Minister of Digital Affairs advocates for decreasing red tape across government departments

Ministry Official Advocates for Streamlining Government Operations through Bureaucratic Minimization - Ministries urged to streamline bureaucratic processes by the digital minister

In a bid to modernise administration and reduce bureaucracy, Germany's newly-appointed Digital Minister, Karsten Wildberger, has called upon the ministers of the federal government to submit plans for bureaucracy reduction by September 15, 2025.

Wildberger, who previously served as the top manager of MediaMarktSaturn, was appointed to his role by Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU). He now heads the Ministry of Digital Affairs and State Modernization, a ministry responsible for modernising administration, reducing bureaucracy, data traffic, improving networks, and online citizen services.

Wildberger has expressed concerns about Germany's accumulation of bureaucratic concrete over decades and the need for consistent removal. He has requested the current status of "bureaucracy reduction projects" from the specialist department of his ministry.

The focus of an upcoming October cabinet meeting is reported to be on "deregulation and de-bureaucratization". In line with this, the federal ministries are planning concrete measures to reduce bureaucracy. These measures include starting an immediate program to reduce bureaucracy by simplifying rules and documentation requirements, shifting from frequent document proof to stronger sanctioning of violations, digitalising administrative services via a central platform with mandatory citizen accounts and digital identity, enabling digital company registrations within 24 hours, expanding digital offerings in customs and excise through AI, lifting regulations like the substance flow balance ordinance, and fully digitalising support program applications for innovation and Mittelstand companies.

The aim of these efforts is to reduce bureaucracy costs for the economy by about 16 billion euros and improve the efficiency of administration and services for citizens and businesses. Wildberger believes that the state should trust citizens and businesses more and give them more responsibility.

The letter from Digital Minister Wildberger, dated August 5, was first reported by the "Bild" newspaper and is also available to the German Press Agency. In the letter, he hopes for good cooperation and thanks in advance for the contribution.

Wildberger's advocacy for state modernization and bureaucracy reduction is a significant step towards making Germany's administrative processes more efficient and less burdensome for its citizens and businesses.