Government's advisory costs explode: more than twice as high as 2022!

Government's advisory costs explode: more than twice as high as 2022!

Wien, Österreich - The Federal Government's expenditure for external advisors have increased significantly in recent years and ensure increasing criticism. According to a report by OE24 Government more than twice as high. In the first quarter of the current year, expenditure for external consultants was 2.5 million euros, followed by almost 2.2 million euros in the second quarter. This increase is particularly alarming when you consider that a year ago the overall question of consultant costs was still being discussed under the turquoise-green coalition.

Expenditures for external consulting services rose to 239.4 million euros in 2023, which corresponds to an increase of 53.8 million euros compared to the previous year. This reports N-tv . In the course of this expenditure opening, the ministries recorded 816 consulting contracts, which represents an increase of 51 contracts compared to 2022.

curiosities in the editions

Particularly noteworthy are some of the curious editions, which were listed by oe24 . This includes courses such as "High German in twelve weeks", media coaching and seminars on self, target and time management. It cannot be overlooked that Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler had 6,000 euros spent on the preparation for the ORF “press hour”.

The Ministry of the Interior leads the ranking of expenses for external consultants with 59.7 million euros, followed by the Federal Ministry of Finance with 38.2 million euros and the Federal Ministry of Health, which spent 17.9 million euros. This results from the published figures of N-tv .

long -term tendencies and criticism

Criticism of the high expenditure is formed not only because of the sums, but also because of the bourgeois concerns that these consultants may have too much influence on political decisions. The opposition calls for more transparency and a reduction in the influence of external advisors to government work. The supporters, on the other hand, argue that external advice can offer added value in certain areas, especially in the IT sector.