Austria slashes red tape for businesses and citizens in new reform push
Austrian state secretary for deregulation, Josef Schellhorn, has defended his latest reform package on national television. The proposals aim to cut red tape for businesses and citizens, though critics claim they fall short on specifics. Schellhorn, a member of the NEOS party, insists the changes mark a first step rather than a full overhaul.
Schellhorn appeared on ZiB2 to outline the reforms, which include 140 proposed measures. By the end of the day, 113 had been approved. One key change means businesses will no longer need to manually record rest breaks, reducing paperwork. Another adjustment simplifies passport renewals by removing the requirement to submit proof of citizenship, with plans to extend this to other official documents.
The approved measures will now move forward, with businesses set to benefit from reduced administrative tasks. Passport renewals and other processes will also become simpler under the new rules. However, the long-term impact of the reforms remains to be seen as implementation begins.
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