Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) said he wants more speed in cutting bureaucracy. According to the “Rheinische Post”, he told the party’s caucus on Tuesday that citizens had already submitted about 20 000 proposals via the federal government’s digital bureaucracy‑reduction portal.
Merz explained that he plans to convene a “Cabinet for Relief” after the summer break. In that meeting, the cabinet would not pass new laws but would repeal existing ones that are deemed unnecessary.
He added that the work is “painfully tedious”. When ministries are asked to show what they can deliver, they often argue that certain laws, regulations, or rules “can absolutely not be eliminated for overarching reasons”. Merz said such conflicts must be faced, and he appealed to the parliamentary groups for support so that the government can achieve real relief for businesses and households.