(de-news.net) – The Federal Government, together with the Länder, has announced their intention to embark on a Federal Modernization Agenda aimed at renewing Germany’s public administration and organizational structures in a broad and comprehensive manner. A 68‑page draft plan, prepared for adoption at the forthcoming Minister Presidents’ Conference, set out the contours of this initiative. Observers noted that the agenda characterized the state apparatus as excessively bureaucratic, slow in its procedures, and insufficiently oriented toward practical solutions, while also warning that entrenched bureaucracy posed a significant risk to the country’s long‑term prosperity.
Within the draft, 338 individual measures were listed, each designed to alleviate burdens on both citizens and businesses. One prominent proposal concerned identity documentation: individuals over the age of seventy would no longer be required to apply for new identity cards, with legislative adjustments scheduled to be completed by June 2026. In this way, the agenda sought to combine administrative efficiency with tangible relief for everyday life.
The demand for reform has not emerged suddenly. Hendrik Wüst, Minister President of North Rhine‑Westphalia, had already voiced strong appeals for a comprehensive restructuring of the German state earlier. He stressed, at that point, that the state must become faster and more capable, drawing attention to survey data indicating that nearly three quarters of citizens had lost confidence in the government’s ability to act. Analysts observed that Wüst regarded this erosion of trust as particularly troubling, given the scale of global and societal challenges that required decisive political responsiveness.
According to Wüst, many citizens perceived a functional crisis in the operations of government. This perception, he argued, had arisen precisely at a time when political capacity was more urgently needed than at almost any previous moment. He insisted that responsibility for ensuring effective state performance rested across all political levels, from federal to local, and that cooperative action was indispensable. Such cooperation, he maintained, was the only way to restore confidence in the system.
Against this backdrop, Wüst welcomed the joint decision of Bund and Länder to adopt the modernization agenda at the Minister Presidents’ Conference in Berlin on 4 December, under the leadership of Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The initiative was presented as a collective commitment to reinforce the institutional foundations of the German state, to streamline administrative processes, and ultimately to rebuild public trust in its capacity to act amidst contemporary demands.
