Critics within his coalition government and the media are rounding on Austria’s ‘ineffectual’ chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer but, he tells Karina Robinson, those who write him off may be in for a surprise.

As his country hosts the EU presidency, Austrian chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel says the European competitiveness agenda can be boosted.

The Banker invites CEOs from around the world to discuss the economic climate in their country and institution, and their hopes for the future

Austria’s Raiffeisen International (RZB) is in exclusive takeover talks with Ukraine’s second-largest commercial bank, Aval. “We are in talks that we have agreed will be mutual until May,” said the chief executive of Raiffeisen International, Herbert Stepic. “We want to take over the bank entirely.”