An amendment to the state treaty between the Republic and the Principality seems appropriate, since the current border line runs through the Egelsee and “the course of the state border is no longer recognizable,” as it says in the explanations of the planned change in the law.
Current border runs in a zigzag course
The state border between Austria and Liechtenstein, which is around 160 square kilometers in size and has around 40,000 inhabitants, is around 35 kilometers long. In sections, the regulated Esche stream marks the border, including in the area of the Egelsee, which belongs to the town of Feldkirch on the Austrian side. The Egelsee is a retention pond that was created between 2011 and 2013 to improve flood safety. The current border now runs in a zigzag course – following the former stream bed – through the lake. The new border demarcation is intended to remedy this.
The state treaty also contains the passage that the strip of land along the state border that must be kept free must only be one meter wide instead of the previous ten meters. This brings advantages for the owners of the affected properties, it was said.
In order for the new state treaty to determine the state border between Austria and Liechtenstein to be concluded, Vorarlberg must also give its consent. The corresponding law at the state level is currently under review.
