E/C.12/1994/16 page 2 B. Positive aspects 4. The Committee welcomes the efforts made by the Austrian Government to create the conditions necessary for the exercise of the rights recognized under the Covenant. It notes with satisfaction the adoption of legislative measures guaranteeing non-discrimination against women, in particular Act No. 833/1992 amending the Equal Treatment Act of 1979, which addresses the problem of sex-based discrimination in the workplace, and the Federal Act on the Equal Treatment of Women and Men and the Advancement of Women in the Federal Service of 1993, as amended in 1994, which guarantees equal treatment for women and men employed by the federal Administration. The Committee notes the establishment, at the federal level, of the Equal Treatment Commission and the creation of the post of Equal Treatment Advocate. 5. The Committee takes note of the efforts made by the Austrian Government, notably in the field of education, to integrate foreign workers and their families. The Committee also notes the establishment of a fund for the integration of migrants, and also the measures taken to combat xenophobia and promote tolerance. 6. The Committee takes note of initiatives aimed at combating unemployment and the adverse effects of the restructuring of large companies, in particular the establishment of labour foundations. 7. The Committee expresses its satisfaction at the range and quality of the services provided to the population as a whole, and notably social benefits for elderly persons and the disabled. 8. The Committee notes with interest the efforts made in the field of vocational training and the wide spectrum of educational opportunities available after compulsory education has been completed. It takes note of the scope of the continuing education system, which enables adults steadily to expand their knowledge. 9. The Committee notes with satisfaction the various measures taken by the State party to ensure the protection of the various ethnic minorities and to guarantee them both the right to be educated in their mother tongue and the right to preserve and maintain their cultural identity. In this regard, the Committee welcomes the recognition of the Rom minority as a national minority, and notes with satisfaction the allocation of subsidies for the promotion of the cultural activities of minorities, and the establishment within the Federal Chancellery of Advisory Boards on Ethnic Minorities. C. Principal subjects of concern 10. The Committee notes that the provisions of the universal human rights instruments, the Covenant among them, cannot be directly invoked before the Austrian courts, unlike the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which has been incorporated into domestic legislation and has the force of constitutional law. Although the Austrian delegation has stated that its national legislation is consistent with the provisions of the Covenant, the Committee nevertheless expresses its concern