Transparency offensive: Funding from 1,500 euros in the future!

Transparency offensive: Funding from 1,500 euros in the future!

From September 2025, the Austrian Transparency Database Act will experience decisive changes. All state grants that do not go to private individuals and exceed 1,500 euros will be published in the transparency database in the future. This innovation is part of a comprehensive collection of collectors that was adapted to the new Freedom of Information Act, which also comes into force on September 1st. The National Council decided on the votes of ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS, while the Greens supported an amendment, which included editorial adjustments.

A total of around 140 laws are affected by the adjustments, including the official liability law and the Epidemie Act. The MPs of the Drei coalition and the Greens also voted for two separate novellas. The responsible committee vote achieved the required two -thirds majority for changes in the Banking Act.

more transparency and modernization of the administration

The National Council's constitutional committee also brought the amendment to the plenary. The changes should increase the transparency in the administration and modernize the information obligations. Critics such as Michael Schilchegger from the FPÖ expressed concerns about legal clarity when weighing up confidentiality and information. Among other things, the criminal offense "violation of official secrecy" is replaced by "violation of a duty to maintain confidentiality", which can be sanctioned with a threat of up to three years.

An important innovation is that the new data access law goes hand in hand to facilitate access to protected public data for researchers and companies. Such measures have taken place in the sense of European data government regulations by establishing a central information center in the Federal Chancellery. The open-data platform www.data.gv.at is also networked with the EU platform Data.europa.eu

criticism and challenges

Despite the positive reactions of various political factions, there are also critical voices. Representatives of the FPÖ criticize that the authorities and municipalities are abandoned by the government parties, since they would have to take over the "consideration" in relation to the new regulations. In addition, the Greens complain that the ministerial designs were late and the assessment period was too short to check the suggestions.

State Secretary Alexander Pröll described the changes as milestone for transparency and modern administration. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen how the new regulations will work in the practical implementation and whether you can actually guarantee the hoped -for transparency. OTS reports that these measures represent important steps in the development of freedom of information. According to orf.at , the transparency database is thus significantly expanded and receives additional options for passing on data, especially if the abuse of funding is suspected.

With these changes, great attention is paid to the balance between data accessibility and necessary confidentiality, which is of the utmost importance in today's digital communication.

The implementation of this comprehensive regulation still faces challenges that could germinate both municipal and the citizens.

More information about the upcoming changes can be found in the articles on , and Sn.at .