Many self-employed people want to change jobs because of Corona, but fail because of access barriers. Schellhorn speaks of “killing the entrepreneurial spirit”.
Neos economics spokesman Schellhorn
Due to the corona crisis, thousands of self-employed people lost their business basis overnight. For tourism service providers in particular, the prospects of an early improvement are poor. Many are therefore considering switching to another industry, which is not so easy in Austria. The reason is the trade regulations, which provide special access rules for numerous professions through certificates of proficiency.
In Austria there are currently still 75 so-called regulated trades, from A for opticians to Z for dental technicians. Far too much, find the Neos and, in view of the crisis, demand a quick clearing out of what they consider to be completely out of date regulations, especially for services.
Qualifications are required for professional gardening
It is not that easy for the self-employed to switch to gardeners, for example. You need your own certificates to carry out simple gardening work such as mowing the lawn, watering the green areas, weeding and mulching as well as collecting fruit. Details see here
Ministry in default
The Neos accuse Economics and Digitization Minister Margarete Schramböck of slowing down the loosening of the trade regulations. Finally, in 2019 the Court of Auditors called for a “contemporary, clear and user-friendly set of rules” and recommended that the high number of regulated trades in particular be subjected to an analysis.
In a parliamentary response to the questionnaire to the Neos, Schramböck made it clear in the previous week that “a new codification of the trade regulations in 1994 was not planned, even given the current conditions”. Of course, the GewO is constantly being evaluated and adapted to the current requirements of the economy and society. The last relaxation in 2017 mainly resulted in an expansion of ancillary rights in the free trade.
Neos economics spokesman Sepp Schellhorn does not understand the blockade and refers to the first, turquoise-blue government program, where further easing has already been laid down. “It is no longer negligent that the Minister of Economic Affairs, even in the greatest economic crisis after the Second World War, refuses to work out a modern trade regulation that meets the demands of the 21st century, it is a deliberate killing of any entrepreneurial spirit,” says Schellhorn angrily . Comprehensive debureaucratisation and streamlining of the trade regulations are now more urgently needed than ever.
protectionism
The Neos no longer see an instrument of quality assurance in the trade regulations, but rather “protectionism”, which hinders the economic development of Austria and stands in opposition to the EU's freedom to provide services. Certain services where life and health are at stake, such as the treatment of the sick, are anyway exempt from the trade regulations and regulated elsewhere.
