The call for less bureaucracy is getting louder and louder - especially in order to speed up processes and remove unnecessary hurdles. But what is often overlooked: Bureaucracy also safeguards standards that affect our daily lives. Whether in consumer protection, social rights or environmental protection - less bureaucracy also means less control and more personal responsibility. Are we as a society prepared to accept these cutbacks and accept less certainty?
Reducing bureaucracy is often seen as a way to achieve greater efficiency and simplicity, but this inevitably goes hand in hand with the dismantling of established standards. In Germany, we have spent decades building up bureaucratic structures that not only regulate processes, but also guarantee quality and safety. These standards are justified and offer citizens protection - be it in terms of employment contracts, product safety or environmental protection requirements.
Reducing bureaucracy therefore means that people have to be prepared to make concessions in certain areas. Relaxing regulations can lead to faster processing, but can also mean that certain standards are no longer maintained in their current form. This applies to consumer protection, labor law and construction law, for example. Here, a relaxation could bring economic advantages, but possibly also disadvantages for employees, tenants or consumers.
