Elisabeth Köstinger (born 22 November 1978) is an

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

politician who has been serving as Minister for Agriculture, Sustainability and Tourism in the government of Chancellors

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, and

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since 7 January 2020. She previously served in this capacity from December 2017 until June 2019. She is a member of the Austrian People's Party, part of the European People's Party. From 9 November 2017 to 18 December 2017, Köstinger briefly served as President of Austria's National Council. Prior to that, she was a

Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

(MEP) from

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

between 2009 and 2017. From May 2017 to January 2018, she was secretary general of the Austrian People's Party.

Education and career

* Freelance professional - communication sector (2003-2009) * Assisted at the Kärnten District Health Insurance Fund (1999-2003) * Studied journalism, communication and applied cultural studies at the University of Klagenfurt (2003) - Köstinger did not finish her studies due to her commitments as MEP * HBLA (College for Occupation in Service Industries Management) in Wolfsberg, Carinthia (1994-1998) * Secondary School in St. Paul, Carinthia (1990-1994) * Primary School in Granitztal (1986-1990) * Completed the AufZaQ course of the Austrian Rural Youth Organisation * Completed the EDUCA course of the Austrian Young Farmers' Organisation

Political career

Early beginnings

At the national level Köstinger is a member of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), where she held a number of positions early in her career: * Head, Granitztal local group of the Rural Youth Organisation (1995-1997) * District head, Wolfsberg section of the Rural Youth Organisation (1997-2001) * Regional head, Kärnten section of the Rural Youth Organisation (2001-2002) * Federal head, Austrian Rural Youth Organisation (2002-2006) * Delegate of the Austrian Rural Youth Organisation to the European Council of Young Farmers – CEJA (2003-2005)

Member of the European Parliament, 2009–2017

Köstinger was first elected a

since the 2009 European elections and was re-elected during the 2014 European Parliament election. From 2011 Köstinger served as vice-chair and general manager of the Austrian People’s Party Delegation in the European Parliament. She sat on the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) and the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM). Köstinger is also a substitute and vice spokeswoman of the European People's Party (EPP) of the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI). In addition to her committee assignments, Köstinger was vice-chair of the Delegation to the EU-Armenia, EU-Azerbaijan and EU-Georgia Parliamentary Cooperation Committees, a member of the Delegation to the

Euronest Parliamentary Assembly The Euronest Parliamentary Assembly is the inter-parliamentary forum in which members of the European Parliament and the national parliaments of Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia participate and forge closer political and economic ...

and also a substitute for the Delegation to the

ACP–EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly The ACP–EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly was created to bring together the elected representatives of the European Union (the Members of the European Parliament) and the elected representatives of the African, Caribbean and Pacific states ("ACP c ...

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry

On December 18 Köstinger was appointed Federal Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, the Environment and Water Management by the current President of Austria

Alexander Van der Bellen Alexander Van der Bellen (; born 18 January 1944) is the current president of Austria. He previously served as a professor of economics at the University of Vienna, and after joining politics, as the spokesman of the Austrian Green Party. Va ...

; with changes to areas of responsibility in several ministries that went into effect on January 8, 2018 she became the Federal Minister for Sustainability and Tourism. In this capacity, she also co-chaired the European People's Party's Environment Ministers Meeting. Köstinger's climate-protection policies have been criticized repeatedly for lacking ambition by the scientific community and environmental protection groups alike. In May 2022, Köstinger announced her resignation from government, saying she intends to quit politics and go into the private sector.

Role in national politics

* Federal head, Austrian Young Farmers' Association (2007-2012) * Vice-chair of the Austrian Farmers' Federation (since 2009) * President of ‘wald.zeit Österreich’ (since 2012) * President of the Ecosocial Forum Europe (since 2014) *Vice-chair of the

Political Academy of the Austrian People's Party The Political Academy of the Austrian People's Party is the educational institution of the Austrian People's Party (Österreichische Volkspartei). The “Political Academy” supports civic, political and cultural education by means of seminars, ...

(since 2015) * Secretary general of the Austrian People’s Party (since May 2017)

Recognition

On 18 March 2014, Köstinger received the MEP Award in the category Agriculture and Rural Development. MEP Award Winner
(Article in German) ,

Austria Press Agency The Austria Press Agency (german: Austria Presse Agentur, APA) is the national news agency and the leading information provider in Austria. It is owned by Austrian newspapers and the national broadcaster ORF. Journalists Fatalities See als ...

, 19 March 2014 , The award recognizes the exemplary manner in which she conducted herself as shadow rapporteur during negotiations leading to the reform of the

Common Agricultural Policy The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is the agricultural policy of the European Union. It implements a system of agricultural subsidies and other programmes. It was introduced in 1962 and has since then undergone several changes to reduce the ...

(CAP).

Personal life

Köstinger is unmarried and lives in St. Paul, Carinthia. In July 2018 she gave birth to a son.

References

External links

Votewatch profile of Elisabeth Köstinger

Personal profile of Elisabeth Köstinger in the EPP's database of members

* https://www.bmnt.gv.at/english/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Kostinger, Elisabeth Living people 1978 births MEPs for Austria 2009–2014 MEPs for Austria 2014–2019 Presidents of the National Council (Austria) Austrian People's Party politicians Women government ministers of Austria 21st-century Austrian women politicians 21st-century Austrian politicians