Highest Honor

And what, exactly, was the achievement, Councilwoman?

Kasia Greco of the ÖVP was awarded the Grand Decoration of Honor for Services to the Republic of Austria—though, according to our research, the list of her major achievements is rather short.(Bild: Imre Antal)

An unknown politician with no portfolio receives one of Austria’s highest honors. We set out to find the reason.

Kasia Greco had every reason to be happy on Wednesday, but that was already written in her horoscope. The forecast for Libras that day read: “Today you have the opportunity to prove your abilities.”

What that might mean is just as much a mystery—because politically, the ÖVP city councilwoman, who holds no portfolio, has hardly made a splash so far. A survey conducted by the Institute for Public Opinion Research and Data Analysis on behalf of the “Krone” revealed that only nine percent of the 1,000 respondents want Greco to play a bigger role in politics (ranking last among all city council members). Forty-two percent have no idea who she is. So what does Greco do?

No portfolio, but a decent salary
As a non-executive city councilwoman, she may not have a portfolio or any responsibilities, but she does receive a decent salary of 11,328 euros per month. On Wednesday at 10 a.m., a distinguished group gathered in the City Senate chamber of Vienna City Hall to honor Kasia Greco—and to present her with one of the country’s most prestigious awards: the Grand Decoration of Honor for Services to the Republic of Austria.

Applause for the award recipient at City Hall(Bild: Imre Antal)

Freddy Quinn, Hermann Maier, Kasia Greco
Notable recipients include Freddy Quinn, Hermann Maier, and Martin Grubinger. So, what was the achievement, Councilwoman?

Figuring that out is no easy task. The sequence of events can be reconstructed as follows: Greco was nominated by the ÖVP-led Ministry of Economic Affairs, which forwarded the request to the ÖVP-led Ministry of the Interior, which forwarded the request to the Hofburg, where Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen had either no desire or no time—or both—to present the award and therefore asked Vienna’s Mayor Michael Ludwig to represent him.

Promoting Women in Business
Once again: So what was the achievement? The Ministry of the Interior states: “In particular, the honoree has advocated for the advancement of women in business and the business world over the past 15 years. She served as spokesperson for sole proprietorships at the Chamber of Commerce for more than six years and, in this role, worked primarily to improve the framework conditions for this sector of business.”

Sounds like a copy-and-paste from her resume. Her party membership was likely far more important.