New Data Reveals Growing Reporting Obligations for German Businesses
According to recent data obtained by the Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) from the German Federal Statistical Office and reported by the Handelsblatt, the number of reporting obligations for German companies has increased significantly. From 11,435 in 2018 to 12,390 in 2024, the number of reporting obligations has risen, accompanied by a surge in annual bureaucratic costs for the economy, from 50 to 66.6 billion euros.
“The bureaucracy in Germany is out of control” said BSW leader Sahra Wagenknecht. “It’s every reasonable measure exceeded, the balance of the grand coalition is devastating. The bureaucracy jungle is as dense as never, the costs are high as never. Habeck boasts optimism, but companies complain of suffocation.” Wagenknecht emphasized that in the upcoming legislative period, the “bureaucracy jungle” must be thinned out and costs must be reduced by many billions of euros. “The current madness is suffocating businesses and destroying prosperity” she said.
The grand coalition has indeed made efforts to reduce bureaucracy, but has only repealed a few laws in its current term. A Handelsblatt inquiry at the Federal Ministry of Justice revealed that the current government has enacted 347 federal laws, but only 40 have been repealed. In contrast, the previous grand coalition passed 869 federal laws and repealed 78.