Details Emerge on the 2025/2026 Dual Budget Discussions

On April 11, 2025, the parliamentary groups finalized the schedule for discussions regarding the dual budget for 2025 and 2026. Following the budget address by the Minister of Finance, Markus Marterbauer, in the National Council on May 13 and the First Reading on May 14, deliberations in the Budget Committee are set to commence on June 3.

The Budget Committee sessions will run from June 3 to June 11, starting with a four-hour hearing featuring expert testimonies. This will be followed by negotiations on budget-related laws. From June 4, members of parliament will closely examine the specific budget sections.

The first area of focus will be the parliamentary budget (UG 02, Federal Legislation) on June 4, followed by budget plans for the Office of the Federal President (UG 01), the Constitutional Court (UG 03), the Administrative Court (UG 04), the Ombudsman (UG 05), the Court of Audit (UG 06), the Federal Chancellery and public service (UG 10), and matters related to family, youth, the European Union, and integration (UG 25, UG 10).

On June 5, discussions will cover the economy and research (UG 40, UG 33), internal affairs and immigration (UG 11, UG 18), women's issues and equality (UG 31), as well as education (UG 30). Budget deliberations for mobility (UG 41), innovation and technology/research (UG 34), agriculture and forestry, regional development and water management (UG 42), along with environmental and climate-related matters (UG 43) will take place on June 6.

The following week, the committee meetings will resume on Tuesday, June 10, addressing topics including foreign affairs (UG 12), justice (UG 13), labor (UG 20), social services and pensions (UG 21, UG 22), health (UG 24), and consumer protection (UG 21). The final day of discussions, June 11, will cover budget allocations for housing, media, and telecommunications (UG 17), sports (UG 17), arts and culture (UG 32), military affairs (UG 14), and finance (UG 15, UG 16, UG 23, UG 44, UG 45, UG 46, UG 51, UG 58). A concluding vote on the entire draft will take place at the end of the session.

Plenary discussions are scheduled for June 16 to June 18, starting with the budget-related legislation, a general debate, and initial budget chapters on June 16. The remaining sections will be addressed on June 17 and 18. The final approval of the Federal Finance Act for 2025 and 2026, as well as the Federal Financial Framework Act for 2025-2028 and 2026-2029, is anticipated on June 18.

Additionally, the Budget Service of the Parliament has prepared economic analyses related to budget policies and proposals from the Federal Ministry of Finance. A reading aid has also been developed to help interpret the extensive budget documents for 2025 and 2026, including a timeline for discussions on individual chapters.