Mountain of debt

Vorarlberg must save: Where to find the millions?

The state of Vorarlberg must save money.

(Bild: Mathis Fotografie)

The state of Vorarlberg has spent 83.9 million euros more than originally estimated in 2024. Now it's time to save hard. A working group set up by Governor Markus Wallner (ÖVP) is to clarify how this should be done.

It can't go on like this: The state of Vorarlberg did not actually want to take on any new debt in 2024. Instead, the decision was made to use 159 million euros from reserves to close the gap between expected income and expenditure. However, this withdrawal from the "savings stocking" was not enough - and not by a long shot: in total, the state of Vorarlberg spent around 84 million euros more than planned last year, as Wallner announced on Wednesday evening. He cited "necessary measures" as the reason for this: for example, the state had passed on the entire share of the Future Fund for Elementary Education to the municipalities, the state electricity cost subsidy law had also been extended and various special financial aids had been distributed to the municipalities.

With a budget volume of around 2.5 billion euros, the state's debt level officially amounted to around 450 million euros at the end of 2024. In the current year, the debt is likely to increase by a further 200 million euros.

Our primary goal is to secure the financial stability of the country in the long term.

Landeshauptmann Markus Walner (ÖVP)

Experts sound out savings potential
In view of these unedifying prospects, Wallner and his deputy Christof Bitschi (FPÖ) have announced their intention to consolidate the state budget. A working group set up by the governor, consisting of financial experts from the provincial administration as well as the control and property departments, is now to identify potential savings. "Our primary goal is to secure the financial stability of the province in the long term," emphasizes Wallner. "We are working hard to overcome the financial challenges in order to regain more room for maneuver in the medium term."