On 1 January 2010, the Austrian Public Administration launched a one-stop-shop business service portal called 'Unternehmensserviceportal (USP)'. The portal aims to serve as a single entry point to Government for businesses. By offering information and transaction services, it intends to help businesses to fulfil their information obligations and to reduce their administrative burdens.

The concept is based on two pillars: high quality ‘tailor-made’ information and transaction services respectively. Regulatory news will create new transparency for businesses. A special concern is to deliver up-to-date and clear information, in line with the need to find a new way of providing Public Administration content. Transaction services will include, amongst others, the filing of tax returns and the submission of statistical as well as social insurance data.

The USP will be developed in three phases:

• In 2010, a full-fledged information portal will be set up.
• By 2011, a single-sign-on-service including identity and access management will be offered and major federal eGovernment applications will be integrated.
• From 2013 onwards, special emphasis will be placed on interfaces to ERP-systems, streamlining administrative procedures and avoiding multiple reporting of the same information; regional and local eGovernment applications shall be integrated.

The USP’s advantages at a glance for businesses include more efficient administrative procedures, in particular: 

• A unique identification procedure: simple and uniform identity and access management.
• A one-stop-shop: a single entry point to information and transaction services.
• Time and cost efficiency through process integration.

Moreover, it is estimated that the portal will bring the business community a potential benefit of approximately €100 million per year in the short run, and of more than €300 million per year in the long run, depending on the services provided.

Offering this single gateway to Government information and transactions will significantly increase the attractiveness of doing business in Austria.

Background information:

In April 2006, the Austrian Federal Government launched an initiative to reduce administrative burdens for businesses by 25 %. The business service portal is the flagship project and one out of approximately 200 measures to reduce administrative burdens. The initiative is coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Finance and has been implemented by this same Ministry  and the Federal Chancellery, in co-operation with all Federal Ministries.

Further information:

• Original news article - Digitales Oestrreich (in German)
• Austrian business portal - USP (in German)
• Website of the Austrian initiative on reducing administrative burden