Carinthia's communities in the terminal: financial rescue measures urgently needed!

Carinthia's communities in the terminal: financial rescue measures urgently needed!

The financial situation of the Carinthian communities remains tense, although the situation has improved slightly in 2025. For the first time, 50 out of 132 municipalities show positive budget numbers, while 80 municipalities are fighting with an operational loss of around 35.2 million euros. In the previous year, 101 municipalities reported a deficit of almost 60 million euros, as reported. Despite this positive turn, municipal officer Daniel Fellner warns that the challenges are still great and that the liquidity of many communities remains tense. These difficulties meant that in January 2025 a total of 19 municipalities had to make additional payments of around 4.1 million euros.

To help the communities, the state government in Carinthia has provided over 80 million euros for aid measures since 2021. This includes a municipal package of 12 million euros for 2024 to stabilize liquidity, as the Carinthian state government explained in a press release. The continuing crises-including the Corona pandemic, the Ukraine war and the increasing inflation-have significantly burdened the financial situation of the communities, which led to a strong appeal by deputy governor Martin Gruber. He emphasized the urgency of the situation and the need for a joint commitment between the federal government, the state and the municipalities, in order to cope with the challenges, so ktn.gv.at .

urgent measures required

The state government demands from the municipalities to take their financial responsibilities seriously and to raise taxes in good time in order to avoid considerable residues. In addition, the need for structural reforms is pointed out in order to reduce the outlay load in the long term. This was formulated by Fellner as a prerequisite for the support of communities that are often with their backs to the wall. A close exchange and a clear prioritization in investments should help to find sustainable solutions for the financial stability of the communities. Against this background, it was announced that a "historically unique measure" to further reduce the pollution burden should be implemented in the coming year.