Historical turn: First woman heads the cooperative association!

Historical turn: First woman heads the cooperative association!

In a remarkable turn in the history of the Austrian cooperatives, Monika Cisar-Leibeteder took over the presidency in the Austrian cooperative association on June 7, 2025 and is the first woman who held this position in 153 years. At the same time, she is the head of Volksbank Styria. In an interview, she commented on the current situation of the banking and the increase in residential loans. Cisar-Leibetseder sees cooperatives as a modern model that plays its strengths in economically difficult times. It emphasizes how important communal action is in the economy and refers to the teachings from Covid pandemic, which have shown that globalization alone does not represent a solution for all problems. krone.at reports about these developments.

The trend towards cooperative living is not only shown in Austria, but also in Germany, where housing cooperatives have shaped the housing markets for over 100 years. These cooperatives not only contribute to the creation and securing of affordable living space, but also to the stability of neighborhoods. The purpose of the registered cooperatives (EC) is based on the principle of self -help, self -determination and self -government. Members can obtain a lifelong right of use in an apartment by acquiring business shares. This structure promotes close bond between tenants and shareholders, since both groups are usually identical. There are also around 2,000 housing cooperatives in Germany that manage around 2.2 million apartments, such as

growth and support of cooperatives

In the current, tense overall economic situation, cooperatives have gained importance. Unanswered households, a decline in investments and increasing construction costs burden the economy. Nevertheless, 240 new cooperatives were founded in the first half of the year, which corresponds to an increase of almost 57 percent compared to the previous year. The area of ​​energy cooperatives grows particularly strongly, with over 62 percent growth in new start -ups. These cooperatives play a key role in the energy transition by establishing innovative models such as local heating networks and bioenergy villages that promote sustainable energy supply. The cooperatives employ over a million people in Germany. The largest employers are commercial cooperatives with over 738,000 employees.