Austria

Verein für Konsumenteninformation – VKI

• Founded in 1961
• A BEUC member since 1994
• 98 staff
• Most important consumer success:
  The Consumer Protection Act of 1979 represents a landmark in the development of the Austrian Consumer movement. It ensured the legal framework keeps pace with economic and social developments in consumers’ everyday lives.
• Subscriptions in 2011: 58,600 magazine and 9,500 online subscriptions
• Consumer advice: 116,641

Arbeiterkammer

• Founded in 1920
• BEUC member since 2000
• Most important consumer success: Arbeiterkammer brought a court case against a bank related to misleading information in a sales brochure for financial products. Following a ruling by Austria’s highest Court which upheld our view that the information was misleading, 3,600 investors were able to recover €13 million over in 2010 and 2011.