Weekly affairs at the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)

In August 2025, the German federal government is actively pushing forward several draft bills aimed at accelerating administrative modernization, strengthening start-ups, increasing energy efficiency, and digitally documenting main trials in criminal law.

Accelerating Administrative Modernization

A constitutional amendment, Article 143h of the Basic Law, has led to the creation of a Special Infrastructure and Climate Neutrality Fund worth €500 billion. Draft bills have been published to establish this fund (SVIKG-E) and to allocate €100 billion to federal states and municipalities through a financing act (LuKIFG-E). These bills set up the fund's structure and usage rules to address infrastructure gaps and climate goals.

Energy Efficiency: Geothermal Energy Acceleration Act

A draft bill called the Geothermal Energy Acceleration Act was introduced on July 3, 2025. This bill aims to speed up the expansion of geothermal energy by simplifying planning, approval processes, introducing digital procedures, shortening deadlines, and creating new project management roles. The goal is to expand climate-neutral heat supply fast enough to help meet Germany’s greenhouse gas neutrality target by 2045.

Criminal Law and Digital Documentation of Main Trials

Criminal procedure reforms and legal changes related to criminal proceedings have been noted, with some draft bills described as long-awaited but criticized as missed opportunities. Updates on contributions to defense costs and criminal law procedure are ongoing, but more specific details relevant to digital documentation are not fully outlined in the current results.

Strengthening Start-ups

No direct draft bill related to this was found in the search results up to August 2025. However, significant infrastructure and climate funds, and administrative modernization may indirectly support the start-up ecosystem by improving economic and technological frameworks.

The federal government continues to focus on literacy work, shifting the focus towards long-term learning paths and expanding to include basic and future competencies. In the realm of healthcare, a Hospital Transparency Act draft bill is being introduced, establishing an online registry to increase transparency and quality in hospitals.

Additionally, the legal framework for the national hydrogen infrastructure is being adapted, with the Energy Industry Act to be amended to create a hydrogen backbone in Germany. The federal government is also taking steps to remunerate nursing students for the entire duration of their studies, making nursing studies more attractive.

In the realm of climate protection, the Climate Protection Act is being reformed to outline measures to achieve national and international climate goals in the first year of a legislative period. The amendment to the Maut Act primarily provides for a CO2 surcharge of 200 euros per tonne of CO2. The truck toll will apply from June 2024 to vehicles with a permissible total weight of 3.5 tons or more.

The federal government is also working on the Future Financing Act draft bill, aiming to strengthen the financial location of Germany in international competition. Improved financing options are planned, making it easier for start-ups and growth companies to raise new capital for investments.

In the realm of social welfare, the federal government is amending various social code books, such as the SGB XII, to ensure that all regulations fit seamlessly into the existing legal system. The federal contribution to the flat-rate participation in the expenditures of the social care insurance will be suspended for the years 2024 to 2027 and will be reinstated from 2028.

The federal government is also strengthening the Central Office for Financial Transactions Investigations through a draft bill. The draft bill provides legal clarity regarding the tasks and risk-based working methods of the central office, ensuring effective processes for analyzing and forwarding suspicious reports.

The federal government is also presenting its second report on the status of the "Alpha Decade" - the National Decade for Literacy and Basic Education, which aims to improve the reading and writing skills of those affected from 2016 to 2026. The learning portal of the German Adult Education Association (vhs-Lernportal) has become the central learning platform for reading, writing, arithmetic, and German language learning, with over 1.6 million registered users.

The federal government is also adjusting the contract of January 27, 2003, between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Central Council of Jews in Germany to increase the financial support to 22 million euros annually. The German federal government has also proposed a draft bill for the Online Access Act (OZG) amendment, to be discussed in the first reading this week.

The OZG, enacted in 2017, has driven the digitization of administrative services, but not all requirements have been fully implemented. Improved digital accessibility in civil courts is to be expanded and made more flexible, with proceedings conducted via video conference if both parties agree. The federal government will provide central basic functions, replacing state-specific developments for the citizen account, and legal anchor the Once-Only-Principle.

The federal government is also working on the amendment to the Maut Act, which is currently being debated in the first reading. The amendments will increasingly link the truck toll to CO2 emissions, providing a strong incentive to switch to climate-friendly vehicles. The federal government is also remunerating nursing students for the entire duration of their studies, making nursing studies more attractive.

The federal government is also planning to double the domestic electrolysis capacities for the production of green hydrogen to at least ten gigawatts by 2030. The revision of the hydrogen strategy is divided into four action fields, each underpinned by short-term, medium-term, and a "2030 Vision".

The federal government is also debating a bill in the first reading to adapt the Road Traffic Act (StVG) and the Road Traffic Regulations (StVO) to take into account climate and environmental protection, health, and urban development goals. The bill allows authorities to issue ordinances and orders for 30 km/h zones, exclusively for the purpose of improving environmental and climate protection, protecting health, or supporting urban development.

In the realm of film promotion, the film promotion act is being amended through a draft bill, with the collection of the film levy by the Federal Film Board (FFB) to be continued, which would otherwise end on 31.12.2023.

The federal government is also working on the amendment to the Maut Act, which is currently being debated in the first reading. The Road Traffic Act (StVG) and the Road Traffic Regulations (StVO) are to be adapted to take into account climate and environmental protection, health, and urban development goals.

The federal government is also taking steps to improve the transparency of hospitals through the Hospital Transparency Act draft bill, which establishes an online registry. The draft bill provides regulations that will more effectively drive administrative digitization and broaden the digital online offer.

The expected emission development until 2030 will be considered in the future to assess whether Germany is on the right path of transformation. The federal government is also addressing the requirement for written form, with the comprehensive digital replacement of the written form proposed in the draft bill.

In summary, the German federal government is actively working on a wide range of draft bills aimed at modernizing administrative processes, improving energy efficiency, digitizing criminal trials, strengthening start-ups, and promoting various sectors such as healthcare, climate protection, and film promotion.

In the context of policy-and-legislation, the German federal government is introducing the Geothermal Energy Acceleration Act to speed up the expansion of geothermal energy within the realm of politics and general-news. Additionally, the federal government is working on a draft bill to adapt the Road Traffic Act (StVG) and the Road Traffic Regulations (StVO) to take into account climate and environmental protection, health, and urban development goals, which also falls under policy-and-legislation, politics, and general-news.