Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz has committed himself to strengthening public administration in view of the great demands placed on the state as a result of the Ukraine war. The “turning point” can be felt everywhere in the country, said the SPD politician on Tuesday at the trade union day of the civil servants’ association dbb in Berlin, also with a view to aid packages because of inflation and the restructuring of the energy supply.
“Germany needs a strong public service, right now, especially in these times.” Scholz emphasized that in order to close a foreseeable gap in skilled workers, “competitive pay” and flexible working conditions such as working from home are important factors.
The Chancellor also emphasized design options for the attractiveness of jobs in the public sector. “Anyone who wants to get involved in climate protection and renewable energies as a young woman or young man today doesn’t have to be stuck on airport runways,” he said, referring to the latest protest actions municipalities right up to the federal ministries, to advance and improve things in our country in a very concrete way”.
Scholz also mentioned further digitization of the administration. “It shouldn’t be easier to book a flight using an app than to register your residence at the Citizens’ Registration Office.” The citizens would no longer understand this at all. This includes making progress with a secure digital identity as the “key for digital administrative procedures” – from electronic re-registration to submitting the tax return. The aim is to make future laws “digital-ready” from the start. This should be tried out for the first time with the basic child security and will then certainly make school.
