Vienna Chamber of Commerce Chief Ruck Under Pressure: Economics Minister Hattmannsdorfer Fires Back

In the new passages published on Monday evening, Ruck is also said to have disparaged Hattmannsdorfer. "He comes in to see you with 300 pages that he has crammed, and wants to tell you all 300 pages in two minutes," "profil" quoted Ruck as saying in substance. In another attributed passage, the Vienna chamber chief is said to have labeled Hattmannsdorfer as a "type of clerk and board assistant." The chairman of the industry division in the Federal Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ), Siegfried Menz, together with other unnamed industry representatives from Upper Austria, is also said to have "talked nonsense, just coming from a caviar breakfast," during discussions about the chamber levy 2, as the transcript reportedly states.

Hattmannsdorfer Fights Back

The economics minister responded on Tuesday in a written statement to the APA and also to oe24. "What I find distinctly disturbing is the alleged understanding of politics as well as the image of women and of female and male entrepreneurs. In this context, it is disrespectful if the statements were made in this way, and very astonishing, if not disturbing," Hattmannsdorfer said. "Both are at odds with my understanding of my role as federal minister," the senior politician added.

At the same time, Hattmannsdorfer calmly rejected the implicit accusation of displaying a high work tempo and being substantively prepared. "I can live well with the accusation of having a high work tempo and being well prepared in terms of content," he told STANDARD. The fact that Ruck and he are ÖVP party colleagues, and that Hattmannsdorfer himself worked in the Chamber of Commerce before his move to the ministry, adds further explosiveness to the matter.

Backing from His Own Ranks

From his immediate circle, according to the Ö1 midday journal, it was said that Ruck will "certainly not resign." The Wirtschaftsbund Vienna also rallied behind the chamber president. "Don't worry, Walter will not resign," it said in a statement available to the APA. Wirtschaftsbund director Florian Kollenz wrote in an internal WhatsApp message to district representatives on Monday that they did not want to "let the president be taken down." At the same time, according to STANDARD, Ruck's circle is trying to brand the recording as "illegal" and to win female advocates of Ruck for public statements.

Ruck's vice president, Margarete Kriz-Zwittkovits, who herself appears in an unfavorable light in the leaked transcripts, also backed the WKW president. The chairwoman of the economic parliament of the Vienna Chamber of Commerce, Martha Schultz, likewise stood by Ruck – but coupled this with a clear expectation. She assumed that Ruck wanted to avert damage to the chamber and would "take the right steps," she said – which was widely read as a thinly veiled call for his resignation.

Industry Draws Consequences

Reactions from his own chamber organization, by contrast, were markedly more critical. The Federation of Austrian Industries (IV) officially distanced itself from Ruck on Tuesday. IV Secretary General Christoph Neumayer pointed out on the sidelines of a press conference that industrial companies were significant financiers of the Chamber of Commerce – "also in Vienna": "Voestalpine alone paid around ten million euros a year in mandatory membership contributions to the WKO." Trust in Ruck was "deeply shaken," Neumayer said. "I can say that trust is naturally deeply shaken, and how it can be restored is more than questionable," the IV secretary general added.

That the tone was "indefensible" and "also unworthy of a top Vienna chamber official," said the former Styrian governor Waltraud Klasnic, chair of the WKÖ Ethics Council, on Tuesday on the Ö1 midday journal. The case was also one for the ÖVP Ethics Council, the broadcaster reported further. "If this is true, then there is not only a need for action, but also a need for decision," Klasnic said. An information notice had already been sent out to members, but a meeting date still had to be set. Senior Citizens' Association president Ingrid Korosec also described the alleged remarks as "incredible."

Vienna ÖVP and Opposition

Criticism also came from the Vienna ÖVP on Tuesday. Its Vienna chief Markus Figl expressed astonishment at the "tone" and the "understanding of politics" of Ruck. "Incredible," Figl commented on the allegations. Chancellor and ÖVP leader Christian Stocker had already demanded clarification on Monday: "The remarks reported in the media are deeply irritating and contradict the People's Party's image of women and understanding of politics." The opposition broadened the scope to the People's Party as a whole: Stocker was urged to find himself a "meaningful" occupation; the case, it was said, provided an insight into the "moral abyss of the ÖVP."

The opposition went even further. "What these transcripts show is not a slip-up. What we are experiencing here is not a private lapse, but a portrait of the black power circles," FPÖ chief Herbert Kickl said on Tuesday in a press release directed at Ruck. The deputy green parliamentary group leader Sigrid Maurer had already found clear words on Friday: "Public functions must not be handed out in wine cellars, back rooms, or on skiing holidays," she said. "We do not look away when women are disparaged, belittled, and denied access to decision-making positions because of their gender," the opposition further stated.

Legal Options

Sharp criticism also came from civil society. The industrialist Stephan Zöchling, founder of the initiative "#zusammenstaerker," wrote in a release: "This is the mindset of chamber emperor Walter Ruck. Anyone who trades positions to family members and party friends out of Schloss Hernstein, Opera Ball boxes, and wine cellars is not in a position to disparage high performers in such a way." For Zöchling, "resignation is the only consequence."

As for the legal side, the Economics Ministry could theoretically intervene. The ministry can remove officials if "they are guilty of a gross violation or neglect of their duties," as the law states. "This ends the function of the individual organ," the WKO Law states. In practice, however, this is unlikely, the Ö1 midday journal reported. The political dynamic surrounding the affair had already escalated significantly over the weekend: from the accusation that Ruck, according to the transcript, had lobbied for one of his sons to receive an ÖVP list place for the Vienna election, a separate discussion also arose.

Overall, the situation remains precarious for the Vienna chamber chief: while the Vienna Chamber of Commerce and his direct circle continue to stand by him, pressure is growing from industry, politics, and the public. By the time this article was published, Ruck himself had not yet commented on the new allegations.

According to statements available to STANDARD, the Vienna Chamber of Commerce is meanwhile not planning any short-term personnel steps. The decision on a possible resignation lay with Ruck himself, it was said from his circle. What is clear, however, is that the coming days will show whether the pressure is sufficient to bring movement into the affair – or whether Ruck can hold on to his post despite all the criticism.