Burgenland: Millions for communities - but where is the transparency?

Burgenland: Millions for communities - but where is the transparency?

Burgenland, Österreich - In Burgenland, an alarming state of project funding is evident. According to the Burgenland State Audit Office (BLRH), written applications were missing in a whopping 82 percent of project funding in 2023. This raises serious questions about the transparency and traceability of the use of funds. A third of the approximately 146.34 million euros in needs assignments in the past three years have flowed into projects, but without the necessary documentation, the use is questionable. It is particularly striking that SPÖ-led communities tend to receive higher grants, which questions the appropriateness of the distribution, so orf.at .

The BLRH directorate urgently calls for improvements, especially in project funding, which is almost a third of the needs assignments. René Wenk, the BLRH director, explains that a transparent and comprehensible use of the funds is essential. In addition to the project funding, 12.78 million euros were also provided for inter -municipal cooperation during the test period, while structurally weak communities received 18.55 million euros. In the context of this financing, it is remarkable that the Burgenland state government was introduced to new guidelines in 2021 to grant needs. These enable better planning and liquidity for the municipalities, as well as targeted support for the structurally weak communities, which is highlighted by Kommunal.at

unclear distribution of the funds

The new guidelines distribute around 75 percent of the funding according to the specified calculation keys; Only 25 percent are available for project funding. In 2021, financially weak communities received around 21.5 million euros, which were to be used for fire station, vehicles, kindergartens and school construction. This shows how important a clear structure and traceability are in the distribution of the funds in order to effectively cover the actual needs of the communities.