2023 – Overview of essential innovations

Governor Markus Wallner: “We have set a lot in motion that will take effect in the new year. In particular, the Vorarlberg families and our younger generation will be given even more support in 2023.”

The governor is convinced that the new Child Education and Care Act (KBBG), which will apply from 2023, will significantly promote the compatibility of family and work and support families in their educational and child-rearing tasks. This brings together the areas of kindergarten, childcare and extracurricular childcare at the legal level. Above all, the law should ensure a high-quality offer and professional staff for the benefit of child development. “A supply mandate for every municipality is enshrined in the law,” state governor Barbara Schöbi-Fink states: This means that every three-year-old child whose main residence is in the municipality from the care year 2023/24 must have a full-time place, every school-age child of primary school age from the care year 2024/25 an afternoon place and every two-year-old child from the 2025/26 childcare year a childcare place of at least five hours per day if required – regardless of whether the parents work or not.

Schöbi-Fink adds: “The new law also increases flexibility in the design of the educational and care offerings by public and private providers.” More flexible group composition such as age-extended group leadership and through cooperation should make it easier for the communities to fulfill the supply mandate. In any case, the expansion of childcare places in Vorarlberg is constantly being pushed ahead: more than 40 new groups are known for the 2023 calendar year. In cooperation with Childcare Vorarlberg gGmbH and the Vorarlberg Municipal Association, the state has also developed a new funding model for childminders with socially graded tariffs, which will also come into force on January 1st, 2023.

Transparency is an essential field of activity for the Vorarlberg state administration. State Governor Markus Wallner comments: “We are actively taking steps towards more transparency at state level.” From January 1st, 2023, all studies, reports and surveys, including their costs, will be published on the state’s website.

With the turn of the year, the amendments to the Party Promotion Act will also come into force. As a result, new restrictions apply to the parties’ election advertising and extended transparency obligations for the parties and parliamentary groups. The options for reclaiming the funding granted in the event of violations of the funding requirements or conditions are also being expanded. The new law also provides for the establishment of an independent state party transparency senate and gives the state audit office rights to monitor funding.

The family subsidy is endowed with 3.8 million euros in the state budget for 2023 – an important contribution as part of the Vorarlberg anti-inflation package. The minimum subsidy has been tripled from 51 to 150 euros, and the maximum subsidy has been raised from 505.50 to 600 euros. Governor Wallner emphasized that the new weighting puts more focus on (young) couples who have one to three children.
From January – also as part of the anti-inflation package – the standard rates for children in social assistance will also be increased, as regional councilor Katharina Wiesflecker recalls: “There is an additional 29 euros per child per month, and these children receive up to 5 euros in support for a child as a benefit in kind healthy lunch in the care facilities.”

Especially under the current circumstances, the housing allowance is and remains an important part of the Vorarlberg housing subsidy, as the governor emphasized. In this way, the state helps those who find themselves in an emergency or who have problems paying the rent or loan repayment(s) for the creation of housing or renovation on their own. In the Housing Assistance Directive 2023, the upper limit of the housing expenses to be taken into account will be increased. The budget funds for housing assistance will be increased significantly, the state budget for 2023 will provide 39 million euros (2022: 29 million euros).

In view of the sharp rise in energy costs, the state of Vorarlberg has increased the heating cost subsidy in the current 2022/2023 heating period from 270 to 330 euros. For those on social assistance, the basic amount is increased by 30 euros to 180 euros. As a result, they can also receive the subsidy up to a maximum of EUR 330 if they can prove that they have increased heating costs – the individual assessment is carried out by the district authorities.

To support care at home, the funding for 24-hour care will be increased by more than 16 percent from 2023. “This service should continue to be affordable,” emphasizes State Councilor Wiesflecker. Numerous measures are implemented to attract and retain nursing staff. Everyone who starts an apprenticeship receives 600 euros. The staff ratio will be further improved, the nursing staff will receive an increase in pay. From 2023, working hours will also be reduced by one hour.

The Vorarlberg housing subsidy has been fundamentally revised, with almost 155 million euros being budgeted for this in the new year. The very favorable conditions of the promotional loans were deliberately retained and partially expanded, as confirmed by Governor Wallner. In order to support the acquisition of property, an attractive equity replacement loan is granted under certain conditions – a maximum of 25,000 euros with a term of 20 years, interest-free and without security in the land register. For the purpose of simplification, the previous very complex system for new construction funding will be streamlined, explains Provincial Councilor Marco Tittler: “This will enable a quick and uncomplicated calculation of funding for everyone who is interested.” Instead of a basic subsidy rate per m2, there will in future be lump-sum loans for both private and public housing. The possible surcharges are reduced from 23 to 8 and are granted on the one hand according to social aspects (child allowance and surcharge for first-time property acquisition), on the other hand according to climate protection or regionality criteria. In terms of sustainability, after oil and direct electricity heating, residential buildings heated with gas are no longer eligible.

With the new energy subsidy guideline, which will come into force on January 1, 2023, the state of Vorarlberg is continuing to push the switch to climate-friendly heating systems. A major innovation is the inclusion of quiet air heat pumps in the funding. This increases the selection of alternative systems that can be funded when replacing the heating system and makes the phase-out of fossil heating systems even more attractive. Since the issue of noise pollution from air heat pumps is becoming more and more important, funding was limited to particularly quiet devices (max. sound power level up to 55dB and up to 60dB including noise protection hood). Also new is the promotion of local heating connections for existing buildings, regardless of the age of the building. While in new builds only heating systems of buildings with a building application by December 31, 2021 can be funded, thermal solar systems and ventilation systems with heat recovery are still eligible for funding here. For both systems, the subsidy rates were slightly increased in the new building. The exchange of heating is subsidized by the state with up to 4,000 euros. In addition, federal funding can be used. Provincial Councilor Daniel Zadra emphasizes that the switch is a win in two respects: “On the one hand for the climate, on the other hand also for the billing of heating costs. The phase-out of oil and gas in space heating is an important contribution to energy autonomy and helps reduce the dependence on energy sources from the reduce abroad.”

On January 1, 2023, a new period of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will start. The Austrian CAP strategic plan contains numerous interventions to achieve the specified goals of an environmentally friendly and fair agricultural policy. The most important elements of the CAP reform include the introduction of organic regulations in the first pillar, a redistribution payment for smaller farms and generally higher standards and premiums for environmental and animal welfare services. Provincial Councilor Christian Gantner emphasizes: “In particular, small and extensive farms in mountain areas will benefit from the new CAP.” The numerous options and surcharges in the new agri-environmental program open up many opportunities for farmers to optimize their environmental performance and premiums for their farms.

From 2023, new husbandry regulations will apply to newly built, converted or first-run group housing for weaners, fattening pigs and breeding pigs: e.g. with regard to the nature and surface area of ​​the floor, the lying area or the pens or the creation of temperature zones.