Schellhorn presents first deregulation report: Up to 20 billion euros in growth possible

Growth effects according to EcoAustria

A more moderate path would also be economically significant: Reducing bureaucratic costs to the level of Switzerland would generate an additional six billion euros in growth by 2032. EcoAustria has created a corresponding scenario "in which, with fewer government requirements, real economic growth would be significantly higher by 2032," the study states.

In terms of content, "reporting and documentation obligations" are at the center of the complaints. Around 30 percent of all reports concerned this area, followed by references to "federalism and jurisdictional confusion." Many submissions also related to digitalization, as the evaluation shows.

Everyday examples from citizen complaints

Schellhorn illustrated the analysis with concrete everyday examples. Among other things, he reported on a patient whose general practitioner receives the blood test results electronically, prints them out, the patient picks them up, scans them again at home, and then brings them to the specialist. "Can someone please explain to me why we still do it this way in 2026?" Schellhorn quoted another citizen complaint. The question "Why do I have to bring a registration form or a passport photo when the state has long since stored both digitally?" was also received by the ministry. "Each of these stories from the everyday lives of Austrians seems absurd on its own," said the state secretary.

"Good deregulation does not begin in the ministry, but with those affected," said Schellhorn. Every report is recorded, structured, and evaluated. The reports at SEDA are a "treasure trove of data," Schellhorn was convinced. "We're moving from gut feeling to evidence," said the state secretary at the press conference in Vienna.

Focus areas of the reports

Bureaucracy is created "very rarely through bad decisions, but through many good ones," said Schellhorn with regard to the gradually grown regulatory density. Therefore, it is necessary to let go of old regulations in many areas and "think anew." Schellhorn announced that he would go to "all ministries" weekly with proposals for deregulation.

For the plan to work, cooperation of all departments is needed. "It cannot be done alone. We are all in the same boat if we finally want to implement reforms," said the Neos politician. The Foreign Ministry also commented: It does not deal with "individual farces" but with "structural weaknesses of our system," according to a spokesperson.

Cooperation of the ministries

Christoph Gärner from the State Secretariat emphasized: "Every good idea is taken seriously." As a new state secretariat, they first had to set themselves up, but in the meantime have "built the workshop," said Schellhorn. It is good that the topic is now "on the government table."

Regarding the implementation so far, Schellhorn explained that the first package presented, with a total of 113 measures, was "largely already being implemented or coordinated." With the second deregulation package, which comprises more than 150 additional measures, he had not yet been able to start, because the launch was only to take place after the 1st [date cut off in original text]. Against this background, they had tried to estimate which "prosperity effects" a reduction in the bureaucratic burden would have.

Schellhorn advocated for speed. "I want to deliver," he emphasized. His office had "simply worked and not talked a lot" during that time. When a journalist asked whether the deregulation process was not already taking far too long and whether little was happening, Schellhorn replied that his office had recently "simply worked and not talked a lot."

Looking back on the past year, the state secretary said that the public had felt it had been "dealing with me the whole time." The report is intended to help boost economic growth in Austria again and is an "evidence-based analysis of bureaucracy" in this country, said Schellhorn.

Outlook and next steps

The next steps: Schellhorn announced that further measures would be presented before the summer. He would also hold talks with the state governors to remove federal obstacles as well. The analysis is to serve as the basis for a cross-departmental program that is to noticeably reduce the regulatory burden.

Overall, the report paints the picture of an economy in which a significant portion of entrepreneurial value creation is tied up in bureaucratic obligations. If the burden could be reduced to the level of other Western European countries, the growth effect would be substantial according to EcoAustria's calculations – and according to the study would primarily relieve businesses that have so far had to devote a large share of their working time to documentation.