Warning signs for Carinthia's economy: political failure or glimmer of hope?

Warning signs for Carinthia's economy: political failure or glimmer of hope?

The economic situation in Carinthia is alarming! FPÖ club chairman Erwin Angerer warns urgently: “Orders are declining, staff are being cut, deindustrialization is threatening!” In a heated discussion in the Carinthian state parliament, which was part of the first session of the new year, numerous MPs expressed their concerns about the powerful factors that are putting a strain on the local economy. In addition to federal politics, the red-black state government is also held responsible for this, which leads to job losses and companies leaving the country. According to Angerer, the situation is “to the detriment of the economy, to the detriment of the welfare state, to the detriment of our prosperity” and is no longer acceptable, either the Crown reported.

The discussion in the state parliament also focused on the problems of bureaucracy and high energy costs. Gerhard Köfer from Team Carinthia called for significant reforms, including a “sunset clause” for new laws that should no longer apply after a certain period of time. In addition, for each new law, at least five older laws should be deleted in order to clear out the “jungle of regulations”. On the other hand, SPÖ MP René Willegger sees positive developments through projects like the Koralmbahn and emphasizes that the Carinthian economy benefits from a cooperative approach ORF Carinthia reported.

The economic forecasts for Carinthia remain bleak: Markus Malle from the ÖVP noted that the high labor costs resulting from the collective agreements of recent years and the general price increase are dramatically limiting competitiveness. At the same time, the ÖVP club chairman showed that Carinthia has recorded an increase in gross regional product of 35 percent since 2013, which is above the Austrian average. Despite these positive figures, Gaby Schaunig (SPÖ) emphasized that more investments are necessary to counteract the economic crisis. The state parliament debate ended with a clear appeal from MPs to the federal government to act urgently on economic and social issues in order to set the necessary course for a successful future.