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Directorate for Consultative Work
Questionnaire for the CoR Contribution to the High Level Group on Administrative Burdens
Report on good practice in the Member States to implement EU legislation in the least burdensome way / EUROPEAN UNION

Committee of the Regions

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MemberState of origin: / Austria
Name of region, local authority: / Vorarlberg
Responsible administrative authority[1]: / Office of the Vorarlberg State Government
Primary contact person: / MartinaBüchel-Germann
Email: /
Telephone: / 0043-5574-511-20305
1. Identification of Good Practice:
Include - if possible - the following information
- Title of the initiative / Centralising and monitoring of the procedures involved incommercialplant operation
- substantive area[2] / Commercialandenvironmentallaw
- objective(s) of the best practice / To provide a simple and rapid licensing andapprovalprocessforbusinessesinvolved incomplicatedadministrative procedures
- related EU law[3]
- related national / regional / local law / Austrian Trade Act, Water Act, Federal Building ACT, Countryside Protection Act, Clean Air Act,Act BoilersAct, ForestryAct, WasteManagement Act
2. Detailed description of Good Practice and its effects:
Include - if possible - the following information
What are its main elements? / The Vorarlberg Stage Government has been a pioneer in the centralising of procedures. The whole process began with the district authorities in Vorarlberg and is now spreading throughout Austria. For decades now, all the procedures for authorising and approving a project have been carried out within a single concentrated administrative process (e.g. under the Trade Act, the Water Act, the Nature Protection Act, etc.). From 1994 to 1996 the processes involved in commercial plant operation were further optimised and centralised in one department in each of the relevant district authorities.
For the analysis and ongoing monitoring of the duration of the processes involved in commercial plant operation,and other related processes to be carried out in parallel, a computer programme was developed in 1993/1994. In Vorarlberg, the time taken to get a commercial plant into operation has been cut from an average of 160 days in 1993 to 84 days in 2001, and to less than 80 days today. On average, around 77% of the processes are now completedin less than three months (in 2001, the figure was around 66% and in 1993, around 43%) and another 16% in less than six months (compared with around 22% in 2001 and around 26% in 1993). Task focusing and themonitoring system that was introduced ensure goal orientation and efficiency in the performance of official duties.
In 2007 the Economic Chamber of Austria awarded the Office of the Vorarlberg State Government its "Officer Manager of the Decade" Jubilee Prize for introducing a centralised approval process for commercial plant operation and a procedure monitoring system.
What are its effects on business, in particular SMEs?
(who is affected, what procedures are streamlined, how is this achieved) / Allbusinesses who wish to build new commercial facilities, expand existing ones, etc.are affected. Allthe processes involved inapproving acommercial facility have been centralised with a single authorityand made less time-consuming.
What are its effects on public administrations?
(who is affected, what procedures are streamlined, how is this achieved) / See above
Date of implementation / See above
Improvements to former practice / See above
How has the good practice improved the procedure in terms of time, duration and/ or complication? / See above
How has the good practice improved the procedure in terms of cost? / See above
E-government elements[4]
Quantifications of cost reductions, where possible / Not possible
Other possible positive effects of the good practice, e.g. on competitiveness, growth, cross-border cooperation
3. Additional information:
Additional information on the Good Practice you may like to share
Website with more information
In case the good practice you submitted refers to a particular directive or regulation, please share any ideas you might have for the possible simplification of this directive or regulation, with a view to reducing administrative burden

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[1]If applicable.

[2]See annex.

[3]If applicable – if your submission concerns a horizontal institutional structure or initiative in your region or city this field can be left blank

[4]If applicable;