairs´
        • Sub department II/3/a: Border patrolling
        • Sub department II/3/b: Visa affairs for foreigners
        • Sub department II/3/c: Foreign police mandatory activities
        • Sub department II/3/d: Funds for the inner security
      • Department II/13: SKKM - state crisis and catastrophic management and coordination civil security
        • Sub department II/13/a: State crisis and catastrophic management as well as civil and people protection - SKKM
        • Sub department II/13/b: International crisis and catastrophic protection affairs
        • Sub department II/13/c: Mission and coordination center (EKC)
        • Sub department II/13/d: People and civil protection training
    • Group II/C: Resources management and IKT GD
      • Department II/10: Budget, controlling and resources GD
        • Sub department II/10/a: Controlling GD
        • Sub department II/10/c: Property resources requirements planning and controlling GD#
        • Sub department II/10/d: Budget management GD
        • Sub department II/10/e: Employees controlling, coordination exam process
      • Department II/14: Information and technology management GD- IKT GD
        • Sub department II/14/a: Police date usage
        • Sub department II/14/b: IKR - Resources, communication and leadership headquarters and operations leadership system
        • Sub department II/14/c: SAP-Usage
    • Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counterterrorism
    • Federal Criminal Police Office
  • Section III: Law
    • Department III/6: Elections affairs
    • Department III/12: Budget and controlling section III
    • Group III/A: Legistik and law
      • Department III/1: Legistik
        • Sub department III/1/a: Foreign Legistik
        • Sub department III/1/b: Minister council service
        • Sub department III/1/c: Stranger Legistik
      • Department III/3: Security management
        • Sub department III/3/a: Passport affairs
      • Department III/7: Legal affairs and data protection
        • Sub department III/7/a: Data protection
        • Sub department III/7/b: Civil service
      • Department III/11: Distributing and contract affairs
        • Sub department III/11/a: Fundamental affairs and law
        • Sub department III/11/b: General procurement and BBK-coordination
        • Sub department III/11/c: Special procurement
    • Group III/B: Asylum, migration, citizenship, marital status, human rights
      • Department III/4: Location, marital status and citizenship affairs
        • Sub department III/4/a: Citizenship affairs
        • Sub department III/4/a: Marital status
      • Department III/5: Asylum and strangers affairs
        • Sub department III/5/a: Asylum aid and return
        • Sub department III/5/b: Total controlling asylum and strangers affairs
        • Sub department III/5/c: Resettlement, return and international affairs
      • Department III/9: Basic supply and federal care
        • Sub department III/9/a: Federal care
        • Sub department III/9/b: Budget and basic supply cancelling
        • Sub department III/9/c: Room and facility management - basic supply
        • Sub department III/9/d: Basic supply coordination
        • Sub department III/9/e: Legal affairs and fundamental questions - basic supply
      • Department III/10: Basic and human rights affairs
        • Sub department III/10/a: Affairs for the national preventative system
      • Department III/13: National, European and intentional migration strategy
        • Sub department III/13/a: Total state migration strategy development and coordination
  • Section IV: Service and controlling
    • Group IV/A: Economy, room and technology
      • Department IV/1: Technical equipment
        • Sub department IV/1/a: Vehicle affairs
        • Sub department IV/1/b: Special operations technology
        • Sub department IV/1/c: Weapons and equipment
        • Sub department IV/1/d: Traffic controlling technology
      • Department IV/3: Construction affairs, real estate management and Kriegsgräberfürsorge
        • Sub department IV/3/a: Construction affairs
        • Sub department IV/3/b: Fundamental affairs and Kriegsgräberfürsorge
      • Department IV/4: Principal services
        • Sub department IV/4/a: Economy headquarters of the BMI
        • Sub department IV/4/b: Internal services
        • Sub department IV/4/c: Uniformierung und Sachleistungen
        • Sub department IV/4/d: Procurement and budget
    • Group IV/b: Information and communication technology - IKT
      • Department IV/2: IKT-service provision
        • Sub department IV/2/a: IKT-Usage
        • Sub department IV/2/b: Operations support
        • Sub department IV/2/c: Technical operations
      • Department IV/6: IKT-strategy and IKT-governance
        • Sub department IV/6/a: IKT-strategy and IKT-security
        • Sub department IV/6/b: IKT-Budget, asset and contract management
      • Department IV/8: Design and operations critical communication infrastructure
        • Sub department IV/8/a: Design critical communication infrastructure
        • Sub department IV/8/b: Realization management and project controlling
        • Sub department IV/8/c: Operations critical communication infrastructure
      • Department IV/9: Register and register services
    • Office for preventing and fighting corruption (BAK)
      • IV/BAK/SPOC: Single Point of Contact
      • Department IV/BAK/1: Resources, supporting and law
        • Sub department IV/BAK/1.1: Resources
        • Sub department IV/BAK/1.2: IKT-BAK
        • Sub department IV/BAK/1.3: Law, analytics and statistics
      • Department IV/BAK/2: Preventing, education and international cooperation
        • Sub department IV/BAK/2.1: Preventing and Ursachenforschung
        • Sub department IV/BAK/2.2: Education
        • Sub department IV/BAK/2.3: International cooperation
      • Department IV/BAK/3: Operative service
        • Sub department IV/BAK/3/EKA: Missions coordination, Vermögensermittlung and operative criminal analyzing
        • Sub department IV/BAK/3.1: General corruption and accompanying offenses
        • Sub department IV/BAK/3.2: Office and accompanying offenses
        • Sub department IV/BAK/3.3: Internal affairs

See also[]

References[]

External links[]

Media related to Federal Ministry for the Interior (Austria) at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website (in German)