Bureaucracy is crippling the economy. The state government of Rhineland-Palatinate now wants to make processes "simpler, faster, and cheaper." (Photo: © bacho12345/123RF.com)
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September 25, 2024
"Bureaucracy slows down the economy and annoys people," says the state government of Rhineland-Palatinate, presenting a comprehensive package that is also intended to relieve the trades and crafts sector of bureaucratic burdens.
On average, tradespeople spend twelve hours a week on paperwork – more than a full workday or the weekend. According to the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts, smaller craft businesses are disproportionately affected by bureaucracy.
In Rhineland-Palatinate, the state government is now launching a bureaucracy reduction initiative that is also intended to relieve the burden on skilled trades. This includes measures such as higher thresholds for awarding contracts, fewer reporting requirements, simplified building regulations, and a digital advancement bonus for master craftsman training.
"From idea to approval, it often takes too long. This slows down the economy and annoys people. Where we as the state government are responsible for administrative regulations, we want to simplify them," explained Minister-President Alexander Schweitzer (SPD) , who presented the package together with Integration Minister Katharina Binz (Greens) and Economics Minister Daniela Schmitt (FDP) .
The relief measures for citizens, businesses, municipalities, and state authorities are expected to take effect by mid-2025. The ministers reported that numerous proposals for reducing bureaucracy had previously been identified within the ministries and other authorities. The Council of Ministers subsequently discussed the proposals in depth at a closed meeting in Edenkoben. Further relief measures are to follow.
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The state building code is set to include further simplifications in building regulations . "Reduced requirements for minimum distances between buildings, fire safety regulations, and the provision of necessary parking spaces are planned. Furthermore, procedures will be simplified and the scope for deviations from building regulations will be expanded. This will particularly facilitate renovations of existing buildings and modular construction . Individual permitting processes will thus be accelerated," reported Minister-President Alexander Schweitzer at the presentation of the bureaucracy reduction package.
The application and processing processes in the funding sector are to be more digitalized. The creation of uniform procedures and templates would simplify the application process and further reduce processing times.
The first level of the advancement bonus is granted for passing certain advanced training examinations. The new digital first level of the advancement bonus aims to make funding for master craftsman training even easier and less bureaucratic to access.
The state law establishing the State Office for Fire and Disaster Protection abolished previous reporting requirements. Further simplifications are expected to come from the consolidation of reporting requirements and the transition to event-based reporting requirements in the areas of recruiting young talent, the human resources development framework, and occupational health management.
The thresholds for negotiated and direct awards are increased from €40.000 to €100.000 . Construction contracts up to €250.000 (€1 million for residential construction) can be tendered without a competitive bidding process. Direct awards are permitted up to €10.000.
To handle large public construction projects such as schools or daycare centers more efficiently, the option of awarding contracts to general contractors will be expanded if there are objective reasons. This is intended to relieve the burden on municipalities that lack sufficient qualified personnel for coordination. " Regional small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs ) must be taken into account by the general contractor and must not be disadvantaged in the case of subcontracts ," emphasized Minister of Economic Affairs Daniela Schmitt.
Trier was the first municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate to launch the digital building application process. Other municipalities are now expected to follow suit.
Since August 1, it has been possible to register a new residence from home in 19 municipalities in Rhineland-Palatinate. This option is to be expanded.
The application process for educational leave—from application to decision—will be completely digitalized. This will make it easier for employees to find and begin suitable training.
The test phases in the Mainz-Bingen and Mayen-Koblenz districts were successful. Parental allowance can be applied for fully digitally there, reported Katharina Binz, Minister for Women, Family, Culture and Integration. "In the coming months, the service will be rolled out nationwide, and families in numerous other cities and districts will then also be able to apply for parental allowance digitally."
Cooperation between administrations is to be further improved through the further development of electronic filing and the use of cloud solutions. Interministerial collaboration is to be accelerated in order to process concerns from citizens and businesses more quickly, it is stated.
By incorporating regulations from the Federal Highways Act into the State Roads Act, planning processes are to be accelerated:
A central licensing and approval authority is to be established to standardize and accelerate procedures.
Here, too, various measures are to be taken "to reduce bureaucratic hurdles and give companies more time for their actual work," according to the state government. For example, simplified regulations for conditionality and eco-regulations from 2025.
Administrative processes are to be optimized through digitalization. A new digital check is intended to ensure that new draft laws, ordinances, and administrative regulations of the state government incorporate digital options from the outset, so that fewer paper applications and fewer in-person visits to the office will be necessary in the future.
Source: State Government of Rhineland-Palatinate
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