dw.com
German Bureaucracy Hits Record High Despite Political Promises
A new study reveals that despite political promises, Germany's bureaucracy reached a record high in early 2025 with 1306 legal acts (39,536 pages), a 60% increase since 2010, impacting businesses and citizens.
- How do the different sectors of German law contribute to the overall bureaucratic increase?
- This surge, showing a 2.5% increase even from the previous year, contradicts political pledges to reduce bureaucracy. The study highlights disproportionate growth in finance (88%) and commercial law (110%) since 2010, compared to slower growth in administration and social legislation.
- What is the extent of Germany's bureaucratic growth, and what are the immediate consequences?
- A study by Professor Stefan Wagner from the University of Vienna, in collaboration with ESMT Berlin and www.buzer.de, reveals that despite political commitments, Germany's bureaucracy has reached a record high. By early 2025, 1306 legal acts (approximately 39,536 pages) were in effect, a 60% increase since 2010.
- What are the long-term implications of Germany's continuously expanding bureaucracy, and what measures might effectively address this?
- The actual bureaucratic burden might be far higher, as the analysis only covers four areas and excludes executive orders, state laws, and EU legislation. This continued expansion significantly impacts businesses and citizens, despite CDU/CSU and SPD's commitment to reduction in their governing program.
Cognitive Concepts
Framing Bias
The framing emphasizes the negative consequences of increasing bureaucracy. The headline (if there was one, which is missing from this text) and lead paragraph would likely highlight the record-high number of regulations and the lack of progress despite political promises. This framing could influence readers to view the situation more negatively.
Language Bias
The language used is relatively neutral, presenting facts and figures from the study. However, phrases like "record-high level" and "burden" subtly convey a negative assessment, although this is justified given the study's findings.
Bias by Omission
The analysis focuses on federal laws, acknowledging that further regulations exist at state and EU levels. However, the omission of these additional regulations might understate the true extent of bureaucratic burden on businesses and citizens. The study mentions this limitation but doesn't quantify the potential impact of this missing data.
Sustainable Development Goals
The increase in regulations, particularly in finance and commercial law, creates significant hurdles for businesses, hindering economic growth and job creation. The study directly links the rise in bureaucracy to negative impacts on businesses and citizens.