Weekly developments in the German federal parliament, Bundestag
In a series of proposed changes, Germany is set to streamline administrative processes, enhance public transportation, and modernize associations and foundations. Here's a rundown of the developments:
Public Transport Revolution
The Germany ticket, a nationwide public transportation ticket, will be available for purchase as a subscription from April 2023 and will be valid from May. The initial cost of the Germany ticket will be 49 euros per month and can be cancelled monthly. The ticket, which covers most regional and local transport excluding most long-distance trains, will be evaluated in 2023 and 2024. The federal government is providing the states with 1.5 billion euros annually for the funding of the Germany ticket, and the states are contributing an equal amount [1][2][3].
Administrative Simplification
Higher administrative and federal administrative courts will be allowed to make simple decisions with a smaller panel in the future. Proceedings that are already in the first instance before the higher administrative courts or the Federal Administrative Court will be given priority and acceleration over other proceedings. Statements and evidence that plaintiffs do not submit within the judicial deadline will generally be excluded from further proceedings ("procedural preclusion"). The draft bill also allows the enforcement of unlawful administrative decisions until a final judgment is made, within clearly defined limits ("non-consideration rule") [1][4].
Digital Transformation for Associations and Foundations
The Bundestag is considering a draft bill from the Bundesrat to allow hybrid meetings for associations and foundations. Associations will be able to empower their board to hold meetings virtually with a simple resolution, without amending their statutes. The draft bill also aims to strengthen membership rights, encourage voluntary engagement, and reduce bureaucratic burden for members, associations, and registry courts [1][5].
Strengthening Supervision of Legal Services
Details about changes related to supervision of legal services and reforms in administrative court proceedings were not explicitly covered in the search results. These likely require consulting government ministry releases, official legislative proposals, or specialized legal and administrative sources.
Accelerating Administrative Court Proceedings in the Infrastructure Sector
The draft bill to accelerate administrative court proceedings in the infrastructure sector will be discussed in its final reading this week. The corresponding bill of the federal government for amending the Regionalisation Act will be discussed in this week's first reading [1][6].
Fighting Tax Avoidance
The draft bill of the federal government aims to facilitate the exchange of tax-relevant information between Germany and the United States to combat tax avoidance models of multinational corporations [1][7].
Restarting Smart Meters Rollout
The rollout of Smart Meters in Germany will be restarted with a legal rollout schedule and binding targets by 2030. The annual costs for consumers and small plant operators will now be capped at 20 euros per year [1][8].
For the most comprehensive and authoritative information on all these topics, monitoring official government websites (budget documents, ministries' announcements), Bundestag/Bundesrat legislative tracking tools, and official transport and legal bulletins will be essential.
[1] Official German Federal Government Budget Documents (Bundeshaushalt) [2] Deutsche Bahn website [3] EGTRE [4] German Bundestag and Bundesrat session schedules, debates, and bills [5] Industry and Legal Professional Publications [6] German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) [7] German Federal Ministry of Justice [8] German Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community
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