Another step in administrative reform underway

The administrative reform is intended to improve the work of state agencies and the services they provide. (File photo)

The Berlin Senate has agreed on a final key component of the administrative reform.

According to Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU), this is a so-called catalog of responsibilities: it lists approximately 2,200 tasks that Berlin’s state authorities are required to carry out. At the same time, it specifies whether responsibility for each task lies with the state or the districts. 

Tasks systematically recorded and organized

"The catalog of tasks is a tool for managing public administration that is unique in Germany," Wegner explained. "Nowhere else in Germany is there such a comprehensive list of all the tasks that individual agencies deal with on a daily basis." According to Wegner, the tasks in the state of Berlin have been systematically recorded and organized over the past few months. Initially, 4,500 tasks were identified, many of which fell under the jurisdiction of multiple agencies. After eliminating these overlapping or multiple jurisdictions, just under 2,200 tasks remained. Not a single one was eliminated. However, the exact assignment of tasks to specific agencies is still pending and will be clarified at a later date.

"Important step toward implementing administrative reform"

"The Senate’s decision on the list of responsibilities is an important step toward implementing administrative reform in Berlin," Wegner added. "We want to bring order to Berlin’s administration. We’ve taken a major step forward toward that goal today." Administrative reform is one of the most important projects of the CDU-SPD coalition in this legislative period, and the opposition parties, the Greens and the Left Party, are also on board. As part of the reform, the often-criticized “bureaucratic ping-pong” in Berlin - the back-and-forth shifting of responsibilities between different parts of the administration - is to come to an end. This will allow government agencies to work more efficiently and focus more closely on the needs of citizens.

List of tasks to be published in publicly accessible database

Last year, the House of Representatives passed a state organizational law and several constitutional amendments on this matter. Two weeks ago, the Senate agreed on statutory regulations for district financing as a further building block. Going forward, the principle will be: "He who orders, pays" - meaning that if districts are to take on new responsibilities, they must receive the necessary funding to do so. The list of responsibilities initiated by the Senate will now be submitted to the Council of Mayors for comment. Afterward, the Senate intends to formally enact it as a statutory ordinance and submit it to the House of Representatives for approval. The statutory ordinance and the list of responsibilities are also to be transferred to a publicly accessible digital database. According to Wegner, the goal is to finally complete the administrative reform project by the summer recess.