Germans see little progress on cutting red tape

A recent survey released on Saturday revealed that a majority of citizens and businesses in Germany perceive minimal advancements in reducing bureaucratic hurdles, despite the government’s pledges under Chancellor Friedrich Merz to simplify procedures. Two-thirds of respondents indicated that excessive red tape has remained unchanged since the coalition took power, with some noting it has even worsened.

The current administration, formed by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), its Bavarian counterpart the Christian Social Union (CSU), and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), committed in April to “a comprehensive rollback of bureaucracy.” However, the findings from YouGov’s poll challenge this claim, showing 66% of Germans believe administrative burdens persist at the same level, while 22% report they have grown.

Businesses echoed similar concerns, with only 4% claiming bureaucracy has lessened. Eight percent expressed uncertainty. Among managers, 63% stated procedures have stayed the same, 31% noted an uptick, and just 4% saw reductions. A significant portion of respondents also mentioned delays or cancellations of projects in the last year due to slow or complicated administrative processes.

Areas requiring urgent digital upgrades were identified as healthcare, local government offices, tax services, and construction approvals. “Citizens crave action, not just declarations—what they want is a state that functions efficiently,” remarked Philip Meissner, founder of the Center for Digital Competitiveness at ESCP. His colleague Klaus Schweinsberg added that the survey highlights Merz’s government “clearly failing” to address core competitiveness issues like digitization and bureaucratic reform.

To view the associated video, JavaScript must be enabled, and users are advised to upgrade to an HTML5-compatible browser.