📋 Tender Overview
The resolutions concern, among other things, new possibilities for class action lawsuits, the legal reform of mobile phone analysis, the tax honesty of multinational companies and an expansion of the defense cost contribution. The Justice Committee launched no fewer than eight legislative proposals before the summer. A majority of the OVP, Greens and FPO were in favor of the governments bill on class action lawsuits. In the future, consumer protection institutions should be able to sue companies for redress, such as damages, in the collective interest of at least 50 consumers. The SPO and NEOS are critical of some points and reserved their approval until the plenary session.
The OVP and Greens voted to forward the new rules for the seizure and data analysis of cell phones and other electronic devices to the plenary session. Criticism of the introduction of the corresponding Criminal Procedure Amendment Act as a short-term initiative proposal came from the opposition. According to Justice Minister Alma Zadic, the bill has also been submitted to parliament as a ministerial draft. For the latter, stakeholders now have at least two weeks to submit their opinions. More tax transparency and higher defense cost contributions There was a broad majority in the committee, without the FPO, for a new law on tax transparency for multinational companies. The income tax information reports of the corporations concerned are to be publicly accessible via the commercial register in the future. This is intended to enable a debate about the degree of tax honesty of the corporations - namely whether a corporate group also pays taxes where it generates large sales revenues or whether the profits are shifted to low-tax countries.
The contribution to defense costs in the event of acquittal and termination of proceedings will be significantly increased. Justice Minister Alma Zadic spoke of a thirty-fold increase in the previous funds. The Cooperative Law Amendment Act, which was unanimously approved by the Justice Committee, will, among other things, create the possibility of converting associations into cooperatives. In addition, cooperative law as a whole will be modernized. According to Justice Minister Alma Zadic, this will also implement a project from the government program. In addition to new restrictions on the inspection and inclusion of documents in the land register, various points in the professional rights of notaries and lawyers are also to be resolved.
An amendment to the Condominium Act was also forwarded to the plenary session, although for the time being it only contains an editorial correction. According to Green MP Astrid Rossler, the coalition parties are planning legal relief for homeowners who want to install so-called balcony power plants. The final wording of the motion should be ready by the time of the plenary session.
