Since the government declaration by Markus Söder (CSU) in the summer of 2024, the coalition of the CSU and Free Voters has passed four modernization laws through the state parliament. A total of 243 laws, implementation regulations, guidelines, and legal acts have been adopted. A fifth modernization law is currently under discussion, according to Bavarian Broadcasting (BR).
Since Söder took office in 2018, Bavaria has implemented over 700 individual measures for deregulation and reduction of bureaucracy. The Bavarian State Chancellery emphasized in response to BR's inquiry that this number is not merely a count of laws but includes substantive relief measures. This encompasses initiatives from the Bundesrat, 243 measures from the modernization laws, and 236 measures from the Federal Modernization Agenda.
The largest share comes from the elimination of 519 administrative regulations – internal directives of the Bavarian administration. Originally, the administration was to receive more responsibility with ten percent fewer regulations. According to the State Chancellery, 15 percent have already been removed. The new goal is to achieve a reduction of 30 percent by the end of the year.
The impact of the first two modernization laws, which have been in effect for just over a year, cannot yet be measured. The Bureaucracy Reduction Commissioner Walter Nussel (CSU) told BR: "This still needs to reach the citizens." The Bavarian City Council also cannot yet assess the consequences. Spokesperson Achim Sing stated: "The new laws need to unfold their effects first."
Despite the lack of measurable results, the deregulation offensive is seen as a model in other federal states. In mid-2025, the SPD-led government in Brandenburg largely adopted Bavaria's value limits for direct contracts and negotiated awards. Recently, Hesse also adopted individual regulations from Bavaria.
