AUSTRIA'S NEW CABINET: ECONOMICS MINISTER

UNCLAS VIENNA 001833 C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (PARA MARKINGS) DEPT FOR EUR/CE USDOC FOR 4212/MAC/EUR/OWE/PDACHER SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO PGOV PREL ECON ENRG AU SUBJECT: AUSTRIA'S NEW CABINET: ECONOMICS MINISTER REINHOLD MITTERLEHNER REF: a) VIENNA 1772, b) VIENNA 1819 ¶1. (U) The following is a profile of new GoA Economics Minister Reinhold Mitterlehner, a member of the conservative People's Party (OVP). Experience -------------- ¶2. (U) This is the first ministerial appointment for Mitterlehner, sworn in December 2 as Austria's new Economics Minister (his title may change as ministry portfolios are finalized). He has a solid background in commerce and economics from previous functions. ¶3. (U) Mitterlehner was born on December 10, 1955, in the Upper Austrian village of Helfenberg. He studied law at the Johannes Kepler University in Linz from 1974-1980 and holds a doctorate degree. After a brief court clerkship in Linz in 1980, he served in various functions at the Upper Austrian Economic Chamber (1980- 1992) including as head of marketing. Mitterlehner managed the OVP Wirtschaftsbund (a business outreach organization) from 1992 to 2000. Concurrently, he was City Councilman in the village of Ahorn (Upper Austria) from 1991 to 1997. From 2000 to 2008, Mitterlehner was deputy secretary general of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber and Member of Parliament, where from 2001 he was also head of Parliament's Economic Committee. Since 2002, he has served as OVP party manager for the Rohrbach district (Upper Austria). Political/Economic Views -------------- ¶4. (U) Mitterlehner follows in the footsteps of Martin Bartenstein, who headed the ministry for a decade and was one of the longest serving senior OVP politicians. Like Bartenstein, Mitterlehner is pro-business and an advocate for market mechanisms. He opposes government support for industries in trouble and advocates instead structural reforms. Mitterlehner is pragmatic, though: in view of the current economic downturn, he opposes privatization and other reforms which are likely to be politically untenable. ¶5. (U) Mitterlehner supports the Austrian "social partnership" system of negotiations between business and labor associations, but will lose the labor portfolio (which the Economics Ministry won in 2000). The Ministry will gain family and youth issues, which State Secretary Christine Marek will handle. ¶6. (U) Mitterlehner's ministry is also responsible for energy issues, making him a key player. Ref B details Austria's renewed focus on energy security including early indications that Mitterlehner will be active on the energy front. PERSONAL -------------- ¶6. (U) Mitterlehner is married (wife Anna Maria) and has three daughters, including one from a previous relationship. He enjoys cycling, tennis, soccer, and stamp collecting. GIRARD-DICARLO