Former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) is employed by Masdar’s European branch. This is a company in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi that deals with renewable energies and hydrogen, as research by “Standard” and the Dutch investigative platform “Follow the Money” revealed.
According to the company register, Kurz took up the position of director of the European subsidiary at the end of April 2022, around six months following his resignation as Chancellor, reports the “Standard” in its Friday edition. The owners of Masdar are the billion-dollar state fund Mubadala and the Abu Dhabi state oil company Adnoc (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company), which also has almost a quarter stake in the Austrian OMV.
“Strategic partnership”
According to “Standard”, the collaboration probably has its roots in the days of Kurz’s chancellorship. At the end of July 2021, the Republic of Austria and the Emirates agreed in Vienna on a “strategic partnership” for “closer cooperation in the field of hydrogen,” as it was said on the Austrian Foreign Ministry website at the time. Masdar is primarily responsible for the hydrogen sector in the Emirates.
