The dismissal of a board member at the Hungarian-Austrian Raaberbahn is the trigger for a heated dispute between the governments of Austria and Hungary. In a dictatorial manner, a decision would have been made and implemented without the other shareholders or the supervisory board being consulted.
Raaberbahn AG is a private railway company that survived the collapse of the Danube Monarchy as well as the era of communism in Hungary. Over the company's long history, only the ownership has changed repeatedly. With 65,6356 percent, the Hungarian state is by far the largest shareholder. The Republic of Austria holds 28,2378 percent. The rest is attributable to the Strabag Group.
A few days ago, Hana Dellemann, who previously served as deputy general director and head of the Austrian branch, was dismissed. The Austrian Ministry of Transport wants to take action against this because they claim that they were not asked as a shareholder. The supervisory board is also said not to have been entrusted with this matter. If you believe the Austrian account: the Hungarian government went it alone without asking or informing anyone.
Raaberbahn AG is probably extremely tight-lipped for good reason. All that is communicated is that Hana Dellemann is no longer part of the railway company's management. No further questions are answered; their tasks would have been taken over by the other board members.
Under Orban, Hungary is increasingly governed in an authoritarian manner. In a way, the official reaction of the Gewessler ministry is a little surprising, because in authoritarian regimes it is simply not usual to ask others for permission. After all, the developments in Hungary, which are causing concern for many Europeans, should be well known. In any case, the "Climate Protection Ministry" wants to take the matter to court.
"In a unilaterally convened general meeting at the beginning of November, the head of the Austrian branch, Hana Dellemann, was dismissed without reason at the instigation of the Hungarian owners. The Climate Protection Ministry considers this procedure to be wrong and unlawful. The unilateral dismissal contradicts the company law contracts. The Republic of Austria will therefore fight this procedure legally," said a statement from the Gewessler Ministry.