style="font-size:15px;"> SCHUESSEL]; Freedom Party of Austria or FPOe [Susanne RIESS-PASSER];Social Democratic Party of Austria or SPOe [Alfred GUSENBAUER]; The
Greens Alternative or GA [Alexander VAN DER BELLEN]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Austrian Trade Union Federation (primarily Socialist) or OeGB; Federal Economic Chamber; OeVP-oriented League of Austrian Industrialists or VOeI; Roman Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization, Catholic Action; three composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party or OeVP representing business, labor, and farmers
International organization participation: AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group,
BIS, BSEC (observer), CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU,
ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO,
NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN,
UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMEE,
UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOGIP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU (observer),
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Peter MOSER chancery: 3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York FAX: [1] (202) 895-6750 telephone: [1] (202) 895-6700
Diplomatic representation from the US: Ambassador William Lee LYONS BROWN, Jr. embassy: address telephone: [43] (1) 31339-0 FAX: [43] (1) 3100682
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red
Economy Austria
Economy - overview: Austria, with its well-developed market economy and high standard of living, is closely tied to other EU economies, especially Germany's. Membership in the EU has drawn an influx of foreign investors attracted by Austria's access to the single European market and proximity to EU aspirant economies. Slowing growth in Germany and elsewhere in the world slowed the economy to only 1.2% growth in 2001; the economy is expected to do little better in 2002. To meet increased competition from both EU and Central European countries, Austria will need to emphasize knowledge-based sectors of the economy, continue to deregulate the service sector, and lower its tax burden.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $220 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1.2% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $27,000 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2% industry: 29% services: 69% (2001)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 4.4% highest 10%: 19.3% (1992)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 23.1 (1987)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.6% (2001)
Labor force: 4.3 million (2001)
Labor force - by occupation: services 67%, industry and crafts 29%, agriculture and forestry 4% (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate: 4.8% (2001)
Budget: revenues: $53 billion expenditures: $54 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
Industries: construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, chemicals, lumber and wood processing, paper and paperboard, communications equipment, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 3.8% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production: 60.285 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 28.46% hydro: 68.64% other: 2.9% (2000) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 54.764 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 15.11 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 13.809 billion kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: grains, potatoes, sugar beets, wine, fruit; dairy products, cattle, pigs, poultry; lumber
Exports: $70 billion (f.o.b., 2001) (2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, paper and paperboard, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel; textiles, foodstuffs
Exports - partners: EU 63% (Germany 35%, Italy 9%, France 5%),
Switzerland 5%, US 5%, Hungary 4% (2000)
Imports: $73 billion (c.i.f., 2001)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal goods, oil and oil products; foodstuffs
Imports - partners: EU 68% (Germany 42%, Italy 7%, France 5%), US 6%,
Switzerland 3%, Hungary 2% (2000)
Debt - external: $12.1 billion (2001 est.)
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $410 million (2000)
Currency: euro (EUR); Austrian schilling (ATS) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by the financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries
Currency code: EUR; ATS
Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.1324 (January 2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); Austrian schillings per US dollar - 11.86 (January 1999), 12.91 (1999), 12.379 (1998), 12.204 (1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Austria
Telephones - main lines in use: 4 million (consisting of 3,600,000 analog main lines plus 400,000 Integrated Services Digital Network connections); in addition, there are 100,000 Asymmetric Digital Services lines (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 6 million (2001)
Telephone system: general assessment: highly developed and efficient domestic: there are 48 main lines for every 100 persons; the fiber optic net is very extensive; all telephone applications and Internet services are available international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Eutelsat; in addition, there are about 600 VSAT (very small aperture terminals) (2002)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 160 (plus several hundred repeaters), shortwave 1 (2001)
Radios: 6.08 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 45 (plus more than 1,000 repeaters) (2001)
Televisions: 4.25 million (1997)
Internet
