Important hurdle overcome

Blue and yellow export business takes a “giant leap”

Exports of goods are particularly important for Lower Austria: every second euro earned by domestic companies comes from abroad.(Bild: stock.adobe.com/Kalyakan)

The international goods business of Lower Austrian businesses exceeded the 30 billion euro mark for the first time in 2023. Germany is and remains our most important partner

Less rapid growth, but an important hurdle overcome: This is how the export of goods for 2023 can be summarized. Although the value of goods exported by Lower Austrian companies reached 30 billion euros for the first time, growth slowed noticeably.

This recently amounted to just 1.2 percent, which experts from the Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Austrian Industries and the regional economic agency Ecoplus attribute primarily to the weakening global economy and the economic situation on the European markets - especially in Germany.

We need fewer regulations, fewer trade barriers, more economic freedom and more performance incentives. After all, exports also secure well-paid jobs: in our federal state, one in five jobs is linked to exports.

Landeshauptfrau Johanna Mikl-Leitner

Bild: APA/TOBIAS STEINMAURER

However, we have been able to score particularly well in metal processing. And: every second euro that our companies earn comes from abroad. A resilient export economy is the basis for a prospering regional economy," comments Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner on this development.

However, Austria and the European Union must see the comparatively low growth in goods exports compared to previous years as a mandate to further strengthen the competitiveness of the domestic export industry.