Lower Austria with a Multi-Million Savings Target

The state of Lower Austria has set a savings target of 300 million euros for the double budget 2027 and 2028. The amount is to be achieved "in the structure" and "in the system," said Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) on Wednesday at a retreat of the government members from the People's Party and FPÖ. 33 state laws will be adjusted, three of them abolished. Women with caregiving responsibilities in leadership positions in the state service are also to be promoted.

No "Lawnmower"

Mikl-Leitner spoke of a "very ambitious goal" in view of the budget savings plan during a press conference at Altenburg Abbey (Horn district) given the tense financial situation. But: "You can be sure that we will not go over it with a lawnmower." Savings should not be made particularly in the areas of health and childcare.

Deputy Governor Udo Landbauer (FPÖ) emphasized the goal set in the work agreement concluded in March 2023, "to comply with the Stability Pact and to be Maastricht-compliant by 2027." The state party leader of the Freedom Party also stressed that there must be savings in politicians' salaries, in the system, in the subsidy system, and beyond, "that is, on the expenditure side." However, "maximum clarity" is also needed.

A double budget had already been created for 2025 and 2026 in Lower Austria. Originally, a deficit of 350 million euros was estimated for 2025 and a deficit of 256 million euros for 2026. With a supplementary budget adopted in November of the previous year after the flood, the deficit for 2025 increased to around 630 million euros. The double budget for 2027 and 2028 will be dealt with in the state parliament next year.

State Parliament to Pass Lower Austria Deregulation Act

Based on the so-called task review, the state parliament will pass the Lower Austria Deregulation Act, "which massively streamlines 33 state laws," announced the state leader. The Lower Austria Liability Compensation Fund Act, the Lower Austria Collection Act, and the Act on Hunting and Fishing Supervisors will be abolished without replacement. Changes are also planned in the construction sector. In the future, the municipal board will no longer be responsible for appeals against building permits; complaints will then be handled directly by the state administrative court. Mikl-Leitner expects this to relieve the municipalities and result in "faster procedures" by two to six months, while Landbauer also anticipates more clarity and simplicity.

Business facility procedures are to be further accelerated with the "Procedure Express Plus." Currently, 80 percent of cases are processed within 13 weeks, and this figure is to be reduced to ten weeks. For faster processing, the deputy district governor in each of the 20 district administrations will become the central coordinator for the procedures. Official experts will in the future be coordinated statewide in the building directorate, and the five regional building offices in Korneuburg, Wiener Neustadt, St. Pölten, Krems, and Mödling will be dissolved. Lower Austria is to become one of the fastest state administrations in Europe, outlined Mikl-Leitner. "Further savings opportunities will be examined - from electoral matters to tax procedures, we will look at everything," announced Landbauer.

In the state service, "special attention will be paid to the caregiving responsibilities of women when filling leadership positions," announced Mikl-Leitner. Here, they want to "exhaust all means and ways." The care of children and close relatives is a significant factor. "We want to be a federal state that clearly supports women with caregiving responsibilities, women with children," emphasized Landbauer. This is to be stipulated in a corresponding decree in the state service. "With this, we are setting a very strong and important family policy stake," said the deputy state leader. Already implemented are a legal entitlement to part-time work until a child reaches the age of 18 and the possibility of holding leadership positions part-time.

SPÖ state party leader Sven Hergovich described the targeted promotion of women as a "positive step" in a reaction. Regarding the savings, the state councilor wants to "closely examine whether these occur within their own structures, such as the generously funded state companies, or among the population," according to a press release. However, Hergovich criticized that the ÖVP and FPÖ at the government retreat "did not take a single measure against inflation."

(APA/Red)

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