President of the WKOÖ

“We’ve made big mistakes in terms of location policy”

"We are not on the brink," says Doris Hummer, referring to the struggling economy in Upper Austria.(Bild: Cityfoto/Wolfgang Simlinger)

The President of the Upper Austrian Chamber of Commerce (WKOÖ), Doris Hummer, has found confidence among entrepreneurs after two tough years. Although the battered location is "not on the brink", serious mistakes have been made in the past two years that now need to be ironed out.

In view of the Chamber of Commerce elections taking place on Wednesday and Thursday, some entrepreneurs may be asking themselves: why do we need an interest group with compulsory membership at all? "One of the reasons is that we will be watching closely to ensure that what has been anchored in the government program is implemented," says WKOÖ President Doris Hummer. By this she means above all: reducing wage and energy costs; cutting red tape and subsidies that create investment incentives.

"Subsidies with a watering can"
This is necessary so that Upper Austria, which is in a state of flux, can get back on its feet. The reason for the current problems can be found in the recent past: "We have made serious mistakes in the past two years," admits the ÖVP politician - only to then place the responsibility on the former Green government partner: The energy crisis was met with "subsidies with a watering can", the EU Green Deal was a "forced bureaucratization" in disguise.

Investments after budget consolidation
Nevertheless: "We are not on the brink," says Hummer. She perceives the mood among companies as "realistic but confident", not least because the government program also provides for an investment package following the budget consolidation - the implementation of which the Chamber of Commerce will of course be watching just as closely.