Initiative for an Effective State releases its final report

Berlin, July 14, 2025 – The Initiative for an Effective State concluded its final report today with a strong call to the governing German coalition government for decisive action. “The will to change this country and to undertake a state reform runs through the coalition agreement,” the final report states. The focus now must be on implementation: “If only half of these proposals were realized, this country would be a different country.” The report can be found on the initiative’s website: Initiative for an Effective State | Hertie School.

The initiators Julia Jäkel, Thomas de Maizière, Peer Steinbrück, and Andreas Voßkuhle presented the final report to Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the initiative’s patron. They revisit the debate around their recommendations which they presented in March, evaluate the coalition agreement and expand the report from 30 to 35 recommendations for an effective state.

To implement the measures outlined in the coalition agreement, state reform must be understood as a shared responsibility, the initiators emphasise. The Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor must drive the reforms forward and the federal and state governments must work together. As a “solid and binding foundation” for this, the initiators highlight the joint modernisation agenda adopted by Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the heads of the federal states on 18 June 2025.

Testing ground for reform

Political parties must also renew themselves. The success of a state reform “fundamentally depends on the internal capacity of the parties to reform.” The parties' standing is declining, and “internal decision-making is at risk of losing touch with real life.”

To quickly implement reforms in public administration, the initiators recommend the creation of model municipalities and regions, such as Stralsund or the Cologne administrative district, where new approaches to application and approval procedures, citizen services, and leadership can be tested.

A key issue is countering the “threat to democracy posed by social media”. Social media platforms wield significant political power, but “the exercise of power requires control”. Among the concrete proposals are the removal of liability exemptions for social media platforms and stricter enforcement of youth protection laws. “This issue,” the initiators stress, “belongs at the top of the political agenda.”

Further recommendations concern intelligence services, which are currently “too dependent on intelligence from allied services” and should be given “powers comparable to other foreign intelligence services.” The initiative also calls for reforms to skilled labour immigration, including faster access to the labour market and easier integration through a ‘one shop’ procedure that consolidates authorities.

The initiative concludes its work with this report: “We wanted to provide momentum for state reform and we consider that mission accomplished.”

The initiators acted independently of political parties or interest groups and served on a voluntary basis. Their goal was to help resolve blockages in government action. The initiative was funded by the Hertie Foundation, the Fritz Thyssen Foundation, the Mercator Foundation and the Zeit Stiftung Bucerius. Its office was based at the Hertie School in Berlin.

To develop their proposals, the initiators worked with 54 experts across seven working groups, including mayors, entrepreneurs, public administrators, and IT specialists. Feedback from many alumni of the supporting foundations also contributed to the final report.

The final report will be published as a book by Herder Verlag on 12 August and can be downloaded from the initiative’s website: Initiative for an Effective State | Hertie School.