Finance Minister announces current situation

In the midst of ongoing budget negotiations, Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer (SPO) has expressed optimism about the austerity package, stating that all parties involved are aware of the necessity of savings.

The Finance Minister has detailed administrative savings of €1.1 billion in 2025 and €1.3 billion in the coming year, which are part of the measures being discussed in the negotiations. However, he clarified that these additional measures have not been considered by the Fiscus Council.

The Fiscus Council's chief has expressed scepticism towards short-term austerity packages, and their assessment was based on incomplete information, as they did not consider all measures. The Finance Minister dismissed the Fiscus Council's pessimistic assessment, stating that it overlooked expected higher revenues from state-owned enterprises and savings on subsidies.

The Finance Minister is currently in Warsaw for the Ecofin Council, but he has not provided specific details about the expected savings or the nature of the expected revenues from state-owned enterprises.

Meanwhile, the parties involved in the implementation of the restructuring volume announced in the government program, including government bodies and key industry associations such as the Austrian Association of Real Estate Project Developers (VÖPE), have proposed additional measures. The VÖPE has suggested implementing sustainable building concepts, ESG management system implementation, and fostering young talent through their "VÖPE Next" program. They emphasize climate-resilient, socially responsible project development as part of their contributions to the restructuring efforts.

The Finance Minister is confident that the restructuring volume outlined in the government program will be achieved, expressing optimism about the restructuring volume of the austerity package. The distribution of these savings among the ministries is such that the achievement of the savings is guaranteed, according to the Finance Minister.

In the negotiations, these savings are substantiated with measures that have not been fully disclosed at this time. The Finance Minister has specified that the missing measures include savings on subsidies and expected higher revenues from state-owned enterprises. The parties involved in the implementation of the restructuring volume have proposed additional measures to contribute to the restructuring efforts, demonstrating a collective commitment to the austerity package.