Also, in the March plenary session, MPs decided on a permanent legal basis for the new digital university lens and approved changes to the General Civil Code (APGB) and the Aviation Act. This means that wind turbines – like other aviation obstacles – will not have to be permanently lit in the future. Additionally, in the future some civil airports could be used for 24-hour rescue flight operations outside of operating hours. New liability rules apply to trees to avoid unnecessary pruning or felling.
With sweeping changes to the Monuments Protection Act, politicians want to curb, among other things, the practice of allowing historic monuments to deteriorate until demolition is unavoidable. In addition, significantly more money should be available for monument conservation activities than before. The amendment to the Contaminated Site Remediation Act includes, among other things, the expansion of the polluter's pay policy.
Other resolutions include regulating national-level vocational training in agriculture and forestry, creating new training in “professional hunting management”, new documentation requirements for energy-intensive data centers and upgrading photovoltaic systems. Small businesses and self-employed individuals who did not benefit from the temporary sales tax exemption for small photovoltaic systems can reapply for investment subsidies. The same applies to agricultural businesses. The amendment to the Red Cross Act ensures that the Austrian Red Cross and its subsidiary societies continue to be treated as corporations under common law for tax purposes.
