Overview
- Bund and Länder approved roughly 200 measures to digitize services and speed decisions, including email in place of written form, a three‑month deemed approval rule, and once‑only data collection by end‑2026.
- Practical steps include unbounded validity for ID cards for people over 70 and plans to centralize major services such as passports, child benefits, and online address registration.
- No deal was reached on the Konnexität question of who funds new mandates, and a special minister presidents’ conference is slated by March 2026 to revisit the issue.
- Before Friday’s Bundestag vote on the pensions bill, Friedrich Merz set a goal of at least 316 coalition votes, while the Left’s announced abstention lowers the passage threshold to 284 as some young Union MPs remain opposed.
- Proposals in an Infrastruktur‑Zukunftsgesetz to expand fast‑track status and ease environmental reviews face resistance from the Environment Ministry, and a leaked chancellery plan outlines about 100 cabinet items through February.