CEOs appeal: Berlin administrative reform now!

The heads of leading companies in the metropolitan region call on Berlin politicians to take decisive and swift action | "Put aside opportunistic thinking"

The CEOs, board members and managing directors of leading Berlin and Brandenburg companies and institutions involved in the "CEOs for Berlin" forum of the Association of Berlin Merchants and Industrialists (VBKI) are calling on the parties represented in the House of Representatives to implement the administrative reform announced at the beginning of the legislative period swiftly and decisively.

Supporters include Wolf-Dieter Adlhoch, CEO Dussmann Group, Marc Appelhoff, CEO home24, Mario Benedikt, Managing Director (CEO) Getränke Hoffmann, Dr. Johannes Evers, Chairman of the Board of Berliner Sparkasse, Martina Hacker, Managing Director KPM Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin, Prof. Dr. Sabina Jeschke, CEO KI Park and Felix Plog, CEO thermondo GmbH.

The public positioning of the CEOs takes place against the backdrop of the recent increase in voices, including from the ranks of the Berlin government coalition, questioning the defined implementation roadmap or even a comprehensive reform. It is the common view of the business representatives gathered under the umbrella of the CEOs for Berlin forum that the little time remaining before the start of the parliamentary election campaign must be used to initiate a comprehensive administrative reform on the basis of a constitutional amendment.

"We recognize the historic opportunity to make Berlin's administration fit for the demands of the future. Anyone who wants to reorganize the responsibilities in the interaction between the state and district levels is dependent on the constitutional amendment. We very much hope that all parties represented in the House of Representatives are aware of their responsibility and put aside party-political opportunistic thinking in favor of our common future in the state of Berlin and the metropolitan region," said Dr. Jörg K. Ritter, initiator and coordinator of the VBKI CEOs for Berlin forum.

In the opinion of the business community, a fundamental reform of the administration in Berlin has been overdue for years. Slow procedures and processes as well as unclear responsibilities and competencies are a burden on economic development in the metropolitan region. The key points recently presented by the Senate Chancellery in the person of Martina Klement, Chief Digital Officer of the State of Berlin and State Secretary for Digitization and Administrative Modernization, identify the central deficits - despite the need for coordination in detail - and present comprehensible solutions. Not only Berlin's political parties, but also numerous representatives of urban society were closely involved in the development of these key points.

The companies organized in the VBKI CEOs for Berlin forum since 2019 together employ almost 30% of Berlin's workforce and account for more than half of the economic power in the metropolitan region. The aim of the more than 100 personalities involved in the forum is to facilitate a solution-oriented exchange "at eye level" with political decision-makers.