Lower Saxony plans to dismantle 272 bureaucratic regulations

In the fight against too much bureaucracy, the Lower Saxony state government has put 272 regulations and obligations on a scratch list that should be simplified or completely abolished. “Everything that can be gone comes away,” said Prime Minister Olaf Lies. He announced: “This list is just the beginning.”

The SPD politician spoke of a reversed burden of proof. “It’s not whoever wants to abolish an obligation who has to justify themselves, but whoever wants to keep it,” said Lies. “Every hour that no one spends on a report that no one needs is an hour for actual work – in the company, at school, in town hall.” According to the motto “easier, faster, cheaper” the aim is to speed up procedures for citizens, companies, municipalities and administration.

Three examples from the scratch list:

In the future, teachers at primary schools will no longer have to document consultations with parents about the right type of secondary school for a child, according to the plan. The advice remains - the documentation, however, is no longer available because it has not yet been forwarded and the decision about the type of school lies with the parents anyway.

In the future, campsite operators will no longer have to provide a “telephone connection” including a notice with the address and telephone number of the police, fire brigade, ambulance, accident aid station and the nearest doctor and pharmacy. This requirement was outdated.

In the future, the heads of the districts, the Hanover region and the independent cities will no longer be legally obliged to inform the state government about events that are important to them. It is said that the mayors, the regional president and the district administrators can best decide for themselves when something should be passed on to the state.

In order to work through the list of 272 obligations, changes to laws and regulations are necessary, among other things. For the majority of the obligations, the necessary steps should be taken by the end of the year.

In total, the State Chancellery has recorded around 3,000 existing obligations. Around 700 of these cannot easily be changed by the state because they are based on federal or EU law. After the first cross-off list had been completed, around 2,000 duties still remained.