Overview

• An interministerial audit found the programs disburse about €1.2 billion annually, roughly 10% of the state budget.
• Administration and compliance are spread across 19 offices, with most programs run by the Thuringian development bank and the state administration office, adding significant overhead.
• Small schemes dominate in number, with 71 programs accounting for only 2.6% of spending and nearly half of all programs under €1 million.
• The government is weighing mergers, a de minimis threshold for oversight of small sums, and wider digitization, with 124 programs at least partly digital and about 30 fully end-to-end in the state portal.
• The working group will deliver its final report in the first quarter of 2026, after which concrete decisions on consolidations are due.