As reported by the German Federal Council (Bundesrat), strengthening the European single market and combating bureaucracy are the aims of a resolution passed by the Bundesrat on 14 February 2025 at the initiative of the Federal State of Hessen. It is directed against "gold plating", i.e. the overfulfilment of European law requirements by the federal government.
The European single market plays a decisive role in the competitiveness of German companies and serves as a protective mechanism against economic compartmentalisation within the EU. However, its efficiency is impaired when individual member states extend European directives with additional national provisions. This practice not only leads to over-fulfilment of the requirements, but also burdens companies with unnecessary bureaucracy. Instead of benefiting from standardised Europe-wide rules, they have to deal with additional special national regulations.
The resolution points out that many bureaucratic documentation obligations have their origins in the EU. The German government should therefore not create any further bureaucratic hurdles when implementing European law. Small and medium-sized enterprises and the skilled craft in particular are key drivers of digitalisation and the energy transition. However, this development can only succeed if their resources are not tied up by ever-increasing bureaucratic requirements.
The Federal Council is therefore calling for the Federal Government to strictly adhere to the EU requirements in future and not introduce any additional national regulations. This would improve planning security for companies, increase legal clarity and promote European cohesion and sustainable development.
The resolution will be forwarded to the federal government, which will deal with the demands of the federal states. However, there is no fixed deadline for the response.
The VERE Association will keep you informed about further developments regarding Gold Plating. Would you also like to have your interests represented by a strong SME association? Then join our VERE Association today: thanks to our many thousands of members, the annual membership fee is only €25.00 plus VAT (can be cancelled annually). You can find the VERE membership application here:
