State Councilor Achleitner: “Europe must emancipate itself and stand on its own two feet”

On Friday, State Councilor for Economic Affairs Markus Achleitner took stock of the first half of the state government and also made demands on the incoming federal government. Domestic economic researchers are expecting a decline in economic output for Austria this year and weak growth for 2025, and the forecasts for Germany, its most important trading partner, are also cautious. The USA is the second most important export market, but Donald Trump’s election victory is likely to make exports more expensive due to the announced tariffs. “Europe must emancipate itself and stand on its own two feet. And it is all the more important to offer Upper Austria’s companies the best possible conditions,” said Achleitner, who took over the department six years ago. Performance must be worth it, which is why overtime must be exempt from tax, full-time versus part-time jobs should be valued and it must be possible to continue working tax-free in retirement. There was a unanimous decision on this at the labor market officers’ conference.

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