Government to compensate 180,000 euros for the dismissal of federal officials

Federal Government Reduces Number of Commissioners, but Savings Remain Minimal

In a move aimed at signaling a commitment to reducing bureaucracy, the federal government has announced the reduction of 25 commissioners. This decision was made in the first meeting of the federal cabinet in May.

The reduction in commissioners includes the roles of the commissioner for the sea, the commissioner for cycling, and the special commissioner for international climate policy. However, the savings resulting from this reduction are minimal, with estimates suggesting an annual savings of at least 178,800 euros. This equates to a savings of 0.00004 percent of the 2025 budget.

The Finance State Secretary, Dennis Rohde, provided this information in response to a question from Green parliamentary group leader Sebastian Schäfer. Schäfer, in his criticism of the reduction in commissioners, implied dissatisfaction with the minimal savings achieved. He stated that the consolidation among commissioners was much-heralded but resulted in minimal savings.

Schäfer further expressed his view that the Union government faces a reality of having to deliver policy rather than just producing headlines. He questioned the elimination of commissioners, suggesting that he believes the Union government's actions are not substantially addressing bureaucracy reduction.

Notably, the functions of some abolished commissioners were already being performed by civil servants within their respective ministries. This suggests that the reduction in commissioners may not have resulted in significant cost savings.

Schäfer's comments were made to the German Press Agency. His criticism of the reduction in commissioners as producing only headlines rather than substantial policy has sparked debate among political circles.

Despite the minimal savings, the federal government maintains that the reduction in commissioners is part of a larger strategy to streamline operations and improve efficiency. The search results do not provide any information about the name of a special envoy for international climate policy who has been dismissed.

As the federal government continues to implement its bureaucracy reduction strategy, the public will be watching closely to see if the promised savings materialize and whether the strategy leads to significant improvements in efficiency.