Minister advocates for streamlining bureaucratic procedures in digital sector
In a significant move towards streamlining administrative processes and reducing bureaucratic costs, Germany's Federal Minister of Digital Affairs, Karsten Wildberger, has called upon all German federal ministries to submit concrete proposals for bureaucracy reduction by September 15, 2025. This initiative, part of a broader plan to reduce bureaucratic costs by 16 billion euros (approximately 25% of current expenditures), aims to dismantle entrenched administrative structures and restore greater autonomy and trust to citizens and businesses.
The new Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and State Modernisation (BMDS) under Wildberger's leadership has consolidated many competencies previously fragmented across five different ministries plus the Chancellery, centralising digital administration and state modernization efforts. The ministry has already introduced initiatives like digital sovereignty agendas, the NOOTS state treaty, and an inter-ministerial committee for state modernization and bureaucracy reduction.
The strategy of the BMDS emphasises the need for significant regulatory burdens to be eliminated rather than just making incremental changes. They are also considering implementing a “one-in-two-out” principle, where each new administrative requirement must be balanced by the removal of two existing requirements.
The BMDS will also work towards digitising processes to accelerate approvals and public contracts, and will coordinate inter-ministerial collaboration for coherent implementation. The specialist department of the ministry will contact the departments to inquire about the status of "bureaucracy reduction projects."
The new ministry will play a crucial role in modernising online citizen services and managing data traffic in Germany. It will also focus on giving citizens and businesses more responsibility. Minister Wildberger's focus on "deregulation and de-bureaucratization" is expected to be a key topic in an October cabinet meeting.
The BMDS's efforts align with Minister Wildberger's reported focus on deregulation and de-bureaucratization. The new ministry was first reported by the "Bild" newspaper and is also available to the German Press Agency.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has also made significant changes to his cabinet, appointing a former MediaMarktSaturn top manager to his cabinet, and establishing a new ministry dedicated to digital affairs and state modernization.
References: 1. Bild newspaper 2. German Press Agency 3. German Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and State Modernisation 4. German Federal Government
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