German Parliament Advances Bureaucracy Reform with New Efficiency Law

The Bremen CDU parliamentary group has drafted an "Efficiency Act for Bureaucracy Reduction and State Modernisation" that would automatically terminate many state‑level reporting, documentation and notification duties on 1 January unless the Senate justifies their retention. The proposal also seeks a reversal of the burden of proof, requiring the persistence of a regulation to be justified, and introduces "grant‑fiction" provisions that treat pending permits as approved after a set deadline.

In Berlin, the governing coalition passed a broader package that eliminates the mandatory continuing‑education requirement for real‑estate agents, scraps the heating‑label obligation for chimney sweeps and removes several other reporting mandates. The reforms are projected to save roughly €45 million a year for affected professions and are presented as a "zero‑cost stimulus" for businesses.

Both measures are part of the coalition’s push to cut administrative burdens and boost economic activity across Germany.