Overview
- Heads of all 12 district regulatory offices sent a joint letter to the Senatskanzlei warning that Berlin effectively lacks functioning business supervision, jeopardizing rule of law, safety and fair competition.
- The letter cites near-absent checks in sensitive sectors such as arcades, betting shops, late‑night stores, brothels, pawnshops and financial intermediaries, describing the growth of structures that ignore legal norms.
- According to reporting cited from Tagesspiegel, the LKA’s business oversight unit has shrunk to about 23 staff and carried out 262 controls in 2024 against a target of 585.
- The officials blame unclear responsibilities split between the Economic and Interior administrations for the LKA unit and the Senatskanzlei for district offices, and they propose moving oversight tasks to the districts and the state Office for Citizens and Regulatory Affairs with added staffing.
- A Senatskanzlei spokesperson said a reorganization project led by the Economic Administration has been underway and confirmed the issue will be taken up by the Ordnungsämter steering group in mid‑November under State Secretary Martina Klement.