Hessen associations warn against proposed bureaucracy reduction law

A coalition of 14 industry associations has issued a warning regarding the draft of the Second Hessian Bureaucracy Reduction Act. While the associations support the goal of reducing administrative burdens for companies, they oppose the proposed removal of references to the ‘state of the art’ and ‘generally recognized rules of technology’ from laws and regulations.

The coalition argues that these technical standards serve as essential benchmarks for companies, authorities, experts, and courts. They contend that deleting these references could lead to increased legal uncertainty, higher liability risks, and a rise in individual case-by-case decisions.

The associations have appealed to political leaders in Hessen, as well as at the federal and state levels, to maintain these established technical standards. They suggest that bureaucracy reduction should instead focus on eliminating unnecessary reporting, documentation, and procedural requirements rather than fundamental technical benchmarks. There are also concerns that this approach in Hessen could set a precedent for other German federal states, potentially weakening the uniformity of technical requirements nationwide.