German government adopts "modernisation agenda"

At the cabinet meeting, the Merz cabinet agreed on a so-called modernization agenda for the federal government. “Today's decision on the modernization agenda is a major step towards reducing the burden on citizens and companies,” says Karsten Wildberger (CDU). However, it remains to be seen whether this will be felt by the rest of the country beyond the federal administration. The CDU, CSU, and SPD ministers' plans to modernize the state and reduce bureaucracy are set out on a total of almost 40 pages. 23 so-called leverage projects are intended to make a noticeable difference for citizens—of varying complexity and quality. And not all of them can be implemented in the short term.

One very practical software project is above all a disempowerment: until now, each local authority was able to decide for itself which solution to choose for vehicle registration. The federal government, which is responsible for vehicles through the Federal Motor Transport Authority, wanted to simplify digital registration and had iKfz developed over a number of years. According to the Ministry of Transport, 379 of the 400 responsible districts and independent cities have used it to date—but with different software. This is exactly what is now set to change.

More AI to give administration a leg up

And just as with iKfz, the German government is trying to further develop various old acquaintances with the modernization agenda. One new development is how often artificial intelligence is to give the state a leg up. In particular, the federal government is focusing on support in the review of application documents. In practice, however, this also requires adjustments to the law: “Due to the rapid progress of digitalization and the AI Regulation that has come into force, efforts should be made to modernize relevant legal bases (including Section 35a of the Administrative Procedure Act),” the paper states. In the end, however, the parties involved assure that it should always be the human being who decides in the administrative procedure.

KPIs should make progress measurable

Karsten Wildberger, the Federal Minister for Digital Affairs and State Modernization, who is responsible for the modernization agenda, explained in advance that the aim of the whole thing is to initiate a process: “If a country has tied itself in knots like this, then it will also be a process.” Specific key performance indicators (KPIs) are to be linked to the modernization agenda and fixed target dates defined for the projects.

This should make a big difference for the federal administration. Chancellery Minister Thorsten Frey praised the modernization agenda as a “very, very good paper.” Frey is also responsible for the most difficult part of state modernization: coordination with the federal states, which in turn also speak for the local authorities. The limit for all projects is the federal government's own responsibility: many regulations and their application are not federal rules, so it is difficult to deal with them, as some governments before the current one have had to learn. However, the next conference of minister presidents in December is expected to take further concrete, joint steps in this regard.

“Instead of a clear strategy, the federal government is presenting modern-sounding buzzwords and individual measures,” criticizes Green MP Moritz Heuberger. Although some proposals were a step in the right direction, in some areas the agenda was already a step backwards compared to the coalition agreement from the spring.

(mki)