| Bundesministerium für Inneres | |
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| Agency overview | |
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| Formed | 1848; 177 years ago (1848) as Imperial and Royal Ministry of the Interior |
| Preceding agency |
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| Jurisdiction | Government of Austria |
| Status | Highest federal authority |
| Headquarters | Palais Modena Innere Stadt,Vienna 48°12′33″N16°21′57″E / 48.20917°N 16.36583°E /48.20917; 16.36583 |
| Annual budget | €4.850 billion(2025)[1] |
| Minister responsible | |
| Child agencies | |
| Website | www |
InAustria, theMinistry of the Interior (German:Bundesministerium für Inneres, colloquiallyInnenministerium, abbreviated: BMI) is afederal government agency serving as theinterior ministry of theAustrian government. It is chiefly responsible for thepublic security, but also deals with matters relating tocitizenship,elections,referendums,plebiscites and thealternative civilian service. The Ministry of the Interior is considered one of the most importantministries in Austria.
It operates and oversees the vast majority of thecountry's law enforcement agencies, including theFederal Police Directorate (BPD), theCriminal Intelligence Service Austria (BK), theDirectorate State Protection and Intelligence Service (DSN), theFederal Bureau of Anti-Corruption (BAK), theDirectorate for Special Units/Special Intervention Unit Cobra (DSE), and the Special Observatory Unit for Surveillance (SEO). TheDirectorate General for the Public Security (GD), which is primarily made up of career law enforcement officers, serves as the professional governing body of all these agencies, except for the BAK. Federal law enforcement agencies outside of the ministry's control include theMilitary Police, theFiscal Police, and theJudiciary Guard.
ThePalais Modena is the ministry's central headquarters, it is situated in thecentre of Austria's capitalVienna.
The Ministry was originally created as "Imperial and Royal Ministry of the Interior", serving as the empire-wide interior ministry forAustria-Hungary. It was succeeded by the "state office of the Interior" (Staatsamt des Innern) of theFirst Republic in1918, and later renamed into "Federal Ministry of the Interior". After thedissolution of Nazi Germany in 1945 the Ministry was reestablished into its current form.
Until 1848 internal affairs of the country was under the responsibility of the Austro-Bohemian Court Chancellery which was established by EmpressMaria Theresia.[2] In 1848 the ministry was established with the name of the Ministry of the Interior. Between 1918 and 1920 it was called State Office of the Interior. Then it was merged with the ministry of education and was renamed as State Office and Federal Ministry of the Interior and of Education.[2] The body was integrated into the federal government in 1923.[2] FollowingWorld War II it was renamed into its current title, Federal Ministry of the Interior.[2]
Thefederal agency is charged with the matters ofpublic security,citizenship andcivil status includinglegal names,elections,referendums and popularpetitions as well asemergency management and thealternative civilian service.
As superior of theDirectorate General for Public Security, the Minister for the Interior is in charge of theFederal Police, theDirectorate State Protection and Intelligence Service, theEKO Cobra tactical unit as well as of theFederal Criminal Police Office. Beyond the jurisdiction of theFederal Chancellery, the Ministry is also responsible for the matters of theAustrian states and municipalities,foundations andsovereign wealth funds.
The ministry consists of the Minister of the Interior, the State Secretary and the Secretary General, under whom there are five sections:[3]
Its head andchief executive authority is theMinister of the Interior (Bundesminister), currentlyGerhard Karner. Next in rank is the State Secretary (Staatssekretär) responsible for theDirectorate State Protection and Intelligence Service (DSN), currentlyJörg Leichtfried. TheSecretary General (Generalsekretär), currently Andreas Achatz, serves as the agency'shead of operations and third-highest-ranking official.[3]
Media related toFederal Ministry for the Interior (Austria) at Wikimedia Commons
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