The federal government wants to provide the states with almost half a billion euros to strengthen the judiciary. The funds are to be used to hire additional staff and promote digitization, according to plans announced Monday by the Federal Ministry of Justice for a new edition of the “Pact for the Rule of Law.” The federal government is doubling its funding compared to the first pact. The German Judges Association and the German Bar Association welcomed the plans.
The federal and state governments concluded an initial pact for the rule of law in 2019. The federal government at the time, under Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU), provided a total of 220 million euros for this purpose. The funds were to be used to improve the resources available to the judiciary and police, including through additional staffing.
The new black-red coalition now wants to relaunch the “Pact for the Rule of Law” – and double its support in the process. According to the Federal Ministry of Justice, 240 million euros are earmarked for strengthening the judiciary's personnel during the current legislative period alone. These funds are to be made available to the states in two tranches, probably in 2026 and 2028.
The federal government is providing a total of up to 210 million euros for the digitization of the judiciary for the years 2027 to 2029, i.e., 70 million euros annually. This brings the federal government's total support to 450 million euros. According to the Ministry of Justice, the specific use of the funds will now be coordinated with the federal states.
According to the information provided, the ministry is also planning various legislative projects to “significantly” speed up judicial proceedings. Just recently, for example, the federal cabinet approved a draft law that would allow purely online proceedings in certain civil law cases.
“A strong constitutional state must function in a way that is noticeable and visible to everyone – every day,” said Federal Minister of Justice Stefanie Hubig (SPD) in the Funke newspapers, explaining the new edition of the constitutional state pact. The basic prerequisite for this is “a powerful, reliable, and efficient judiciary.” Hubig called the 450 million euros in federal funding “a clear sign of the rule of law and democracy in our country, given the tight budget situation.”
Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) sees it as an investment “in greater justice in our country.” Public prosecutors' offices must be well equipped so that they can take decisive action against tax fraud and tax evasion, for example. Klingbeil emphasized: “No one who defrauds the general public should be able to get away with it. We are also strengthening the judiciary for this purpose.”
Judges' and lawyers' associations welcomed the federal government's plans. The black-red coalition underscores “how important a well-positioned, effective constitutional state is to it,” explained Sven Rebehn, federal managing director of the German Judges Association (DRB). Now it is up to the states to “fulfill their part of the rule of law pact and make concrete commitments for new positions in the judiciary.”
“There is a shortage of around 2,000 prosecutors and criminal judges nationwide, which is why criminal proceedings are taking longer and longer and overworked investigators are increasingly having to drop cases,” Rebehn reported. These personnel gaps need to be closed quickly. “We welcome the fact that the federal government is continuing to support the states in modernizing the judiciary,” Swen Walentowski, deputy managing director of the German Bar Association (DAV), told the AFP news agency. “There is an urgent need to bring our judiciary up to date.”
The nationwide legal profession is dependent on uniform systems and technical standards. For example, video hearings should be possible in all courts. “However, efficiency gains must not come at the expense of legal protection,” Walentowski emphasized. “We reject measures provided for in the coalition agreement that restrict the options available to those seeking justice.
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