Mr Joseph Pröll was appointed Vice Chancellor and Minister of Finance as of 2 December 2008 and thus also serves as EIB Governor for the Republic of Austria, succeeding Mr Wilhelm Molterer.
Born in 1968, Joseph Pröll studied agriculture and agricultural economics at the University of Vienna (graduated 1993).
He served previously as Federal Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment, and Water Resource Management since 2003. Between 2000 and 2001, he was Chief of Cabinet to the Federal Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Resource Management. Between 1998 and 2000, he served as assistant to MEP Agnes Schierhuber. Between 1993 and 2000, he worked as economist for the Austrian Farming Association and occupied the post of its Director between 2001 and 2003.