Vienna is counting on an upswing: New coalition is planning major reforms!

Vienna is counting on an upswing: New coalition is planning major reforms!

On Tuesday, the Vienna city government under Mayor Michael Ludwig and his deputy Bettina Emmerling presented its new government program. The “upturn coalition” has set itself the ambitious goal of building on previous successes and making Vienna the leading location for digitalization and cutting-edge technology. After encouraging economic growth of 2.5 percent in 2023, which broke the Austria-wide trend in the other direction, the city wants to take concrete measures to continue to be strong in economic competition in the future. Loud profile Last year was not only characterized by growth, but also by a high deficit: at 1.6 billion euros, the city is facing major financial challenges.

A central point of the government program is the reorganization of the minimum income. The city administration is planning a uniform regulation here that also takes into account the residency requirement for refugees and basic child support. In addition, the living situation of families with multiple children is evaluated to ensure that support reaches where it is most urgently needed, as in a report by The press is summarized.

Focus on education and transport

With regard to early childhood education, the city plans to integrate career changers into elementary education and bring more support staff into kindergartens. This is intended to reduce the effort for existing educators. Another goal is to increase the weekly attendance requirement for children who need language support. The traffic situation will also have a significant impact on the government program: the unbundling of walking and cycling traffic is a visible step towards improvement on the ring road. At the same time, appropriate entry restrictions into the city should be implemented, which also represent a prerequisite for the traffic measures, informed contrast.

Particular attention is paid to supporting small and medium-sized companies. The city will take targeted measures to support companies and invest in training and further education. Challenges such as rising prices and interrupted supply chains do not stop there, but Vienna shows itself to be a stronghold of progress. The city has achieved better economic growth than the rest of Austria not only last year, but also since 2023.

A look into the future

The vision of the Vienna city government up to 2040 goes far beyond the points mentioned. A planned European AI data center in Aspern with over 100,000 processors will be of utmost importance not only for research, but also for industrial sectors. In addition, Vienna should act as a smart city model - with the aim of achieving climate neutrality by 2040 and promoting the expansion of district heating and photovoltaics. Future test routes for autonomous driving in public transport will bring a breath of fresh air to city mobility.

Overall, Vienna shows itself to be a place with great potential that actively accepts its challenges and steers into the future with a clear plan. The new city government is taking concrete steps to ensure the quality of life of Viennese people and to sustainably promote economic recovery.