Austrian Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler is facing legal action from the country's governing Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) for backing the European Union's new Nature Restoration Law.
ÖVP general secretary Christian Stocker said that a charge of abuse of office would be laid against Gewessler, a member of Austria's Greens, arguing that she had deliberately infringed constitutional law by voting for the EU law.
The ÖVP is the larger party in a coalition with the Greens in Austria.
"Leonore Gewessler is placing herself above the constitution, because she is unable to act in line with the law on account of her Green ideology," Stocker said.
The conservative ÖVP argues that Gewessler is bound by an objection to the law raised by Austria's states. Gewessler believes that this veto is no longer valid.