Minister of Economic Affairs demands detoxification of the EU bureaucracy for Austria!

Minister of Economic Affairs demands detoxification of the EU bureaucracy for Austria!

In today's National Council meeting, the focus was on "securing wealth by the EU internal market and by exports for Austria". The ÖVP called for a rapid reduction in bureaucracy to strengthen competitiveness, while the FPÖ took a critical attitude towards the requirements from Brussels. The FPÖ, represented by Axel Kassegger, spoke of "diametrals differently" in the views on EU policy, whereby it demanded that new EU regulations have to be subjected to strict tests. For many, the decline in bureaucratic effort is an in aniling topic, as is the desire for more sovereignty, said Kassegger, said the existing structures in the country and demands a “restart”. This was reported by the Austrian press agency .

The ÖVP itself made it clear by Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer and other members that companies are under massive pressure and it is time not to feed the "bureaucratic monster" further. The NEOS also emphasize the importance of deregulation and require a rapid implementation of the measures. The discussion is also an establishment of its own state secretary for deregulation. This new office could act under the future Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but this could be problematic due to constitutional restrictions, as the reports the press . Despite all the challenges, the plans for reducing bureaucracy and promoting competitiveness seem to be very popular.

The SPÖ, however, warns that a process of "reducing bureaucracy" could also lead to a reduction in environmental and social standards, which is controversial in the context of current EU initiatives. Michaela Schmidt from the SPÖ emphasized the need that Austria remains a reliable partner for fair trade practices. Meanwhile, the Greens are behind a coherent approach to combating bureaucracy, but value the preservation of the environmental standards while they are against "blocking and hesitation".

The pressure on the government of issuing effective measures for deregulation and reducing bureaucracy is granted. It remains to be seen how the various political parties bring in their positions and whether they can find a uniform strategy to prepare Austria for the challenges of the EU.