The Bundesrat (Federal Council) passed three major pieces of legislation on Friday, focusing on expediting housing construction, tackling the critical shortage of healthcare professionals, and releasing a massive €100 billion infrastructure investment package to states and municipalities. These decisions underscore the government's commitment to boosting economic growth and tackling complex societal challenges through targeted reform and significant investment.
The Federal Government’s so-called "Bau-Turbo" (Construction Turbo) law has been approved by the Bundesrat and is now set for implementation. The primary goal of the legislation is to simplify and accelerate the construction of much-needed affordable housing across Germany.
To achieve this, municipalities will now be able to deviate from existing building planning law until December 31, 2030, provided they are constructing residential buildings. This flexibility aims to cut through bureaucratic delays. For instance, if a municipality chooses to implement the Bau-Turbo, it can forgo the preparation of a time-consuming and complex development plan (Bebauungsplan).
Furthermore, the law introduces pragmatic exceptions, allowing deviations from noise protection requirements in justifiable cases. It also permits construction in the second row of properties or even atop supermarket buildings, maximizing land use efficiency.
Federal Building Minister Verena Hubertz emphasized during the debate that too much time is often wasted before construction can even begin. She stressed that while the execution of construction takes about two years, obtaining the necessary building permits often takes several times longer. The Bau-Turbo is intended to pave a path toward "acceleration and bureaucracy reduction," strengthening municipalities and giving housing construction a "higher priority."
In an effort to stabilize the healthcare sector, the Bundesrat also approved the nursing assistant training (Pflegefachassistenzausbildung), following its passage in the Bundestag. This legislation is a direct response to the ongoing staff shortages within the industry.
The new law standardizes the qualification process by replacing the 27 existing state-specific training regulations for care assistants and helpers with a nationwide uniform training program. This generalist approach is designed to make the profession more attractive and ensure future care professionals can transition more easily between federal states. The training typically lasts 18 months, including mandatory placements in acute, long-term, and outpatient care.
Key prerequisites include a secondary school certificate (Hauptschulabschluss), although applicants without a formal degree may be admitted if the nursing school offers a positive prognosis. The newly structured training will be remunerated and is scheduled to begin in 2027. Crucially, the law introduces easier recognition of foreign educational qualifications, replacing comprehensive equivalence checks with a uniform system involving either a knowledge test or an adaptation course, further streamlining the process of gaining additional skilled workers.
Finally, the Bundesrat approved the law governing the use of the €100 billion investment package for states and municipalities. This substantial sum, sourced from the Federal Special Fund for Infrastructure and Climate Protection, can now be distributed to the states, which will subsequently pass a portion of the funds on to their municipalities. The objective is to enable quick infrastructure investments that lay the foundation for long-term economic growth across Germany.
Rhineland-Palatinate's Minister President, Alexander Schweitzer, highlighted that his state plans to allocate 60 percent of the funds directly to municipalities, with 40 percent remaining for the state. Most other federal states plan a similar 60/40 split. Schweitzer emphasized that this package demonstrates the state’s ability to act quickly and deploy the right resources to "strengthen Germany as a business location" and "strengthen co-existence," calling the investment "nothing less than a service for our democracy."
The funds will be distributed according to the Königsteiner Schlüssel (a key based on population and tax revenue), with North Rhine-Westphalia receiving the largest share (approximately 21.1 percent), followed by Bavaria (15.7 percent) and Baden-Württemberg (13.2 percent). The legislation outlines nine key areas for capital investments, including: disaster protection, transport, hospitals, energy and heat, education, and digitalization.
Investments are eligible for funding until the end of 2042, provided they are approved by the relevant state authorities by the end of 2036, with a minimum project investment volume of €50,000.
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