Research | Law Faculty

Walla, P., & Kalt, S., & Lachmayer, K. (2024). Neurophysiological Correlates of Expert Knowledge: An Event-Related Potential (ERP) Study about Law-Relevant Versus Law-Irrelevant Terms

Participants: University Professor Dr Teresa Weber, MSc; Martin Zebinger, Mag.
Duration: 01/08/2024 to 31/07/2027 (3 years)

On 1 September 2025, official secrecy in Austria will be replaced by freedom of information. Freedom of information includes a comprehensive publication obligation for information of general interest as well as an additional right of access to information. This also applies to Austrian municipalities, which fulfil a variety of functions and therefore have access to diverse information from different sources. At the same time, municipalities are often the first point of contact for residents’ concerns and therefore have a prominent position when it comes to ensuring transparency and freedom of information.

Even in the run-up to the introduction of freedom of information, fears were expressed that the municipalities could be pushed to their capacity limits with the number of requests for information and the difficult balancing issues in connection with the legitimate interests of confidentiality. In our research project, we want to investigate which legal issues are particularly relevant at municipal level and contribute to answering these questions.
Further information

Project period: 2020-2021, Project leader: Dr Tamara Ehs, Project funding: Future Fund Republic of Austria

About the project: The coronavirus crisis made it necessary to intervene in the foundations of a democratically organised society in a way that was previously hardly thought possible: Massive exit restrictions were imposed, entire localities were quarantined, parliamentary procedure was reduced to a minimum in favour of quick action, etc. The European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which has had constitutional status in Austria since 1964, authorises such restrictions on fundamental rights ‘which are provided for by law and are necessary in a democratic society’ in order to ‘protect health’, among other things. This means that even massive interventions can be justified, but must be proportionate and represent the lesser means.
The project ‘Democracy and human rights during the coronavirus crisis. Austria in international comparison’ analyses Austria’s crisis management during the coronavirus pandemic with regard to fundamental rights that are particularly relevant to democracy, such as freedom of expression, the fundamental right to data protection, freedom of the press, freedom of association, freedom of assembly, the right to vote and the right to education.

May 2020

Prof. Dr Verica Trstenjak was awarded the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art I Class by Federal President Dr Alexander Van der Bellen for her outstanding academic achievements in the field of European law and for her contribution to deepening relations between Austria and Slovenia. Read the press release (pdf) here.

April 2020

Dominik Prankl (SFU) has filed an individual application with the Constitutional Court challenging the ordinance of Health Minister Anschober regarding exit restrictions on the grounds of illegality.
Read the article from the press (pdf) by Benedikt Kommenda here.

February 2020

Susanne Gstöttner, Lukas Linser, Lio Soliman and Kristina Altrichter from SFU took part in the Masterclass Interdisciplinary Law at the JKU – Johannes Kepler University Linz on 20 February on the topic of “Procedural Justice”. Susanne Gstöttner gave a lecture on the topic “Autonomous driving in the real-world laboratory – the population as victims or profiteers?”, Lukas Linser on the topic “Victims in sexual criminal law”. You can download the programme here (pdf).

SFU Research Newsletter JUS Academic Year 2021/22 – No. 2

SFU Research Newsletter JUS Academic Year 2020/21 – No. 1