Legal Research on the Web

Important sites for basic information on environmental law

• ÖKOBÜRO Information Texts: If you would like to read up on the subject first, our information texts are available here for free download. We have provided a brief and concise overview of various legal areas to help you find your way around (in German only). 
• Here you will find an overview from the Federal Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK) on essential principles of environmental impact assessments.
• Help.gv: HELP.gv.at is a government platform that acts as a hub between many different government authorities and citizens, providing information about official channels in Austria and in some cases allowing them to be completed electronically.
• Environmental law blog Analyses and comments on laws and court decisions (in German only).
• Umweltbundesamt EIA-Documentation: Database of the Environment Agency Austria with ongoing and completed EIA procedures (in German only).
• Open Government Data: An overview of the principle of publicity in the Austrian administration (in German only).
• Open Data Österreich: National portal for the search of data records, documents, information and applications from the Austrian administration (in German only).

Websites supporting citizens' initiatives

• Green Alternative Association for the Support of Citizens' Initiatives (Grün-Alternativer Verein zur Unterstützung von BürgerInneninitiativen, BIV): The BIV is a non-profit association that financially supports citizens’ initiatives that are committed to the protection of the environment or basic and human rights. The focus is on helping with the costs of experts and lawyers’ fees in the context of administrative proceedings or civil lawsuits (in German only).
• AKTION 21: AKTION 21 Austria – PRO CITIZENS’ PARTICIPATION is a non-partisan and independent association of citizens’ initiatives with the aim of achieving effective participation of the population in all plans and projects that can have a lasting effect on their quality of life (in German only).

Legal Information System of the Republic of Austria (RIS)

RIS is an electronic database operated by the Federal Chancellery. Its purpose is to announce the legal acts to be published in the Federal Law Gazette (Bundesgesetzblatt) and to provide information on the law (federal, provincial, municipal, jurisdictional) of the Republic of Austria .

• RIS English Homepage
• RIS Federal Law
• RIS alphabetic list for a selection of Austrian Laws in English Translation
• RIS Federal Law (in German only)
• RIS Consultation Drafts and Government Bills (in German only)
• RIS: Authentic Announcement of Legal Acts in the Federal Law Gazette (in German only)
• RIS Constitutional Court (in German only)
• RIS Supreme Administrative Court – Legal Clauses and Decision Texts (in German only)
• RIS Supreme Administrative Court – List of Standards (in German only)

Website of the Austrian Parliament

Very useful information on the legislative process and parliamentary events, as well as live streams of National Council and Federal Council sessions.

• English Homepage    
• Media Library  (in German only)

Websites of Austrian Courts

• Verfassungsgerichtshof (VfGH): Austrian Constitutional Court
• Verwaltungsgerichtshof (VwGH): Supreme Administrative Court
• Bundesverwaltungsgericht: Federal Administrative Court (in German only)
• Landesverwaltungsgericht Burgenland: Regional Administrative Court of Burgenland (in German only)
• Landesverwaltungsgericht Kärnten: Regional Administrative Court of Carinthia (in German only)
• Landesverwaltungsgericht Niederösterreich: Regional Administrative Court of Lower Austria
• Landesverwaltungsgericht Oberösterreich: Regional Administrative Court of Upper Austria (in German only)
• Landesverwaltungsgericht Salzburg: Regional Administrative Court of Salzburg (in German only)
• Landesverwaltungsgericht Steiermark: Regional Administrative Court of Styria (in German only)
• Landesverwaltungsgericht Tirol: Regional Administrative Court of Tyrol (in German only)
• Landesverwaltungsgericht Vorarlberg: Regional Administrative Court of Vorarlberg (in German only)
• Landesverwaltungsgericht Wien: Regional Administrative Court of Vienna (in German only)

Legal Research in Europe

• EUR-Lex – English Homepage: EUR-Lex offers direct and free access to European Union legislation. The system allows consultation of the Official Journal of the European Union and in particular the treaties, legal acts, case law and preparatory documents.
• EUR-Lex – Legal Acts of the European Union
• EUR-Lex – Official Journal of the European Union
• EUR-Lex - Prelex: Database of interinstitutional law-making procedures which makes it possible to follow the various stages of the Community legislative process between the Commission and the other institutions.
• The Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ)
• : Website with information on access to justice in environmental matters in Europe and eight European countries (including Austria), as well as a database of experts.

Updated: January 2020
If you come across a link that no longer works, please notify us at support@oekobuero.at.