Saarland government to abolish company reporting requirements

The state government of Saarland is set to eliminate most state-level reporting obligations for businesses, marking a significant shift in its approach to reducing bureaucracy. Minister President Anke Rehlinger (SPD) announced the plan in Saarbrücken, calling it a "real paradigm shift."

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We are turning the logic around: In the future, whoever wants to receive or newly create reporting obligations must justify it – no longer the one who wants to abolish them.

The new approach reverses the traditional logic: instead of companies having to justify why reporting requirements should be abolished, the government will now need to justify why any reporting obligations should be maintained or introduced. This move addresses long-standing complaints from businesses about the burdens imposed by extensive reporting duties.

In addition to abolishing reporting requirements, the government plans to introduce an "experimentation clause" within a planned efficiency law. This clause would allow municipalities to be exempted from certain state-level regulations in specific areas, enabling them to test more efficient solutions and gain greater flexibility to try new approaches. These proposals are slated for introduction to the Saarland state parliament after the summer recess.

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a real paradigm shift

Rehlinger highlighted that the state government has made progress in simplifying administrative processes since 2023, including making citizen services more digitally accessible. Out of 63 measures, 38 have been fully implemented, with 24 currently in progress.

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a radical step