Ines Zenke, President of the SPD Economic Forum, has called for civil servants’ careers and remuneration to be more strongly linked to their performance in reducing bureaucracy. Speaking to newspapers from the Funke Media Group, Zenke suggested that career paths and compensation models should prioritize performance-based factors, greater decision-making autonomy, and contributions toward de-bureaucratization efforts. She argues that these administrative employees should benefit from improved careers and wages if they successfully expedite approval processes, find pragmatic solutions, and consistently leverage existing discretionary powers. Aligning incentives in this manner, she asserts, will establish the necessary “enabler” mindset within public administrations.
Zenke justified her proposal by citing the significant burden that bureaucracy places on businesses. She labeled excessive bureaucracy one of Germany’s greatest barriers to investment and a significant drag on the economy. This assertion is supported by regular industry figures, which show that nearly 68 percent of companies rank bureaucracy reduction and quick approvals as their highest priority-even above lower energy costs (54 percent) or abolishing the Supply Chain Act (33 percent).
From her perspective, existing reforms are inadequate. While the federal government recognizes the need to streamline administration, previous approaches, such as the “one-in, one-out” principle (where every new rule is balanced by one repealed), have proven unsuccessful. Furthermore, Zenke believes that the “one in, two out” rule agreed upon in the coalition contract will not alone restore the necessary freedom and innovation capacity. She contends that a fundamental shift is required, not only in administrative structures but also in the administrative mindset. The reform of public service law, integrated into the coalition agreement, offers a key mechanism for this transformation.
Zenke’s suggestion builds upon another aspect of the coalition agreement between the SPD and the CDU/CSU: the aim to tether public service law more closely to performance and individual responsibility. While performance bonuses and allowances already exist for civil servants, their utility varies significantly depending on the appointing authority. However, not all stakeholders agree with her proposal. The German Civil Servants’ Union (dbb) remains skeptical regarding performance bonuses, maintaining that promotions should remain the primary form of recognition. Nevertheless, the dbb does advocate for a stronger consideration of individual performance when developing advancement stages within civil service legislation.
