Partnership reform: a municipal package to simplify administration in Austria

The principle: do not ask again what the state already knows

The Secretary of State for Digitalisation, Alexander Pröll (ÖVP), summed up the philosophy of the package in a formula: « Was der Staat schon weiß, muss niemand mehr doppelt angeben ». In practical terms, state services will have to avoid asking members of the public for information they already hold in their files, which should reduce delays and paperwork for users as well as for municipal staff.

The members of the reform coalition expect this package to deliver more effective work in municipalities and simplified administrative pathways. The flagship measure consists of strengthening online counters and expanding e-government services, so that more procedures can be completed without having to travel to the town hall. The partners stress that this direction is part of the national digitalisation strategy under way for several legislative terms.

Cooperation between the State, the Länder and the municipalities

The package also includes a component of strengthened cooperation between the federal State and the Länder, as well as between the municipalities themselves. The stated objective is to pool certain technical platforms and to standardise forms, in order to put an end to the current fragmentation which often forces small municipalities to maintain their own home-made solutions. The Secretary of State for Digitalisation insisted on the need for common standards to avoid redundant developments.

For urban municipalities, the city of Salzburg is cited as an example of an administration that has already pushed dematerialisation a long way. Mayor Bernhard Auinger indicated, during the preparatory exchanges, that the large cities were ready to share their best practices with smaller municipalities, provided the legal framework was clarified and the corresponding appropriations entered in the federal budget.

Salzburg as a testing ground

The timetable provides for a gradual roll-out starting next year, with pilot phases in several Länder before a general rollout. The coalition partners also indicated that a mid-term assessment would be carried out, in order to adjust the arrangements according to feedback from the field and the technical constraints encountered by small municipalities.

The political formations of the coalition finally confirmed that the municipal package would be tabled as a single legislative text, accompanied by implementing provisions. Debates in Parliament are to start in the coming weeks, with the objective of adoption before the end of the current session.

Roll-out timetable and parliamentary follow-up

On the opposition side, reactions remained measured, with several voices calling for data protection to be strengthened in proportion to the additional information flows between administrations. Municipal associations, for their part, welcomed an initiative they consider long overdue, while calling for suitable financial support for small municipalities.

Alexander Pröll defended a scheme « which benefits citizens first, by sparing them unnecessary trips and endless forms ». The Secretary of State closed the presentation by recalling that trust in administration also depends on its ability to reform itself and to take full advantage of the digital tools at its disposal.