This report has been requested by the Finnish Ministry of Finance under the project “Delivering Good Governance and Balanced Local Economy in Finland”, co-funded by the European Union via the Technical Support Instrument, and implemented by the Council of Europe, in cooperation with the European Commission, which aims to contribute to an improved legislative framework and enhanced performance of public authorities to provide good public services at local and regional level, in accordance with European standards. The main objective of the report is to provide detailed information and good practices from the governing systems in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Slovakia. In particular, the report focuses on the power relations, responsibilities and tasks between the different levels of government. In addition, there is a focus on comparative policy solutions related to potential conflict-of-interest in administration, and on the role of a municipal manager (i.e. mayor).
KDZ experts Dalilah Pichler and Thomas Prorok co-authored the chapter for Austria, providing an overview of the governing system of Austria and the role of the mayor in Austrian local governments.
