Minister advocates for streamlining bureaucratic procedures digitally

Ministry of Digital Affairs and State Modernization Pushes for Bureaucracy Reduction

In a bid to modernize administration and reduce bureaucracy, Minister of Digital Affairs, Karsten Wildberger, has written to the ministers of the federal government, asking for plans for bureaucracy reduction in their respective departments by September 15, 2023.

The focus of the state modernization, as led by the Ministry of Digital Affairs and State Modernization, is on reducing bureaucracy in various departments. The details of the "bureaucracy reduction projects" will be discussed by Wildberger's ministry with the respective departments.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz appointed Wildberger as the head of the newly created Ministry of Digital Affairs and State Modernization, which is also responsible for online citizen services, modernizing administration, reducing bureaucracy, improving networks, and managing data traffic.

The Ministry for Digital and State Reform plans to present by September 15, 2023, measures aimed at reducing bureaucracy by eliminating reporting requirements and duplications in administration, introducing deregulation and debureaucratization initiatives, and advancing digital projects like the Germany Stack and a European digital wallet. These initiatives are intended to be approved in a focused cabinet session and mark a serious commitment to cut bureaucracy across ministries.

The deadline for the submission of these plans was set on August 5. However, the Ministry of Digital Affairs and State Modernization will not be responsible for setting the deadline for bureaucracy reduction plans, as that has already been set for September 15, 2025.

The cabinet meeting in October will still focus on "deregulation and de-bureaucratization," but the specifics of how this will be achieved may be influenced by the actions of the Ministry of Digital Affairs and State Modernization. The minister has stated that the state should trust citizens and businesses more and give them more responsibility. He expressed a need to systematically dismantle decades of bureaucratic concrete in Germany.

The Ministry of Digital Affairs and State Modernization will not be responsible for contacting departments to inquire about the current status of "bureaucracy reduction projects." Instead, it is the responsibility of each department to submit their plans by the given deadline. The letter expresses hope for good cooperation from the departments.

The details of these plans and the progress made in reducing bureaucracy will be closely monitored by the Ministry of Digital Affairs and State Modernization. The first report on the progress of these projects was first reported by "Bild" and is also available to the German Press Agency.