Changes from report parliamentary committee draft to plenary report

Professional experience

1. Please list your professional experience in public finance be it in budgetary planning, budget implementation or management or budget control or auditing.

During my over ten years as Member of the Austrian parliament, I gained substantial practical experience in budgetary oversight. This included scrutinizing the budgetary planning of eleven proposed federal budgets (€100+ billion), as well as ex-ante assessments of EU-related instruments, such as Austria’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (€4+ billion). Furthermore, it included budgetary control though various ex-post assessments of implemented budgets and scrutiny in cooperation with the Austrian Court of Audit, which assists the parliament.

As a Member of the Finance and the Budget Committees, my contributions included critical evaluations of several draft budgets, the consequent annual Federal Finance Act, including the medium-term financial framework for Austria, and different budget-related legislation. My work focused on identifying fiscal risks, hidden liabilities and insufficiently transparent public or quasi-public expenditure.

For example, I scrutinised the financial structure of the Austrian social insurance system, including the need for risk equalisation between health insurance funds, drawing on indicators such as financial capacity, net assets per insured person and administrative costs. I also addressed excessive contributions and possible repayment obligations in the context of short-time work, where the amounts concerned were estimated at tens of millions of euros. In addition, I examined long-term pension obligations and personnel-related costs in public or publicly influenced institutions, including the Austrian National Bank and the various Austrian Chambers. This work required the critical assessment of budgetary documents, comparison of fragmented information across institutions, assessing long-term financial consequences and using parliamentary instruments to make public spending more transparent and accountable.

In addition to my parliamentary work, I bring significant managerial and practical experience from the private sector. During the last years, I have supported and advised various public and private companies. My work focused on analysing processes, optimising personnel budgets, and implementing fair, transparent and legally compliant remuneration structures. Previously, I served as HR executive in the highly regulated banking sector. I managed and implemented personnel-related budgets, planned the workforce, organised training and professional development, and contributed to change through efficiency-oriented management. Thus, for nearly ten years, I managed more than 400 staff and related large budgets.

Furthermore, I acquired significant experience as a court-certified independent expert, since 2017. In this role I have to be impartial, draft evidence-based assessments and provide concise expert opinions, to enable fair and efficient judicial proceedings.

Combined, my experience covers parliamentary budgetary scrutiny, practical management of resources and independent, evidence-based assessments.

2. What have been your most significant achievements in your professional career?

One of my most significant achievements was the preparation and publication of the Kammerbuch (“Chambers in figures”). It can be described as an independent external scrutiny report on the finances of Austria’s statutory chambers. These chambers are bodies governed by public law. They require compulsory membership of employers or employees and are funded by mandatory contributions. The biggest of them generates an annual turnover of € 1.3 billion.

My objective was to make their financial structures, revenues, expenditures, reserves and governance more transparent and comparable. Without the resources of an audit institution, I set up the process myself. I structured the questions in such a way that the replies would produce usable, comparable and analysable data sets. I then coordinated the timing of parliamentary questions to the competent ministers and evaluated the replies systematically. This project made full use of some of my strongest professional qualities: persistence, precision, structured work and a strong data orientation. It generated public debate, media attention and a wider discussion about accountability, transparency and financial management in bodies financed through mandatory contributions.

In general, my personal and political work has been focused on ensuring transparency, accountability and good governance. For instance, I have:

(1) made significant efforts to increase transparency about Austria’s unsustainable public pension system. I gained and shared insights on lessons learned by other member states, such as Sweden, with a view to improving the long-term sustainability of Austria’s pension system in light of demographic changes. This multi-annual work resulted in an on-going effort to reform the public pension system.

(2) Addressed poor governance and integrity risks by intervening in cases of inappropriate public management. This included significant efforts to obtain and publish information about the hiring of a convicted criminal by a publicly funded company. My efforts resulted in an audit by the regional audit institution, which found material governance shortcomings.

(3) Improved financial management. A specific example of the impact of my parliamentary budgetary control work concerns the Austrian Social and Further Training Fund for temporary agency workers. I submitted a detailed parliamentary question to the responsible Minister on the Fund’s financing, expenditure, administrative costs, governance and accumulated assets. The reply disclosed that the Fund’s assets had accumulated to six times its annual expenditures. This work led to a reduction of the mandatory contributions. In addition, the Fund’s financial reporting has since become more transparent, with audited annual financial statements and Public Corporate Governance reports now published online. For me, this case illustrates a broader principle: special funds and earmarked financing structures must not become self-justifying systems. Their impact must be demonstrable to citizens, contributors and taxpayers.

The common thread in these achievements is my commitment to making opaque financial structures visible, comparable and accountable. Whether dealing with statutory chambers, special funds, pension liabilities or governance failures, my approach has always been to follow the evidence, ask precise questions, analyse the data and insist that public or mandatory funds must be managed transparently, efficiently and in the public interest.

3. What has been your professional experience of international multicultural and multilinguistic organisations or institutions based outside your home country?

My international experience is closely linked to the region where I live and have worked for many years: the four-country region around Lake Constance, connecting Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. In this region, cross-border work and daily mobility are part of everyday life. In my home province of Vorarlberg, almost 10% of employees commute to Switzerland or Liechtenstein on a daily basis. Their social security, legal certainty and practical access to cross-border employment were recurring issues in my political work and concrete topics in the meetings of the parliamentary contact groups between these countries, of which I was a member.

This gave me practical experience in dealing with issues that arise at the intersection of national legal systems, social security coordination, labour markets and cross-border administrative cooperation. It also strengthened my awareness that European and international cooperation is not an abstract concept but often determines whether citizens and companies can rely on clear, workable and fair rules in their daily lives.

Early in my public engagement, I gained practical experience in an international setting as President of the Austrian Federal Youth Council. In 1996, the Council co-hosted the Second Session of the World Youth Forum of the United Nations System in Vienna, bringing together youth representatives and organisations from around the world. I delivered one of the closing statements of the Forum. This experience gave me an early understanding of multilateral work with United Nations. It highlighted to me the importance of dialogue and cooperation for peace and economic success.

My parliamentary work always had a strong international and EU-dimension. For instance, I worked on many EU-related budgetary and economic issues, considering the European Semester and Country Specific Recommendations. I also supported the implementation of EU law in Austria, and questions of Austria’s role in international cooperation. From 2019 to 2024, I also served as Vice-President of the Austrian-Taiwanese Friendship Society.

I also dealt with international trade policy and the EU’s external economic relations. One example was my parliamentary initiative on the EU-Mercosur Agreement, in which I argued for a constructive Austrian role in EU trade negotiations rather than a pre-emptive veto.

In the private sector, I worked in HR leadership roles in internationally active companies and in a regulated banking environment. These functions required cooperation across different organisational cultures and the ability to apply legal, organisational and management standards in diverse professional contexts.

This combination of regional cross-border experience, parliamentary work, civil-society engagement and private-sector management has given me a practical understanding of how international cooperation works in institutional, political and organisational settings.

4. Have you been granted discharge for the management duties you carried out previously, if such a procedure applies?

Austrian public law does not foresee a similar discharge procedure as required for the EU budget. For any private sector positions held, I have been granted discharge.

5. Which of your previous professional positions were a result of a political nomination?

I have never held a position as a result of a non-competitive political nomination. My key political positions in the Austrian Parliament were the result of democratic elections.

6. What are the three most important decisions to which you have been party in your professional life?

To me, the three most important decisions were:

(1) Committing myself to Austria’s EU path and entering reform-oriented politics. One of the earliest important decisions in my life was to actively support Austria’s accession to the European Union ahead of the 1994 referendum. For me, this was not only a political position, but a commitment to Austria’s future as part of a rules-based European community. This pro-European conviction remained a guiding line throughout my later professional and political work.

Consequently, in 2012, I decided to leave a stable managerial career in the banking sector to help build a new pro-European and fiscally responsible political force in Austria, with a focus on sustainable public finances, transparency, accountability and efficient public services. Equally important was my later decision to leave active politics after around ten years, as I had promised to my voters from the beginning.

(2) The decision to use parliamentary scrutiny systematically to expose opaque financial structures and improve public financial management. A key example is the reform of the Austrian Social and Further Training Fund as mentioned in my reply to question 2.

(3) Contributing to modernisation and regional development through my work in the private sector. A key example is my contribution to the reform of the credit and risk management systems of a regional bank. Already in 2009, in reaction to the global financial crisis, as manager of a regional bank in Vorarlberg, I started a material reform of the credit approval and risk management systems. As a result, a transparent, future-oriented and efficient system was established, long before new regulatory requirements were in place. This helped to ensure the long-term success of the business and the regional development it serves.

In summary, these decisions have in common that sustainable change requires integrity, resilience, sound judgement and cooperation.

Independence

7. The Treaty stipulates that the Members of the Court of Auditors must be ‘completely independent’ in the performance of their duties. How would you act on this obligation in the discharge of your prospective duties?

I would act on this obligation by applying the same principles of independence, impartiality and evidence-based judgement that have guided my work as a court-certified independent expert since 2017. In this role, I provide expert opinions to judicial courts in matters of labour, occupational and business organisation. My task is not to support one party, but to assist the court with an independent, fact-based and professionally sound assessment. This requires strict neutrality, methodological rigour and a clear distinction between verified facts, professional judgement and matters outside my mandate.

This professional experience is directly relevant to the duties of a Member of the European Court of Auditors. In both roles, independence must not only exist in substance; it must also be visible. Even the appearance of partiality can undermine trust in the assessment. As a court-certified expert, I am used to considering whether personal relationships, former professional links, financial interests, previous advisory work or other circumstances could raise doubts about my impartiality. Where such a risk exists, the appropriate response is disclosure and, where necessary, withdrawal from the assignment.

I would apply the same approach as a Member of the European Court of Auditors. I would base my work exclusively on the Treaties, the ECA’s ethical rules, professional audit standards and reliable audit evidence. I would neither seek nor accept instructions from any government, institution, political body, interest group or private actor. I would disclose relevant interests, and avoid not only actual conflicts of interest, but also any situation that could reasonably create the appearance of such a conflict.

If a possible conflict were to arise, I would proactively inform the President of the Court and follow the applicable procedures, including recusal where appropriate. For me, complete independence is a professional discipline that must be demonstrated in daily conduct, in the handling of evidence and in conclusions based solely on facts.

8. Do you or your close relatives (parents, brothers and sisters, legal partner and children) have any business or financial holdings or any other commitments, which might conflict with your prospective duties?

No. Neither I nor any of my close relatives hold business or financial interests that could create a conflict of interest with my role at the ECA.

9. Are you prepared to disclose all your financial interests and other commitments to the President of the Court and to make them public?

Yes. I am fully committed to full transparency regarding my financial interests and commitments.

10. Are you involved in any current legal proceedings? If so, please provide us with details.

No. I am not party to any legal proceedings.

In my role as a court-certified independent expert, I have provided expert opinions to judicial courts. In view of my nomination, I have refrained from accepting new assignments and would relinquish any remaining mandates upon appointment.

11. Do you have any active or executive role in politics, if so at what level? Have you held any political position during the last 18 months? If so, please provide us with details.

I do not have any active or executive role in politics.

While I have left active politics in October 2024, within the last 18 months I have still formally been part of the regional NEOS Committee in Vorarlberg until 06.05.2026 (the date of my nomination by the Austrian Federal Government) in an advisory role.

12. Will you step down from any elected office or give up any active function with responsibilities in a political party if you are appointed as a Member of the Court?

I do not hold any elected office or position in a political party.

13. How would you deal with a major irregularity or even fraud and/or corruption case involving persons in your Member State of origin?

As demonstrated throughout my life, I have zero tolerance for fraud and corruption. I would treat any persons involved in such activities in the same impartial manner. I will provide any information about suspicious activity to the responsible organisations (OLAF and EPPO, where applicable) and support their independent investigations to the extent possible.

Performance of duties

14. What should be the main features of a sound financial management culture in any public service? How could the ECA help to enforce it?

Sound financial management is key to ensuring EU citizens trust and the EU’s success. It is defined in Article 33 of the EU Financial Regulation and requires in my view:

(1) clear objectives, often considering and balancing inherent trade-offs. These are set by legislators and supplemented by the Commission, if necessary. The European Court of Auditors can help by identifying gaps in objectives or pointing out mismatches between objectives and allocated resources, based on policy implementation.