Germany’s Federal Minister for Digitalisation and Building, Verena Hubertz, has voiced concerns regarding a perceived lack of innovation and agility within the country’s systems. Speaking on the Funke Mediengruppe podcast “Meine schwerste Entscheidung” Hubertz described Germany as having become “slow, bureaucratic, pessimistic and somewhat sluggish”. She argued that maintaining a traditionally comfortable pace is no longer sustainable.
The Minister emphasized the need for a nationwide embrace of the “impatience and startup spirit” that drives rapid development and problem-solving. While acknowledging that initiatives such as bureaucracy reduction and streamlined planning processes are outlined in the current coalition agreement, Hubertz stressed that formal commitments alone are insufficient. She pointed to a tendency towards achieving only the “minimum consensus” during implementation, hindering substantial progress.
Hubertz, who founded the cooking app “Kitchen Stories” prior to entering politics in 2021, highlighted a contrast between the dynamism of the startup world and the current political landscape. She explained that in a startup environment, contributions are actively sought and valued, while in politics, time is often consumed by attendance at events without always yielding tangible results.
Illustrating this point, the Minister recounted her surprise upon entering the Bundestag to observe meetings attended by parliamentarians accompanied by two staff members, resulting in lengthy sessions she described as a “waste of time”. This observation, she indicated, underscored the need for greater efficiency and a more results-oriented approach within the political system.