Former SPD Federal Finance Minister and co‑founder of the Initiative for an Actionable State, Peer Steinbrück, has urged federal politics to revamp the country’s “machine room”.
“We face enormous challenges – the collapse of the European security architecture, a disrupted relationship with the United States, and economic pressure from China” he told the “Rheinische Post” in its Saturday edition. “At the same time, Germany has neglected important homework for fifteen years”.
Steinbrück’s initiative had set out proposals for modernising the state; some of these have been adopted by both federal and state governments. Yet both he and Nathanael Liminski, the head of the North Rhine‑Westphalia state chancellery, foresee resistance in implementation.
Liminski told the “Rheinische Post” that state modernisation stays popular only when it remains abstract. “It becomes complicated when it turns concrete. Clearly, a few professional guilds will now try to undo concessions from the negotiations” he said. Nevertheless, he is confident that a tight monitoring regime led by a steering group of five states in cooperation with the federal government will ensure that the set targets are met by the end of 2027.
When asked what the main brake on state reforms is, Steinbrück pointed not to lobby groups but to those within politics and administration themselves: “The ones who pile on drag are more likely to be found in the ranks of politics and public administration. Despite efforts by Federal Minister Wildberger, it was several federal ministries that stood in the way”.
