Federal Ministry

The work of the Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, the Civil Service and Sport

Arts and Culture

The arts and culture in all their traditional and innovative as well as material and immaterial forms are of great importance in Austria. Austria’s reputation as a country in which culture plays a significant role is based on world-famous works by renowned artists from the fields of music, painting, literature and architecture. It is now being continued in a young and creative environment featuring contemporary art, theatre, film and design. A concept of the arts and culture which is open and unprejudiced encourages people to understand and experience the world, and to respect others.

The task of Austrian policy in the field of the arts and culture is to create suitable conditions for a lively cultural scene. This includes the promotion of contemporary art work of various kinds, the preservation of the existing wealth of culture, and providing information and education about our cultural heritage. The Arts and Culture Division is responsible for the realisation of arts and culture policy at a federal level.

The division "Arts and Culture", which was allocated to the Federal Chancellery, was taken over by the Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sport on 29 January 2020. Duties and designations of the Federal Ministries are established on the basis of the Amended Ministerial Law, last updated on 29 January 2020.

The civil service

The Civil Service Division of the ministry has the task of ensuring a modern management of the administration. By developing and implementing the necessary conditions, an efficient administration with well-trained and motivated staff can be ensured.
The main tasks of the division are the design of federal civil service law, initial and further training, supporting the ministry in its strategic and operative human resources development, ensuring that its personnel are deployed efficiently, and the outcome-oriented management of the administration.

Sport

Sport is an essential part of life in Austria. Every day it captures the imagination of millions of people in this country. To establish Austria as a sporting nation, it is important to create the necessary conditions and to ensure the financial and organisational support this requires. Whereas the provinces are responsible for sport in terms of constitutional law, the federal government is primarily competent for subsidies. The Sports Division of the Ministry deals with the promotion of the social and health-related functions of sport, and is responsible for sports clubs and associations. Its specific tasks are laid down in the Federal Ministries Act.