Next session on April 11, 2023
Vienna (OTS/RK) – Today, Friday, March 31, 2023, the Vienna City Council’s commission of inquiry into Wien Energie held its eighth meeting.
Mayor Michael Ludwig was the first witness invited to be questioned by the commission. The commission’s questions to the witnesses related to the following topics: criminal charges in connection with the exercise of emergency competence; Exercise of share management in the official area of the Mayor of Vienna; influence of the witness on appointments of members of the supervisory board at Wiener Stadtwerke; Course of events from the perspective of the witness; Discussions of the witness with City Councilor Hanke before July 15, 2022 on the subject of Wien Energie; first mention of emergency competence to the witness; Content of the conversation with the Vienna Municipal Director in July 2022; perception of the witness to an e-mail on the subject of emergency competence; Alternatives to exercising emergency competence; expectations of witness regarding further measures; further talks with the municipal director after July 15, 2022 on the subject of emergency competence; Flow of information to the deputy mayor and other members of the city senate as well as other city bodies on the subject of emergency competence; Chronology of events and witness conversations to August 26, 2022; flow of information on the second emergency competence; Alternatives to trading with Wien Energie on the energy exchange in Leipzig; reasons for calling in the Court of Auditors to review Wien Energie; Distribution of departments in the city of Vienna; protective screens in other European countries; number of emergency powers during the witness’s term of office; Provision of documents for the investigative commission; Discussions with City Councilor Hanke on the situation of Austrian energy suppliers; assessment of the witness on the exercise of emergency competence by the city senate or by a circular resolution; knowledge of the witness about the sum of 2 billion euros originally demanded by the public utility company; differences to the allocation of the gastro voucher by emergency competence; Talks about the necessary liquidity of Wien Energie before July 15, 2022; Criteria for signing the emergency competency and assessing the witness thereto; areas of responsibility within the city government; Discussion about an own protective shield for energy companies within the conference of state governors and the association of cities; Changes in reporting by Wiener Stadtwerke to witnesses; Loan liabilities of Wiener Stadtwerke to banks; uniqueness of the processes examined in the city of Vienna; invitations to meetings with the federal government; Commitments by the city regarding financial security for Wiener Stadtwerke; Information from the witness about the drawing of the first installment from the emergency competence; necessity of the federal loan in August 2022; criteria for the respective decision-making process; Starting point for the emergency competence initiative; Opinion on the decision-making basis for emergency competence; decisive factors for the decision on emergency competence; perceptions of the witness on the course of the energy crisis; Risks in making decisions in times of crisis; Exchange of information with the date and time of sending the information to the Deputy Mayor; Reasons for the decision not to set up a protective shield in Vienna in the first half of 2022; Pulling the emergency authority to prevent information to members of the city government; Compliance with the information obligation; Date and invitation to the meeting in the Federal Chancellery; Compliance with the procedure of emergency competence; retrospective optimization potential after the crisis; holiday situation of the members of the city government in the summer of 2022; Intervention by the Federal Financing Agency in the case of the third emergency competence; time of knowledge of the liquidity problems of Wien Energie; strategic alignment of Wien Energie; Task of the security of supply of the city of Vienna; different actions in the case of Corona and the energy crisis; Knowledge of the witness about short selling at Wien Energie.
As a second witness, Karl Pauer, Divisional Director for Law in the Magistrate’s Office, gave answers to the Commission’s questions. He provided information on the following matters: the witness’s working hours and vacation times in the summer of 2022 and the flow of information about the emergency competence in this period; Completion of an expert opinion from the magistrate on the subject of “immediately”; differences in the different types of emergency competence of the Municipality of Vienna; possible instructions to the witnesses; deliberations and resolutions by circular resolution; trade secret requirements; chronological sequence and the stages of an urgent order or an order; convenings of the municipal council and finance committee; Examination of a file in the magistrate’s legal department; persons working in the examination of emergency competence in the magistrate’s legal department; publication of a comment by the witness in a daily newspaper; possibility of holding a meeting of the municipal council in the summer months; Involvement of the magistrate’s legal department in the examination of this and other business items; frequency of use of emergency authority by the mayor; Information from the witness about the content of an e-mail on emergency competence; reasons for an emergency competence by the city senate or by the mayor; Function of the witness in the supervisory board of Wiener Linien.
Subsequent to the questioning, the investigative committee voted on motions for evidence.
The next meeting of the municipal council’s investigative committee is expected to take place on Tuesday, April 11, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. in the Vienna City Hall.
Minutes of the meeting at wien.gv.at
The minutes of the meetings are available at wien.gv.at/mdb/uk/wienenergie/ and are thus made accessible to the public. The minutes of today’s meeting can be read there shortly. (final) wei/nic
Questions & contact:
PID town hall correspondence
City of Vienna press and information service, editor on duty
Service for journalists, city editors
01 4000-81081
dr@ma53.wien.gv.at
presse.wien.gv.at