UNOS demands reforms: Chamber of Commerce has to become more attractive for companies!

UNOS demands reforms: Chamber of Commerce has to become more attractive for companies!

Wien, Österreich - Today the constituent meeting of the Vienna Business Parliament took place, as part of which the representation of liberal entrepreneurs, UNOS, requested urgent reforms of the Chamber of Commerce. According to OTS Conrad Bauer emphasized the need for improved voter participation, which is only 25.3 % in Vienna lay. Voter turnout across Austria was 26.5 %. This low participation is interpreted as a clear indication of the need for changes in the chamber structure.

The main goal of the suggestions is to make the Chamber of Commerce more attractive in order to promote voluntary membership. In the current Situation, companies have to be forced in the chamber due to the compulsory membership, which UNOS criticizes. The organization is vehemently committed to more entrepreneurial freedom and de -bureaucratization of the processes within the chamber, taking measures to deregulation as necessary.

Chamber of Commerce and the results

The Chamber of Commerce elections in Austria take place every five years, with the last elections between 10 and 13 March 2025 being carried out. In these elections, the entrepreneurs decided on their legal representation, which is not through top candidates, but through nominated entrepreneurs in the respective industry. According to Weekend , the chamber is organized in seven divisions, including "trade and craft" with a variety of state guilds and specialist groups.

In the elections, a turnout of 26.5 % was recorded, which means a decline of 7.2 percentage points compared to 2020. A total of 204,996 eligible voters emitted their votes, with the Austrian Economic Association (ÖWB), despite a loss of 7.9 %, with 61.3 % of the vote, the strongest voter community. The Social Democratic Wirtschaftsverband (SWV) and the Green Economy (GW) recorded slight declines, while the Freedom Economy (FW) and UNOS could record growth.

election results in detail

A closer look at the election results shows the following voice shares:

UNOS was able to increase its vote from 5.7 % in 2020 to 9 % in 2025 and has been committed to the concerns of Liberal -thinking entrepreneurs since 2014. The proportion of voices leads to an increase in the mandates, which means a total of 222 mandates for UNOS, which is an increase of 1.4 %. In contrast, the mandates of the ÖWB with 6,197 (68.8 %) remain the clear majority, but with a minus of 5.9 % compared to the previous elections, while the FW was able to record 6.5 %.

The latest election results illustrate the dynamic changes in the economic landscape of Austria. The challenges, especially in the context of compulsory memberships and the need for profound reforms, are in the foreground of the discussion. UNOS and other organizations see these changes an opportunity to strengthen the voice of the entrepreneurs in economically difficult times and to redefine the relevance of the Chamber of Commerce. Meindäck underlines that the results of the elections are a kind of new beginning for the advocacy representation of the entrepreneurs.