Franz Schausberger (; born 5 February 1950) is an

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 ...

n politician (

ÖVP The Austrian People's Party (german: Österreichische Volkspartei , ÖVP ) is a Christian-democratic and liberal-conservative political party in Austria. Since December 2021, the party has been led provisionally by Karl Nehammer. It is currentl ...

) and historian. From 24 April 1996 to 28 April 2004 he was

Landeshauptmann Landeshauptmann (if male) or Landeshauptfrau (if female) (, "state captain", plural ''Landeshauptleute'') is the chairman of a state government and the supreme official of an Austrian state and the Italian autonomous provinces of South Tyrol an ...

(

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

) of

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

Early life, education, and start in politics

Schausberger was born in Steyr,

Upper Austria Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, a ...

, as son of Franz and Hermine Schausberger. He attended the '' Gymnasium'', where he took his ''

Matura or its translated terms (''Mature'', ''Matur'', , , , , , ) is a Latin name for the secondary school exit exam or "maturity diploma" in various European countries, including Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech ...

'' exams in 1968 with distinction. He went on to study at the

University of Salzburg The University of Salzburg (german: Universität Salzburg), also known as the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg (''Paris-Lodron-Universität Salzburg'', PLUS), is an Austrian public university A public university or public college is a univ ...

, receiving a Doctorate in Philosophy in 1973. During studies he was chairman of

Austrian Students' Association The Austrian Students' Union by statutory body (german: Österreichische Hochschülerinnen- und Hochschülerschaft, ÖH) is the general students' representative body in Austria and serves as the students' government by federal law. The ÖH is memb ...

at the University of Salzburg. From 1971 to 1979 Schausberger was Parliamentary Party Secretary of ÖVP in the

Landtag A Landtag (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence in non- ...

(regional parliament) of Salzburg. Schausberger is married to Heidi Schausberger-Strobl since 1988 and has three children (Martina, Maximilian and Alexander).

Political life

From 1976 to 1980 Schausberger was president of the youth organisation of ÖVP Salzburg and was member of the Landtag of Salzburg from 1979 to 1996. From 1979 to 1989 he was General Secretary of ÖVP Salzburg. Between 1989 and 1996 he was chairman of the parliamentary group of ÖVP in the Landtag of Salzburg. During the years as Landeshauptmann of Salzburg, from 1996 to 2004, he initiated among others * the construction of the football stadium Salzburg-Kleßheim, * the construction of the

Museum der Moderne Salzburg The Museum der Moderne Salzburg has two buildings at two different locations in Salzburg, Austria. The Rupertinum in the old town for new artistic concepts opened in 1983 and the Museum on the Mönchsberg for modern art in a contemporary setting op ...

on the

Mönchsberg The Mönchsberg, at above sea level, is one of five mountains in the Salzburg, city of Salzburg in Austria. It flanks the western side of Altstadt Salzburg, Salzburg's historic city centre, and forms part of the Historic Centre of the City of Sal ...

, * the reconstruction of the Kleines Festspielhaus (''House for Mozart'') * the construction of the Museum Carolino Augusteum at the Mozartplatz and * the foundation of the

Paracelsus Private Medical University of Salzburg The Paracelsus Medical University (german: Paracelsus Medizinische Privatuniversität) is a private university located in Salzburg municipality, Austria and Nuremberg, Germany. Organization and financing University management * Wolfgang Spe ...

. In negotiations between 1997 and 2001 Schausberger was able to reach the financial assurance of the responsible ministries for * the modification of the

Mozarteum University Salzburg Mozarteum University Salzburg (German: ''Universität Mozarteum Salzburg'') is one of three affiliated but separate (it is actually a state university) entities under the “Mozarteum” moniker in Salzburg municipality; the International Moz ...

as well as for * the construction of the university campus Unipark Nonntal. After ÖVP’s loss of relative majority at the regional elections in 2004 Schausberger resigned from all political offices in Salzburg. His successor as Landeshauptmann was Gabriele Burgstaller (

SPÖ The Social Democratic Party of Austria (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs , SPÖ), founded and known as the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (german: link=no, Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei Österreichs, SDAPÖ) unti ...

). Since 1996 Schausberger is the representative of Land Salzburg to the

Committee of the Regions The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) is the European Union's (EU) assembly of local and regional representatives that provides sub-national authorities (i.e. regions, counties, provinces, municipalities and cities) with a direct voice w ...

(CoR) of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

. From 2004 to 2006 he was chairman of the CoR’s Commission for Constitutional Affairs and European Governance, since January 2006 he is Vice-president of the

European People's Party The European People's Party (EPP) is a European political party with Christian-democratic, conservative, and liberal-conservative member parties. A transnational organisation, it is composed of other political parties. Founded by primarily Ch ...

(EPP) in the CoR. He has chaired the CoR's Western Balkans Working Group for several years. In October 2016 he was appointed Special Adviser for

EU enlargement The European Union (EU) has expanded a number of times throughout its history by way of the accession of new member states to the Union. To join the EU, a state needs to fulfil economic and political conditions called the Copenhagen criteria ...

, in particular for the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

and

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

by the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...

. Since July 2020, Schausberger has been serving as a special advisor on education in emergencies, migration and inclusion to

European Commissioner for Budget and Administration The European Commissioner for Budget and Administration is the member of the European Commission who is responsible for negotiating and managing the EU budget. The current commissioner is Johannes Hahn. The portfolio is primarily responsible fo ...

Johannes Hahn Johannes Hahn (born 2 December 1957) is an Austrian politician who has served as European Commissioner for Budget and Administration under Ursula von der Leyen since 1 December 2019. He previously served as European Commissioner for European Ne ...

Academic life

In 1992 Schausberger founded the research institute for political-historical studies ''Dr.-Wilfried-Haslauer-Library'' in Salzburg and since then holds its presidency. In 1996 he was awarded the qualification as a university lecturer by the University of Salzburg by presenting and defending his postdoctoral thesis on the agitation of the Nazis in Austrian federal state parliaments. Schausberger, who holds lectures at the University of Salzburg and several other European universities, hitherto published numerous books and more than 150 publications on Austrian history and politics and the European Union. On 1. July 2008 he was awarded the title ‘’university professor’’ by the

University of West Hungary The main campus of the University of Sopron ( Soproni Egyetem, abbreviated SOE) is located in Sopron, Hungary. The school traces its roots to 1735.

Sopron Sopron (; german: Ödenburg, ; sl, Šopron) is a city in Hungary on the Austrian border, near Lake Neusiedl/Lake Fertő. History Ancient times-13th century When the area that is today Western Hungary was a province of the Roman Empire, a ...

. In 2014, the

President of Austria The president of Austria (german: Bundespräsident der Republik Österreich) is the head of state of the Republic of Austria. Though theoretically entrusted with great power by the Constitution, in practice the president is largely a ceremonial ...

awarded the professional title "University Professor". In 2004 Schausberger founded the

Institute of the Regions of Europe The Institute of the Regions of Europe (IRE) (german: Institut der Regionen Europas; IRE) is a scientific institute located in Salzburg (Austria) and was founded on 21 December 2004 by Univ. Prof. Dr. Franz Schausberger, former governour of the ...

(IRE) in Salzburg and since then holds the chair of the board. After his resignation from Salzburg’s politics he went into business for himself and manages the company European Project Analysis & Conception GmbH (EPAC).

Honours and awards

* 1996:

Leopold Kunschak Prize The Leopold-Kunschak-Prize is awarded annually since 1965 by the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) for distinguished works on the areas of Human sciences, Social science and Economics. Further, complimentary awards are awarded. The prize is named aft ...

* 1996:

Grand Cross Grand Cross is the highest class in many orders, and manifested in its insignia. Exceptionally, the highest class may be referred to as Grand Cordon or equivalent. In other cases, there may exist a rank even higher than Grand Cross, e.g. Grand ...

of the

Royal Norwegian Order of Merit The Royal Norwegian Order of Merit (Norwegian: ''Den Kongelige Norske Fortjenstorden'' (Bokmål) or ''Den Kongelege Norske Fortenesteordenen'' (Nynorsk)) was instituted by King Olav V in 1985. It is awarded to foreigners, Norwegian citizens livin ...

* 1997: Grand Cross of the

Order of Leopold II The Order of Leopold II is an order of Belgium and is named in honor of King Leopold II. The decoration was established on 24 August 1900 by Leopold II as Sovereign of the Congo Free State and was in 1908, upon Congo being handed over to Belgi ...

of the Kingdom of

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

* 1999: Grand Decoration of Honour in Silver with Sash for Services to the Republic of Austria * 2002:

Franz Schalk Gold Medal The Franz Schalk Gold Medal is a distinction of the Vienna Philharmonic awarded since 1963. It is named after the conductor, first director of the Vienna State Opera and co-founder of the Salzburg Festival Franz Schalk, whose 100. birthday was cel ...

of the

Vienna Philharmonic The Vienna Philharmonic (VPO; german: Wiener Philharmoniker, links=no) is an orchestra that was founded in 1842 and is considered to be one of the finest in the world. The Vienna Philharmonic is based at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria. It ...

* 2002: Grand Cross of the

Order of Prince Henry The Order of Prince Henry ( pt, Ordem do Infante Dom Henrique) is a Portuguese order of knighthood created on 2 June 1960, to commemorate the quincentenary of the death of the Portuguese prince Henry the Navigator, one of the main initiators of ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

* 2004: Grand Cross of the Decoration of Honour of Salzburg * 2006: Commander's Cross of the

Order for Merits to Lithuania The Order for Merits to Lithuania ( lt, Ordinas Už nuopelnus Lietuvai) is an award, presented by the President of Lithuania, which may be conferred on the citizens of Lithuania and foreign nationals for distinguished services promoting name of Lit ...

* 2007: Honorary Arms of the Region of

Istria Istria ( ; Croatian language, Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; ist, Eîstria; Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian, Italian language, Italian and Venetian language, Venetian: ; formerly in Latin and in Ancient Greek) is the larges ...

* 2007:

Bavarian Order of Merit The Bavarian Order of Merit (german: Bayerischer Verdienstorden) is the Order of Merit of the Free State of Bavaria. It is awarded by the Minister-President of Bavaria as a "recognition of outstanding contributions to the Free State of Bavaria ...

* 2012: Medal for Services to the Region of

Varaždin ) , image_photo = , image_skyline = , image_flag = Flag of Varaždin.svg , flag_size = , image_seal = , seal_size = , image_shield = Grb_Grad ...

(Croatia) * 2013: Commander's Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary The Hungarian Order of Merit ( hu, Magyar Érdemrend) is the fourth highest State Order of Hungary. Founded in 1991, the order is a revival of an original order founded in 1946 and abolished in 1949. Its origins, however, can be traced to the O ...

* 2014: Honorary Senator of

* 2014: Bestowal of the title "University Professor" by the

* 2015: Medal of Arms in Gold of the city of Salzburg * 2015: Mérite Européen in Gold * 2015: Ring of Honor of

Land Salzburg Salzburg (, ; bar, Soizbuag, label=Austro-Bavarian) (also known as ''Salzburgerland'') is a state (''Land'') of the modern Republic of Austria. It is officially named ''Land Salzburg'' to distinguish it from its eponymous capital — the city of S ...

* 2016:

Order of the Croatian Interlace The Order of the Croatian Interlace or Order of the Early Croatian three-strand pattern ( hr, Red hrvatskog pletera) is the seventeenth most important medal given by the Republic of Croatia. The order was founded on 1 April 1995. The medal is aw ...

* 2018:

Honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

from the

Aleksandër Moisiu Alexander Moissi ( al, Aleksandër Moisiu; it, Alessandro Moissi; 2 April 1879 – 22/23 March 1935) was an Austrian stage actor of Albanian origin. Early years Moissi was born in Trieste to Moisi Moisiu from Kavaye, Ottoman Empire (today K ...

University in

Durrës Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the second most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is located on a flat plain along the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast between the mouths of ...

(

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

) He is imperial Knight of Honor of the

Order of St. George The Order of Saint George (russian: Орден Святого Георгия, Orden Svyatogo Georgiya) is the highest military decoration of the Russian Federation. Originally established on 26 November 1769 Julian (7 December 1769 Gregorian) a ...

.Homepage of the St. Georgs Orden
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References

* http://www.parlament.gv.at/WWER/PAD_03955/index.shtml * http://austria-forum.org/af/AEIOU/Schausberger%2C_Franz/Schausberger%2C_Franz_english * https://portal.dnb.de/opac.htm?query=Woe%3D120929414&method=simpleSearch {{DEFAULTSORT:Schausberger, Franz 20th-century Austrian historians People from Steyr 1950 births University of Salzburg alumni Austrian People's Party politicians Recipients of the Grand Cross of the Order of Leopold II Recipients of the Grand Decoration with Sash for Services to the Republic of Austria Grand Crosses of the Order of Prince Henry Commander's Crosses of the Order for Merits to Lithuania Commander's Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (civil) Living people Governors of Salzburg (state)