Leonore Gewessler

{{Infobox officeholder

| image = File:2022 Leonore Gewessler (51899528479) (cropped).jpg

| office = Minister for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology

| term_start = 7 January 2020

| term_end = 3 March 2025

| president = Alexander Van der Bellen

| chancellor = {{ubl|Sebastian Kurz|Alexander Schallenberg|Karl Nehammer}}

| predecessor = Andreas Reichhardt

| successor = Peter Hanke

| birth_place = Graz, Styria, Austria

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1977|10|15|df=y}}

| alma_mater = University of Vienna

| party = The Greens – The Green Alternative

| caption = Gewessler in 2022

}}

Leonore Gewessler ({{IPA|de|lɛoˈnoːʁε ˈgeːvεslɐ|lang}}; born 15 September 1977) is an Austrian Green politician who served as Minister for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology in the Nehammer government.{{Cite web|url=https://www.parlament.gv.at/WWER/PAD_05653/index.shtml|title=Leonore Gewessler, BA, Biografie|website=www.parlament.gv.at|language=de|access-date=12 January 2020}}

Early life

=Education=

Gewessler earned a political science degree (BA) from the University of Vienna.

Political career

From 2014 until 2019, Gewessler served as head of Austria's largest environmental charity and lobbying group Global 2000. In this capacity, she championed a popular campaign against the expansion of the ageing Soviet-era{{clarify|date=July 2021|reason=reactors started commercial operation in 1998 and 2000}} Mochovce Nuclear Power Plant in neighbouring Slovakia, just 100 km from the Austrian border.Sam Jones (March 2, 2020), [https://www.ft.com/content/a8892c0c-4cbc-11ea-95a0-43d18ec715f5 Austrian Greens’ ‘super minister’ takes the reins] Financial Times. In the negotiations on a coalition government following the 2019 Austrian legislative election, Gewessler was a member of the Green Party's delegation.

= Role in the passing of the Nature Restoration Law =

On 17 June 2024, Gewessler played a pivotal role in the passage of the European Union's Nature Restoration Law, a key element of the European Green Deal aimed at restoring 20% of the EU's land and sea by the end of the decade. Despite significant opposition, including a joint statement by Austria's federal states against the law,{{Cite news |last= |first= |date=2024-06-17 |title=EU-Renaturierungsgesetz: Bundesländerblockade bleibt aufrecht |url=https://orf.at/stories/3359030/ |access-date=2024-05-28 |work=ORF |language=de}} Gewessler announced her support for it, citing her inability to reconcile letting the opportunity pass without having tried everything. This decision, however, placed her in a contentious legal grey area due to opposition from most Austrian federal states and her coalition partners, the centre-right Austrian People's Party (ÖVP).{{Cite news |last=Niranjan |first=Ajit |date=2024-06-17 |title=EU passes law to restore 20% of bloc’s land and sea by end of decade |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/17/eu-passes-law-to-restore-20-of-blocs-land-and-sea-by-end-of-decade |access-date=2024-06-17 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}

After Gewessler's vote, the Austrian People's Party filed a lawsuit against her, accusing her of malfeasance in office and announced a complaint with the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to render Gewessler's vote of the law void.{{Cite news |date=2024-06-17 |title=ÖVP brachte Strafanzeige gegen Gewessler ein |url=https://www.kleinezeitung.at/politik/innenpolitik/18585440/oevp-bringt-strafanzeige-gegen-gewessler-ein |access-date=2024-06-21 |work=Kleine Zeitung |language=de}} Although the impact of an ECJ complaint was questionable, a conviction for malfeasance in office could carry a sentence of imprisonment of up to 10 years.{{Cite news |date=2024-06-20 |title=ÖVP brachte Strafanzeige gegen Gewessler ein |url=https://www.euractiv.de/section/energie-und-umwelt/news/renaturierungsgesetz-strafanzeige-gegen-oesterreichs-umweltministerin/ |access-date=2024-06-20 |work=Euractiv |language=de}}

In 2022, the Austrian government filed a legal challenge to prevent the European Union from including nuclear energy as a category of green investment.{{Cite web |last=Tidey |first=Alice |date=2022-10-10 |title=Austria launches legal case over EU's 'greenwashing' of nuclear & gas |url=https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2022/10/10/austria-launches-legal-challenge-over-eus-greenwashing-of-nuclear-and-gas |access-date=2022-10-21 |website=euronews |language=en}} Leonore Gewessler said the categorization was "greenwashing."{{Cite web |last=Tidey |first=Alice |date=2022-10-10 |title=Austria launches legal case over EU's 'greenwashing' of nuclear & gas |url=https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2022/10/10/austria-launches-legal-challenge-over-eus-greenwashing-of-nuclear-and-gas |access-date=2022-10-21 |website=euronews |language=en}} Defenders of the categorization see nuclear energy, which produces low carbon emissions relative to many energy sources, as key to reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.{{Cite news |last=Williams |first=Matthias |last2=Abnett |first2=Kate |date=2022-10-10 |title=Austria seeks allies for legal challenge to EU green investment rules |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/sustainable-business/anti-nuclear-austria-seeks-backing-against-eu-green-investment-rules-2022-10-10/ |access-date=2022-10-21 |work=Reuters |language=en}}

References

External links

[https://www.parlament.gv.at/WWER/PAD_05653/index.shtml Leonore Gewessler] on the Austrian Parliament website

Category:1977 births

Category:21st-century Austrian women politicians

Category:Austrian environmentalists

Category:Government ministers of Austria

Category:Living people

Category:Members of the 27th National Council (Austria)

Category:Members of the 28th National Council (Austria)

Category:Politicians from Graz

Category:The Greens (Austria) politicians

Category:University of Vienna alumni

Category:Women government ministers of Austria

Category:Women members of the National Council (Austria)