_If we deal with the Austrian rule of law, we face a number of specific phenomena which only to a certain extent can be identified explicitly in the text of the Federal Constitutional Act or -- with regard to the Austrian federal structure -- in the constitutions of the Länder. The core element of a formal understanding of the rule of law is the principle of legality (Art 18 para 1 and 2 Federal Constitutional Act \[B-VG\];_ the B-VG − the core constitutional document (BGBl (Federal Law Gazette) 1920/1) − has been modified more than a hundred times until today._). Further elements of a substantive understanding of the rule of law are the system of legal remedies and the effectiveness of the system of legal protection including the existence of independent courts as well as the principle of proportionality deriving from the interpretation of human rights such as the equality clause (Art 7 para 1 B-VG)._