The Economy
After the end of the Second World War, the economic structure of the Tyrol underwent radical and permanent change. A region dependent on mountain agriculture and a modest volume of trade was transformed within a few decades into a modern industrial and service economy. The Tyrol today is one of the most prosperous regions in the European Union. Knowledge-based and business-oriented service providers, leading manufacturing companies, a dynamic skilled trades sector, transport and retail companies, and a full public service offering give the Tyrol a broad economic base that greatly reduces the risks of economic fluctuations. Industrial companies account for one third of the net product of the Tyrol, followed by the SMEs, trades and other services. Apart from a few big companies, the Tyrolean economy is dominated by SMEs; 90 percent of the businesses in the Tyrol have less than twenty employees. The boom in tourism has greatly reduced the rural exodus from the peripheral areas of the region.
Business development
The 2007–2013 Tyrolean Business Development Programme was drawn up in collaboration with the business community. Economic development in the Tyrol has the following focus: structural improvements for SMEs, business start-ups and relocation, R&D and innovation, environmental protection, renewable energy and energy efficiency, maintenance of the local infrastructure and services, access to new markets, and reconciliation between work and the family. These objectives are supported by a range of programmes, such as the Tyrol Impulse Package, Small Tyrolean Enterprises, Tyrolean Internationalisation Support and many others. An annual budget of over 154 million euros is made available for business development in the Tyrol.
The Tyrol as a business location
As the regional business location agency, the Standortagentur Tirol (in German) is mandated to strengthen the Tyrol as a location for business and knowledge-based activities on a long-term basis. The agency makes a wide range of services available to companies and research organisations. Support is provided for clusters, in which businesses, research groups and education facilities combine to create an economic and technological powerhouse, with the Zukunftsstiftung responsible for management of the cluster.
The Büro für Zukunftsfragen (in German) - Office of Future-related Issues -, which reports directly to the Governor of the Tyrol, acts as a stimulus, interface and coordinator for potential future developments and management measures with an emphasis on cooperation withknowledge providers, interest groups and specialist organisations as well as direct contact with the general public.
Point of Single Contact
The Point of Single Contact (PSC) supports you if you want to provide or receive services in the Tyrol. The PSC was set up on the basis of the EU Services Directive.
Click here for further information on the subject of the economy, support programmes and the relevant departments at the Office of the Tyrolean Regional Government (in German).