Austria

Abstract

The shape of territorial autonomy of Austria is formed by two factors: the historical tradition and the size of the country. Only Vienna is a city that can be called metropolitan. The most important regulations are included in the Constitution of the Republic of Austria. The essence of the Austrian territorial autonomy is “freedom from directions” formulated by the centralized administration on the federal as well as local level. The control over territorial autonomy concerns compliance with the law and economic activities of the community. Austrian autonomy can be characterized by stability and trust typical of the German-speaking countries.