Federal Council of Austria

Before the renovation of the Parliament Building the Federal Council met in the Antechamber of the House of Lords. During the renovation of the Parliament Building the Federal Council met in the Hofburg. The Federal Council (German: Bundesrat, pronounced [ˈbʊndəsʁaːt]) is the upper house of the Austrian Parliament, representing the nine states of Austria at the federal level. As part of a bicameral legislature alongside the National Council, it can be compared with an upper house or a senate. It is far less powerful than the National Council: although it has to approve every new law decided for by this lower chamber, the latter can – in most cases – overrule the Federal Council's refusal to approve.

The Bundesrat has its seat at the Austrian Parliament Building in Vienna. Since 2023, it meets in a chamber formerly used by the National Council's budget committee. During a major renovation of the parliament building from 2017 until 2023, the Federal Council met in the Hofburg Palace.