Ernst Strasser
Encyclopedia
Ernst Strasser is a former Austrian People's Party
politician and Federal Minister of the Interior
in Austria
(2000 - 2004), and was a Member of the European Parliament
(2009-2011). He resigned because of the 2011 Cash for Laws Scandal.
of Austria
between 2000 and 2004.
Strasser has been the president of the Austro-Russian Friendship Society (Österreichisch-Russische Freundschaftsgesellschaft) since 2003.
Between 2005 and 2008 Strasser was Managing Partner at VCP Energy Holdings, a subsidiary of Vienna Capital Partners
.
He took care of "energy projects in the new EU member countries in Eastern Europe" and reportedly enjoyed a salary of 500,000 euros per year.
Like Strasser, his cabinet secretary Christoph Ulmer is also a senior member of the Austro-Russian Friendship Society and went to become Executive Director of CE-Oil Gastrading AG, an energy company owned by Vienna Capital Partners.
He led his party in the 2009 European Parliament election
. He was a Member of the European Parliament
between 2009 and 2011.
One company, Business Consulting & Development GmbH, is said to have imported olive oil
from Syria
. Another company had links to Hungarian
bribery
investigations.
Strasser's CCE owns stakes in Russland-Connection Anteile as well as Firmen Advisory Partners (registered in Innsbruck), Konti Holding (registered in Wien) and Expert Management Beratung Russia (registered in Vienna
).
s ($
141,000) per year in exchange for proposing amendments in the EU parliament.
Austrian vice-chancellor and OeVP leader Josef Proell had called for the deputy's "immediate resignation from all political posts," describing his behaviour as "unacceptable". After initially fighting the claims, the 54-year-old Strasser announced his resignation on Sunday, noting: "I have decided to take this step because there has been a campaign against me in Austria" and this was "damaging the People's Party."
Austrian People's Party
The Austrian People's Party is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Austria. A successor to the Christian Social Party of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it is similar to the Christian Democratic Union of Germany in terms of ideology...
politician and Federal Minister of the Interior
Federal Ministry for the Interior (Austria)
The Federal Ministry for the Interior is a ministry of the Austrian federal government.It has offices in the Palais Modena. The current head of the ministry is minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner....
in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
(2000 - 2004), and was a Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
(2009-2011). He resigned because of the 2011 Cash for Laws Scandal.
Career
Strasser was Federal Minister of the InteriorFederal Ministry for the Interior (Austria)
The Federal Ministry for the Interior is a ministry of the Austrian federal government.It has offices in the Palais Modena. The current head of the ministry is minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner....
of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
between 2000 and 2004.
Strasser has been the president of the Austro-Russian Friendship Society (Österreichisch-Russische Freundschaftsgesellschaft) since 2003.
Between 2005 and 2008 Strasser was Managing Partner at VCP Energy Holdings, a subsidiary of Vienna Capital Partners
Vienna Capital Partners
Vienna Capital Partners is a corporate finance advisor and private equity investor headquartered in Vienna.The company is mainly focused on corporate finance, direct investment and trust management in Central and Eastern Europe countries.- History :...
.
He took care of "energy projects in the new EU member countries in Eastern Europe" and reportedly enjoyed a salary of 500,000 euros per year.
Like Strasser, his cabinet secretary Christoph Ulmer is also a senior member of the Austro-Russian Friendship Society and went to become Executive Director of CE-Oil Gastrading AG, an energy company owned by Vienna Capital Partners.
He led his party in the 2009 European Parliament election
European Parliament election, 2009 (Austria)
The European Parliament election of 2009 in Austria was the election of the delegation from Austria to the European Parliament in 2009. Austria will have 17 seats in the European Parliament, instead of 18 that the country had before the re-allocation of seats....
. He was a Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
between 2009 and 2011.
Business holdings
Der Standard newspaper's investigations in Ernst Strasser found that Strasser has many business holdings and listed some of these activities. Strasser founded Consulting, Coaching & Educating-GesmbH (CCE) in 2005. It is an one-man company 100% owned by Strasser. For the first two years, the CCE recorded a profit of around 380,000 euros. When the newspaper studied the holdings in May 2009, more recent data was missing from the commercial register. The company owns stakes in various other companies.One company, Business Consulting & Development GmbH, is said to have imported olive oil
Olive oil
Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
from Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. Another company had links to Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
bribery
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
investigations.
Strasser's CCE owns stakes in Russland-Connection Anteile as well as Firmen Advisory Partners (registered in Innsbruck), Konti Holding (registered in Wien) and Expert Management Beratung Russia (registered in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
).
2011 cash for influence scandal
On 20 March 2011, Britain's Sunday Times reported that three MEPs, including Austria's Ernst Strasser, had accepted offers of up to 100,000 euroEuro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
s ($
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
141,000) per year in exchange for proposing amendments in the EU parliament.
Austrian vice-chancellor and OeVP leader Josef Proell had called for the deputy's "immediate resignation from all political posts," describing his behaviour as "unacceptable". After initially fighting the claims, the 54-year-old Strasser announced his resignation on Sunday, noting: "I have decided to take this step because there has been a campaign against me in Austria" and this was "damaging the People's Party."
External links
- Official profile on the website of the European Parliament