Overview

• Linnemann proposes limiting lifetime civil-service appointments to police, fire services, finance officials and customs to sharply shrink the apparatus.
• He urges starting where the federal government has control and questions whether ministerial staff must be appointed as civil servants to the current extent.
• He points to a goal of cutting ministry headcount by 8% by 2029 as part of broader administrative streamlining.
• He rejects tax hikes as a solution and criticizes prolonged debates over marginal rate changes given economic and technological challenges.
• Germany had about 1.7 million civil servants in mid‑2024, roughly a third of public-sector employees, as he also calls for health-system efficiencies such as expanded insurance bonus programs and greater patient responsibility.