“For a Germany capable of taking action – modern government and efficient administration”: this was the theme of the zeb.Roundtable featuring Dr. Karsten Wildberger, Federal Minister for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation. Mayors and senior executives from financial institutions were invited to the Soho House in Berlin. In his welcoming remarks and opening statement, host Dr. Markus Thiesmeyer, Senior Partner at zeb, emphasized that government modernization and bureaucracy reduction were not merely matters of technology but primarily a question of how a modern state could better serve citizens, businesses and public administrations. He noted that ultimately, everything revolved around whether society perceived the state as functioning effectively. In this context, Markus Thiesmeyer referred, among other things, to the experience zeb made with the “Transformation of city administration” project. He noted that it had shown that crucially, in many administrations, mindsets and attitudes would also have to evolve if efforts to reduce bureaucracy were to succeed.

Federal Minister Dr. Karsten Wildberger took up this very idea in his speech, emphasizing that a modern state could emerge only if there was a willingness to simplify processes, reorganize responsibilities and challenge established practices, which also required courage. “More trust, less control and a greater willingness to take risks are needed. It is not the reduction of bureaucracy that needs to be justified, but rather its continued existence”, the minister said, adding that this so-called reversal of the burden of proof was already having an impact in Baden-Wuerttemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia and was being applied to promising effect. As the first Federal Minister for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation, he said that he had a responsibility to make Germany faster, simpler and more efficient. As key elements of his agenda, Mr. Wildberger cited the “simplification and acceleration of approval processes”, the “digital wallet” and a “Deutschland App”, which were to be introduced gradually beginning next year and were intended to facilitate access to both public and private services. In this context, Mr. Wildberger referred to the federal government’s recently approved relief package, which included concrete measures to reduce bureaucracy and cut red tape, totaling EUR 600 m. “A little more speed would be welcome – I make no secret of that”, he said. But the challenge was clear, he added. For every individual regulation, there were arguments in favor and stakeholders who benefited from it. Taking on those vested interests required considerable time and effort. Rather than relying on spectacular quick fixes, what was needed was persistence, he argued. Reducing bureaucracy was a marathon. The minister called for a national joint effort, arguing that Germany could move faster if responsibilities were clearly assigned, processes well organized and if everyone worked toward the same goal. Cooperation among the federal government, the states and local authorities was crucial in this regard, he added

According to Mr. Wildberger, the objective for 2029 was a strong Germany. To achieve it, he outlined four levers which, however, could succeed only when pulled together:

First, government modernization – a state that untangles itself and returns to functioning effectively. Second, digital infrastructure – networks that provide the foundation on which everything else is built. Third, digitalization of public administration – the “Deutschland Stack” as a shared digital architecture for the federal government, the states, local authorities and the private sector. And fourth, sovereignty and artificial intelligence – Germany’s own infrastructure, its own models and its own AI applications, including industrial AI and a broader ecosystem.

FYI: further details on this objective can be found at: https://bmds.bund.de/aktuelles/reden/detail/tag-des-familienunternehmens.

The event featuring Federal Minister Wildberger was already the 37^th in the zeb.Roundtable series – an event format that was launched in early 2017 and featured Dr. Wolfgang Schäuble, then serving as Federal Minister of Finance, as its first guest of honor and speaker. Over the years, the zeb.Roundtable has established itself as a high-level forum for discussion with decision-makers from the realms of politics and finance. 

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