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Leonore Gewessler

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Leonore Gewessler
Minister for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 January 2020
PresidentAlexander Van der Bellen
Chancellor
Preceded byAndreas Reichhardt
Personal details
Born (1977-10-15) 15 October 1977 (age 47)
Graz, Styria, Austria
Political partyThe Greens – The Green Alternative
Alma materUniversity of Vienna

Leonore Gewessler (German: [lɛoˈnoːʁε ˈgeːvεslɐ]; born 15 September 1977) is an Austrian Green politician serving as Minister for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology in the Nehammer government.[1]

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[clarification needed] Mochovce Nuclear Power Plant in neighbouring Slovakia, just 100 km from the Austrian border.[2] In the negotiations on a coalition government following the 2019 Austrian legislative election, Gewessler was a member of the Green Party's delegation.[2]

Role in the Nature Restoration Law

In June 2024, Leonore 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 and political controversy, Gewessler announced her support for the law, 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 Austria's federal states and her coalition partners, the centre-right Austrian People's Party (ÖVP).[3]

References

  1. ^ "Leonore Gewessler, BA, Biografie". www.parlament.gv.at (in German). Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  2. ^ a b Sam Jones (March 2, 2020), Austrian Greens’ ‘super minister’ takes the reins Financial Times.
  3. ^ Niranjan, Ajit (17 June 2024). "EU passes law to restore 20% of bloc's land and sea by end of decade". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 June 2024.


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