Martin Bartenstein (; born 3 June 1953) is an

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ** Austria-Hungary ** Austria ...

businessman and politician who held different cabinet portfolios between 1995 and 2008. He is a member of the

Austrian People's Party The Austrian People's Party ( , ÖVP ) is a Christian-democratic and liberal-conservative political party in Austria. Since January 2025, the party has been led by Christian Stocker (as an acting leader). It is currently the second-largest p ...

Early life and education

Bartenstein was born in

Graz Graz () is the capital of the Austrian Federal states of Austria, federal state of Styria and the List of cities and towns in Austria, second-largest city in Austria, after Vienna. On 1 January 2025, Graz had a population of 306,068 (343,461 inc ...

on 3 June 1953. He obtained a Ph.D. in chemistry from the

University of Graz The University of Graz (, formerly: ''Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz'') is a public university, public research university located in Graz, Austria. It is the largest and oldest university in Styria, as well as the second-largest and second-old ...

in 1978.

Career

Bartenstein started his career at his family's company, Lannacher Heilmittel GmbH, in 1978 and worked there until 1995. He also founded his own firm, Genericon, in 1986. In 1991 Bartenstein became a member of the

Austrian parliament The Austrian Parliament () is the bicameral federal legislature of Austria. It consists of two chambers – the National Council and the Federal Council. In specific cases, both houses convene as the Federal Assembly. The legislature meets i ...

for the

. He served as the minister of environment and public economy from May 1995 to 1996. He was minister of environment, youth, and family affairs from 1996 to 2000. In this post he served first in the cabinet of

Franz Vranitzky Franz Vranitzky (; born 4 October 1937) is an Austrian politician. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ), he was Chancellor of Austria from 1986 to 1997. Early life and career As the son of a foundryman, Vranitzky was born in ...

and then in the cabinet of Viktor Klima. Then he was named minister of economy and labor in 2000. He retained his post in the

coalition cabinet A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a government by political parties that enter into a power-sharing arrangement of the executive. Coalition governments usually occur when no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an e ...

formed by Prime Minister

Wolfgang Schüssel Wolfgang Schüssel (; born 7 June 1945) is a retired Austrian politician. He was Chancellor of Austria for two consecutive terms from February 2000 to January 2007. While being recognised as a rare example of an active reformer in contemporary A ...

in March 2003. On 11 January 2007 he became again minister of economy and labor in the coalition cabinet led by Prime Minister

Alfred Gusenbauer Alfred Gusenbauer (; born 8 February 1960) is an Austrian politician who until 2008 spent his entire professional life as an employee of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) or as a parliamentary representative. He headed the SPÖ from 2 ...

. In 2012, Bartenstein was made the traffic affairs spokesman of the Austrian People's Party.

Personal life

Bartenstein married Ilse Bartenstein in 1983 and they have five children, a daughter and four sons.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bartenstein, Martin 20th-century Austrian businesspeople 21st-century Austrian businesspeople 1953 births Austrian People's Party politicians Ministers of economy of Austria Environment ministers of Austria Family ministers of Austria Government ministers of Austria Ministers of labour of Austria Living people Members of the 18th National Council (Austria) Members of the 19th National Council (Austria) Members of the 20th National Council (Austria) Members of the 21st National Council (Austria) Members of the 22nd National Council (Austria) Members of the 23rd National Council (Austria) Members of the 24th National Council (Austria) Politicians from Graz University of Graz alumni