The expansion of the economy in times of great global challenges is the central topic of the next few years in Austria and the entire European Union.
Every economic growth and every innovation also requires an expansion or reconstruction of the infrastructure. A functioning infrastructure is the basic framework for location development. In order to remain competitive as a business location, the expansion of the digital infrastructure is crucial and thus an important component of any future strategy. Above all, the nationwide expansion of broadband internet is a major challenge. The workplace models that emerged during the pandemic, such as working from home or on the go, are now fixed components of the working world. A solid digital infrastructure can promote rural areas and reduce migration into cities.
Broadband Strategy 2030
Therefore, the major goal of the Federal
Ministry of Finance’s “Broadband Strategy
2030” can be defined as follows: “By 2030,
Austria will have nationwide coverage with
symmetrical gigabit-capable access networks.
A tightly meshed fibre-optic network
combined with universally available mobile
coverage will enable every citizen, every
company and all public institutions to use
the opportunities and technological possibilities
of digitisation everywhere in the country
on equal terms.”
The Ministry and the Federal Government
are therefore consistently pushing
ahead with the expansion of broadband coverage,
and in April 2021 presented an investment
package of 1.4 billion euros for nationwide
broadband expansion by 2026. In
autumn 2022, the first tender round of the
Broadband Austria 2030 initiative was concluded
with a funding volume of more than
850 million euros. In addition, the amendment
to the Telecommunications Act creates
the best possible framework for companies
to invest.
Challenges of the energy crisis
The latest manager survey on infrastructure
confirmed that the issue of energy prices is
one of the top 3 challenges and that, in particular,
a secure and affordable energy supply
is a decisive prerequisite for our competitiveness.
Energy policy needs investment
security, stable framework conditions, an investment-
friendly climate, faster approval
procedures and a factual political discussion
without ideological blinkers. By investing in
new technologies and solutions, we can
sensibly and efficiently protect the climate Natural gas will also play an important
role as a transition technology in the
Green Transition. Securing and
diversifying our gas supply
and developing the existing
infrastructure as well as
our natural gas storage
facilities for the future
should take place
with utmost attention
to security of
supply. This also
means making the
best possible use of
domestic resources.
The economic
strength of Austria
is thus linked to the
sufficient availability
of natural gas, in addition
to the supply of
heat and electricity. Gas
is and will therefore remain
indispensable, which is precisely
why further considerations
must be given to procurement and
transport.
As a result of the energy transition, the
mobility transformation, the decarbonisation
of the industry and digitisation, the demand
for raw materials is increasing drastically
and consumption patterns are changing.
Due to recent global developments, the shift
to renewable energy needs a strategic
roadmap that prioritises security of supply.
Expansion of mining
Mining needs to be expanded globally to
move closer to these goals. Europe is the
only continent where raw material extraction
is declining. Austria, too, should increasingly
push the extraction of resources such as lithium, gas and other raw materials
to increase energy independence on
its domestic territory. In this context,
the importance of domestic
extraction of construction raw
materials for the expansion
and maintenance of our
transport and building
infrastructure must also
be taken into account.
Domestic raw material
extraction guarantees
sustainable raw material
management
with the highest environmental
standards.
Resource-efficient
management also
means recycling secondary
raw materials, i.e. raw
materials that have already
been used once. Intelligent
recycling-friendly product design
makes us a little less dependent
on raw material imports. That is
why we have carried out a comprehensive
analysis in the “Master Plan Raw Materials
2030” and developed measures on how we
can best close the cycle from primary raw
materials to the recycling process.
The premise must always be to be open
to innovations in a fact-based and technology-
neutral manner and subsequently to promote
forward-looking technologies. Investments
in infrastructure bring benefits for the
state, society and the economy. We must actively
address the major challenges of the
future, find solutions and implement them
consistently in order to ensure the security
and expansion of Austria as a business location.