Overview
- Bund and Länder formally agreed in Berlin on Thursday to a 'Föderale Modernisierungsagenda' that lists more than 200 measures to speed procedures, expand digital services and reduce bureaucracy.
- The agenda replaces the often‑required handwritten Schriftform with a simple electronic document that can be sent by email and allows authorities to reply by email in most cases.
- Some changes are already rolling out, including wider automatic child‑benefit (Kindergeld) payments and electronic vehicle documents, while digital passport and residence registration processes are planned as online services.
- A central Deutschland‑App is to bundle services and, from 2027 on a voluntary basis, a digital wallet will let citizens store a verified "digital twin" of identity documents.
- Implementation depends on coordinated legal changes, IT interoperability and state‑level rollouts, with justice and building‑permit reforms still in development and data‑protection and technical details to be resolved.