IHK welcomes 300 guests in Kremmen: there is an urgent need to reduce bureaucracy!

IHK welcomes 300 guests in Kremmen: there is an urgent need to reduce bureaucracy!

On July 4, 2025, in brilliant weather, the Spargelhof Kremmen was transformed into a showcase for the Brandenburg economy. Around 300 guests from business, politics and administration came to the annual reception of the Potsdam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK). The event not only offered an excellent opportunity for networking, but also to put important topics such as reducing bureaucracy and reforming procurement regulations on the agenda.

In his opening speech, Brandenburg's Economics Minister Daniel Keller (SPD) emphasized the need to reduce bureaucratic hurdles for companies. The IHK has long been calling for more speed in reducing bureaucracy, in the spirit of a more business-friendly environment. Its president, Ina Hänsel, emphasized the urgency of further relief, particularly in construction law, in order to sustainably improve the framework conditions for companies.

Reform of procurement law as a central point

An impressive step in this direction is the increase in the threshold for tenders by public administrations - in future, contracts will only have to be tendered for net amounts of 100,000 euros or more, a significant increase compared to the previous value of 1,000 euros. This decision is intended not only to streamline bureaucracy, but also to strengthen regional companies, especially small and medium-sized businesses. This was supported, among other things, on the sidelines of the reception by participants such as Malte Voigts, the landlord of the Spargelhof, who is himself planning to build a new tent restaurant called “Stangenwirt”.

The mayor of Kremmen, Sebastian Busse, expressed his support for this investment and regretted the often lengthy procedures caused by bureaucracy. The reforms aim to speed up approval processes and thus promote economic growth. “There’s something going on,” said Busse, referring to the upcoming changes to procurement law.

Reducing bureaucracy is the focus of politics

Last year, on August 14, 2024, a top-level meeting took place in the Potsdam State Chancellery between the state government and business representatives. Prime Minister Dr. Dietmar Woidke thanked people for a catalog of suggestions for reducing bureaucracy and presented the idea of ​​a special committee that would examine burdensome laws and regulations. He emphasized that most of the regulations come from the federal government or the EU and therefore additional efforts are necessary.

A catalog to ease bureaucracy supported by the IHK Potsdam includes around 40 suggestions that enable the digitalization of procedures and the simplification of approvals. These proposals are intended, on the one hand, to make administrative processes more efficient and, on the other hand, to enable companies to concentrate on business more quickly.

In line with these efforts, the need to promote digitalization in the offices was also pointed out. Many players still see room for improvement here, especially to improve the processes for business registrations and funding applications.

Positive reactions from business

The reactions from business to the planned changes are predominantly positive. Entrepreneurs such as master painter Sven Thielecke have already recognized advantages in the new regulation, especially the time savings when preparing offers. However, there are also concerns that the new regulations could potentially have an impact on the protection of workers' rights. The German Federation of Trade Unions has expressed its concerns about this.

It remains to be seen how quickly the new procurement law regulations will come into force through the state parliament. However, the IHK Potsdam and other partners are optimistic and hope that the changes will come into force before the 2025 summer break. The course has been set to make Brandenburg's business landscape future-proof and to promote economic growth.

For everyone interested, it will remain exciting to see how the coming legislative period will implement the prescribed reforms and whether the promised relief will actually take effect.

For more information you can read the reports from MAZ, dem Brandenburg Ministry and RBB read up.