This was announced by State Secretary Michaela Schmidt (SPÖ) on Wednesday after the Council of Ministers. The talks are expected to last until April, with the budget speech by Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer (SPÖ) in the National Council scheduled for May 13. The parliamentary process is then to be completed by July 1.

Government Agrees on Budget Roadmap

"This will not be a pleasant process for anyone," emphasized Schmidt in view of the federal government's need for savings. Finance Minister Marterbauer is supported by his State Secretary Barbara Eibinger-Miedl (ÖVP) and the State Secretary responsible for deregulation, Josef Schellhorn (NEOS). The government is under enormous pressure in budget preparation due to high debt, among other things, an EU deficit procedure is to be prevented.

Economic Measures in the Council of Ministers

Even before the government meeting, the leaders of the three governing parties, Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP), Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler (SPÖ), and Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger (NEOS), announced the adoption of several measures to strengthen the economic location. This includes the development of an industry and skilled labor strategy, which was agreed upon at the government retreat on Tuesday. Approval procedures are also to be simplified.

Approval procedures are also to be simplified to advance the expansion of renewable energies and the necessary infrastructure. Thus, the legal framework, particularly in energy laws, the General Administrative Procedures Act (AVG), and the Trade Regulation Act, is to be streamlined and modernized through the implementation of European legal requirements. The increase in threshold values for direct awards from 100,000 euros to 143,000 euros is being made as a legally compliant adjustment in the Threshold Value Ordinance.

Construction Economy to be Strengthened

Company support will also be designed in the future to ensure the "greatest possible economic effect with maximum efficiency in the use of budgetary resources." In this context, guarantees and liabilities are to be increasingly applied, and instruments such as low-interest loans will be utilized.

To strengthen the construction economy, the federal government has agreed on another package of measures. This includes, among other things, simplifications and accelerations in the construction process, the reintroduction of the earmarking of housing subsidies with the involvement of the federal states, as well as adjustments in housing financing.

Greens Suspect Connection with Vienna Election

The Greens generally welcomed the fact that there is now a roadmap for budget consolidation. However, the fact that the presentation will only take place on May 13 suggests "that there is a connection with the Vienna election at the end of April and that unpleasant details of the austerity package are to be hidden before the election," said Jakob Schwarz, the Greens' budget spokesperson.

Praise for the announced measures in the skilled labor sector came from the Chamber of Commerce (WKÖ). The announcement of an industrial strategy was welcomed by the Federation of Austrian Industries (IV) and the production union PRO-GE in press releases.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.