Stoisits: Illegal construction on Lake Wörthersee?

Illegal construction on Lake Wörthersee?

ORF-Series "Bürgeranwalt" (“Advocate for People”) – Broadcast of February 28th, 2009

The broadcast "Bürgeranwalt“ of 28 February 2009 was dedicated to a 60 meter long bathing jetty erected illegally on the southern shore of Lake Wörtersee.

Mrs. P. and her extended family of 18 live in a house directly on the southern shore of Lake Wörthersee, which has been in the family's possession for over 100 years. Their direct neighbour, a prominent Carinthian land owner, extended his landing stage which initially was 20 meters long, to 60 meters, without prior notice, and subsequently erected even a boathouse next to it, measuring 50 square meters. The family P. not only feels that their enjoyment of the property has been affected due to the view, but their direct access to the lake has been made significantly more difficult. All their complaints in relation to the outstanding permits by the authority to the municipal authority of the City of Klagenfurt and to the owner of the lake, the Austrian Federal Forestry Commission, were without success. Mr. P. is outraged: "This must not be allowed to become a precedent. If somebody asserts the right and the authorities fail to act according to the rules, then it will go further and further. It cannot be that John Public will be taken for a fool by the authorities."

For Ombudsperson Terezija Stoisits, who had investigated the case thoroughly, the bathing jetty clearly is an illegal construction: "To build a bathing jetty legally, a water rights permit and a nature protection consent are required and the latter does not exist to date. The City of Klagenfurt would have to order a discontinuation of the construction works in such a case." The Office of the Ombudsperson will follow up this case, "in order to prevent authorities applying different measures to different citizens", the Ombudsperson promised.

Follow-up: Substandard passports – Office of the Ombudsperson achieved information by the Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs

About 200.000 Austrians are in possession of a valid passport issued between October 2005 and June 2006 which although issued to be valid for all states in the world, does not enable entry into the USA without a visa. "Again and again citizens have complained to the Office of the Ombudsperson that they regarded the information from the Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs in this matter as insufficient. Besides the organisational problems this also caused some of them considerable additional costs", the competent Ombudsperson Terezija Stoisits summarized the resentment of the persons affected.

Although the Office of the Ombudsperson identified a clear shortcoming in the administration in this respect, the Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs still holds the opinion that the availability of information leaflets at the Passport Offices is sufficient. "In the interest of citizens the Office of the Ombudsperson has not given up and was able to bring about a change of mind at the Federal Ministry. During the next few weeks all of the approximately 200.000 persons affected will be informed individually by a letter", Mag. Stoisits showed her satisfaction with the success of the Office of the Ombudsperson.