ABSTRACT
Austria is a federal state. The federal tradition, composed of historically-developed entities and a multi-ethnic populace during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, mainly influenced the design of the new republic after World War I. Austria’s Federal Constitution shapes the system as a federal state with centralist features. Legislative power is transferred down as far as to the Landtage and to the Landeshauptleute that are, on the one hand, bound to directives of the federal government or ministers, they can, in turn, issue directives to the Land institutions. Burgenland became the youngest of the nine Austrian Lander in 1921. In a rather pragmatic way, Burgenland since 1995 has made good use of the chances offered by European integration bringing the region from isolation to modernization. The only enclave among Austrian Lander and a hybrid of Land and city at the same time, Vienna focused its foreign relations on cities with comparable problems and interests.
