CDU Proposes Bold Plan to Slash Bureaucracy for German Businesses
CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann has proposed a three-point plan to ease the burden on Germany's economy. "Our small and medium-sized businesses and skilled trades need a signal of renewal," Linnemann told Stern.
The CDU leader is pushing for a three-year suspension of all documentation requirements for companies. "Instead, we should adopt a simple principle: less bureaucracy, but stronger controls and tangible penalties for violations," he argued. In his view, mandatory documentation unfairly places entrepreneurs under general suspicion. "In road traffic, you don't have to write down that you drove 30 km/h in a 30-kph zone," Linnemann said, adding that those who speed still face harsh consequences.
Additionally, Linnemann wants to suspend all remaining analog statistical reporting obligations for businesses until the government provides a digital solution. "The current paperwork creates a lot of bureaucracy and little insight," the Christian Democrat criticized. He urged the state to use this opportunity to review the necessity of these regulations before reinstating them.
Furthermore, Linnemann is calling for Germany's due diligence requirements for companies—designed to protect the environment, human rights, and children's rights across global supply chains—to be scrapped. "We should abolish the German Supply Chain Act as quickly as possible and replace it with the new EU-wide rules," he said. "This would significantly relieve the burden on small and medium-sized enterprises and all companies with fewer than 5,000 employees." By 2028, Germany will have to adopt EU-level regulations that only apply to firms with over 5,000 employees and annual revenues exceeding €1.5 billion. The phase-out of the German law is already outlined in the coalition agreement between the CDU/CSU and SPD.
On Tuesday, the CDU/CSU parliamentary group plans to finalize new economic relief measures during a strategy meeting. "Priority must now be given to anything that strengthens our competitiveness," Linnemann stated. He claimed his proposals would cost the government nothing and urged the coalition to demonstrate the political will to implement them. "That would send the message that we're serious."
