Bureaucratic hurdles are not only annoying, they also cost money: According to a study by the Ifo Institute from the year 2024, Germany misses out on 146 billion euros in economic output annually due to excessive bureaucracy.
Reduction of Bureaucracy in Focus of Political Demands
In times of a volatile economic situation and a looming trade war, this is seen by businesses and politics as a challenge with a high need for action. The Bochum-based software provider Setlog conducted a quick survey on February 20, 2025, among 33 CEOs, board members, and executives from the purchasing and supply chain management sector in the consumer goods industry and concluded that a significant reduction in bureaucracy will be one of the central tasks of the future federal government. According to the survey, 85 percent of the companies stated that reducing bureaucracy is the most important measure that politics should advance.
Less Reporting Obligations Desired
Specifically, the participants of the rapid survey wish for more digitalization of bureaucratic processes and the removal of reporting obligations, such as those required by the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act. In case the situation does not improve and economic growth in Germany continues to slow down, the surveyed companies have already announced consequences for this year. More than half plan to cut staff and increase product prices, and about one in three companies is preparing to tap into new procurement markets.
Where exactly the pain points lie for representatives of the logistics industry, which measures those responsible specifically wish for from politics, and with which means companies can already better overcome bureaucratic hurdles, you can read in the cover story of the LOGISTIK HEUTE issue 4/2025, which was published on April 23.
