Assessment for the Reform of Approval Procedures Started
In addition to the platform, further digital options to simplify approval procedures are to be examined, and the necessity of publication in daily newspapers is being questioned. It is unclear whether this is still current, so more contemporary alternatives are to be considered, according to a statement.
Reform of Approval Procedures to Prevent "Eternal Delays"
The authority can also set a deadline by which party submissions must be made at the latest. This should be the case at least one week before the oral hearing. Late submissions will no longer be considered. In the future, the investigation procedure can also be concluded for parts of a project. The publication period for edict writings will be shortened from eight to six weeks. "With the new deadlines for party submissions, we prevent parties involved in the procedure - such as NGOs - from being able to delay procedures indefinitely," said State Secretary Alexander Pröll (ÖVP), who wants to put a stop to "deliberate delaying."
By lowering the entry threshold - in the future, the large-scale procedure will be applied from 50 participants, not just from 100 - more procedures should benefit from the accelerated rules. Large-scale procedures should also be able to be conducted during the Christmas and summer months: "The summer break for public announcements - the so-called edict block - will be abolished," said Minister of Economic Affairs Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer (ÖVP). It will also be examined whether the involvement of official experts and the regulation of non-official experts can be simplified.
The innovation was already announced at the summer council of ministers on Wednesday. "Next, a law to accelerate the expansion of renewable energies will follow. In the fall, we will reform the environmental impact assessments," Hattmannsdorfer further announced. The goal is for approvals to be faster and procedures to be more streamlined, "so that investments and innovations are more easily possible again."
WKÖ Praise for Reform of Approval Procedures
Positive feedback came from the Chamber of Commerce. "The amendment promises a modern, well-structured procedural law that prevents unnecessary delays and safeguards the rights of all parties involved," stated Siegfried Menz, chairman of the Federal Division of Industry, in a release. This could be "a significant building block at the legislative level for a comeback of the Austrian industry." He advocated for the rapid implementation of the procedure-accelerating measures.
(APA/Red)
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