Belföldi hírek

On balance, ABA provided consulting services to 230 companies from Central and Eastern European countries which were interested in setting up business operations or expanding their existing activities in Austria. During 2023, 69 companies from the CEE region ultimately decided in favour of investing in Austria. Every fifth business location or expansion project originated in Central and Eastern European countries. The largest number (14) came from Hungary, followed by Ukraine (13), Slovakia (9) and Czechia (9). Funded facility for sustainable business from Czechia The promising field of energy and environmental technology is already the fourth most important sector for foreign direct investments, accounting for 23 business location and expansion projects. This figure was only surpassed by ICT (68 projects), business-oriented services (52) and the wholesale sector (41). One example of a project in the field of energy and environmental technology is the establishment of PackWall AT, which is part of the Czech Upcycling Group. "The Upcycling Group offers state-of-the-art production solutions that create new green jobs, relieve pressure on local landfills and build strong domestic end markets for all types of recyclables and municipal waste streams," explains Jan Skopeček, Managing Director of both companies. "We will produce premium construction and furniture boards from recycled waste packaging materials at our new plant in the southern Austrian province of Carinthia. We received active support from the Austrian federal state of Carinthia and Austria Wirtschaftsservice (aws) in the form of advice on setting up the plant and subsidies." CEE startups expand to Austria The large number of international start-ups (39) advised by ABA which decided to invest in Austria also represents a gratifying development. These include Panza Robotics headquartered in Bratislava. It is an innovative high-tech company that focuses on the research and development of advanced robots. "We already developed a second prototype of four-legged robots for use in supporting routine or dangerous operations in different environments spanning a broad range of industries such as construction, utilities, oil & gas, waste management and public safety," says Radoslav Balajka, Managing Director of Panza Robotics. "Our expansion into Austria enables us to benefit from valuable partnerships such as with Infineon, Silicon Alps Cluster, Joanneum Research, and leverage Austrian startups with potentially attractive subsidies and the qualified specialists working with electronics-based systems. These are the best prerequisites for further developing our robots here." Another example is TerraWaste. "The company originated from the vibrant startup scene in Latvia and the Netherlands. We are on a mission to solve the plastic waste crisis, for example through our pilot plant initiative in Stockerau, located near Vienna. Our path forward has been greatly accelerated by the strategic guidance offered by the Vienna Business Agency, ecoplus, and ABA. Their acumen in identifying prime locations, facilitating partnerships, and unlocking funding opportunities has proven to be indispensable. In collaboration with the GreenTec Campus in Stockerau, we are poised to build a pilot plant at the Stockerau landfill. The facility is meticulously designed to tackle the pressing issue of plastic waste in the area. This project represents a significant step towards creating jobs and fostering the development of sustainable, environmentally conscious solutions in the region," states Kristaps Cirulis, Co-Founder of TerraWaste. (continues)