Austrian Conference on Spatial Planning - ÖROK
Mission and Organisational Structure
The Austrian Conference on Spatial Planning is an organisation set up 1971 by the Bund, the Länder and the Gemeinden to co-ordinate spatial planning at the national level.
The executive body at the political level, under the chairmanship of the Federal Chancellor, includes all the federal ministers and state governors, together with the presidents of the Austrian Union of Towns and the Austrian Union of Communities and with the presidents of the social and economic partners participating as advisors.
A Commission of Deputies as well as several committees and working groups have been set up at the administrative level to accomplish ÖROK’s tasks. They are formed by the Senior Officials of the territorial authorities, and the social and economic partners.
The ÖROK office was established at the Federal Chancellery for operational activities.
Tasks and Products
One of ÖROK’s principal tasks is to publish the "Austrian Spatial Development Concept" which is revised generally every ten years. The most recent Austrian Spatial Development Concept 2001 ("ÖREK 2001") was published in 2002.
Based on this concept, embedded in projects there are ongoing studies and research on spatial development policy in Austria which are issued in a special publication series.
A few of ÖROK’s products are:
- Periodical reports on the spatially relevant activities of the Bund, Länder and Gemeinden ("Report on Spatial Planning");
- ÖROK recommendations;
- ÖROK Atlas on spatial development in Austria (which is also available on the Internet: www.oerok-atlas.at).
ÖROK and Europe
Within the context of European regional and spatial development policies, ÖROK plays an important role as the co-ordinating body between the internal and the European level.
A Few Examples:
- EU Regional Policy - Platform for Co-ordination and Information:
- Definition of the Regional Aid Map according to article 87 of the EC Treaty and Co-ordination of the national break-down of EU-Structural Funds;
- Drafting and strategic monitoring of the "National Strategic Reference Framework" STRAT.AT 2007–2013;
- Secretariat for the Monitoring Committees for the regional operational programmes for the objectives "Convergence" and "Regional Competitiveness and Employment";
- Support and accompany the programme cycle (programming, negotiations, evaluation, closure, …).
- European Territorial Cooperation: In the period 2007–2013 the ÖROK office continues to act as "National Contact Point" for transnational and network programmes with Austrian participation under the new objective "European Territorial Cooperation" of the Structural Funds. The focus of the activities is on the three programmes covering Central Europe, SEE (South East Europe) and Alpine Space, but INTERREG IV C, URBACT II and ESPON are served as well.
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