OECD Regulatory Policy Outlook 2025

In Austria, regulatory impact assessment (RIA) has been mandatory for all primary laws and subordinate regulations since 2013. A comprehensive threshold test determines whether a simplified or full RIA has to be conducted for draft rules. A simplified RIA is carried out in about two-thirds of cases. The methodology for a full RIA requires the assessment of a range of impacts, including on the environment, social aspects, and gender equality. Simplified RIAs contain only a short narrative explanation and text, no outcome indicators to measure progress and in most cases a simplified assessment of financial costs.

The threshold test also determines the requirement for ex post evaluations (EPE), which was introduced in 2013. Assessments of whether underlying policy goals have been achieved, the comparison of actual and predicted impacts, and the identification of costs, benefits and unintended consequences of regulations are part of the standard evaluation methodology.

The Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, Civil Service and Sport (BMKOES) reviews the quality of all full RIAs and EPEs and oversees the application of threshold tests for simplified RIAs. It provides its opinions on RIAs for primary laws and can ask for revisions of assessments. The ministry also issues guidelines, provides training on regulatory tools, publishes RIAs and EPEs online and reports their results annually to Parliament. The Ministry of Finance supports the BMKOES with the development of guidelines and with reviewing assessments of financial impacts and costs.

All draft primary laws, their RIA and accompanying information are made available on the Parliament website, where the public can submit comments. An interactive platform was launched in 2018 to provide the public with an opportunity to express views ahead of parliamentary initiatives.

Indicators presented on RIA and stakeholder engagement only cover processes carried out by the executive, which initiates approx. 37% of primary laws in Austria. Since 2021, citizens can also share input on legislative initiatives introduced by MPs and popular initiatives There is no mandatory requirement for conducting RIAs for primary laws initiated by the parliament.