The Second Adult Protection Act [2. Erwachsenenschutzgesetz] entered into force on 1 July 2018. The existing legal provisions were revised over a two-year period with the close involvement of notaries. The new law is centred on autonomy, self-determination and decision-making guidance of those concerned. There will be four main pillars for representing adults requiring assistance: lasting power of attorney, elective representation, statutory representation and court-appointed representation. Every choice of one of the four pillars must be recorded in a centralised national register of which notaries are in charge. As a new rule, lawyers and notaries will in future be able to act as representatives for a maximum of 15 individuals.
Online registration of companies
The Austrian Chamber of Civil Law Notaries has developed a system to provide digital tools which allow limited liability companies to register fully online with the involvement of a notary. Nevertheless, the indispensable legal certainty is guaranteed to avoid abuses. An important aspect of company registration with digital tools is the implementation of video conferences. In these video conferences, the notary can give legal advice to entrepreneurs with the aim of finding the best solution for their companies. The entire online registration system is expected to be established in the second quarter of 2019.
