Mandl remains president: Chamber of Commerce demands reduction in bureaucracy!

Mandl remains president: Chamber of Commerce demands reduction in bureaucracy!

Kärnten, Österreich - Jürgen Mandl was once again unanimously elected President of the Carinthia Chamber of Commerce on May 27, 2025. In his inaugural speech, he appealed to the entrepreneurs to show courage, responsibility and cohesion in order to cope with the current challenges such as structural change, cost loads and persistent uncertainties. In addition to Mandl, the new Presidium consists of Astrid Legner, Nika Basic and the co -opted Otmar Petschnig.

The constituent session marked the beginning of a five -year term. Savings, including Peter Storfer for the trade and Michael Velmeden for industry, presented ambitious programs that focus on topics such as reducing bureaucracy, investment security and tourism reform. Digitization, energy transition and affordable living are also the central focus of the new agenda.

reduction in bureaucracy as the central concern

A crucial point in Mandl's program is the reduction in bureaucracy. According to current studies, Austrian companies have to spend an average of 9.4 working hours per week for bureaucratic tasks. The situation is particularly dramatic for small and medium -sized companies (SMEs) that have to raise 19.3 working hours per week, which corresponds to 2.5 working days. This bureaucracy costs SME around 50,000 euros annually and burdens the economy in Austria with costs between 10 and 15 billion euros a year.

88 percent of companies see reduction in bureaucracy as one of the central concerns. Mandl therefore called for immediate measures to reduce bureaucratic hurdles. This is done in the context of 80 concrete reform proposals that were presented to the Carinthian state government. Another concern of Mandl is the establishment of its own state secretariat for digitization and deregulation to optimize the bureaucratic processes.

The fact situation and other challenges

Bureaucrato stress has increased for 60 percent of entrepreneurs in the past three years, and even 70 percent for SMEs. Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer, General Secretary of the Austria Chamber of Commerce, emphasizes that the effort can no longer be tolerated and demands practical solutions. In addition, many companies are affected by the new requirements of the Sustainability Report Act that brings additional bureaucratic expenses.

The EU Commission plans to relieve reporting obligations, but in the current draft of the NABEG, many critical points are not taken into account. Hattmannsdorfer rejects disproportionate guidelines and demands less bureaucracy to help the economy make more performance and competition.

In this current context, the Carinthia Chamber of Commerce has remained active and has set up a portal to gain and show experiences with bureaucracy. It is clear that the term now started for Mandl and his team not only requires a return to order, but also an active design of the framework conditions for the Carinthian economy.

More details on the choice and the challenges for the Chamber of Commerce can be found in the articles of Klick-kaernten.at , wko.at and ots.at