Lower Saxony: Extremists should be kicked out of civil service more quickly!

Lower Saxony: Extremists should be kicked out of civil service more quickly!

In Lower Saxony, things are very important when it comes to the security and integrity of the civil service. On June 17, 2025, the state government presented a draft law to amend the disciplinary law, which aims to more quickly remove from service civil servants who violate the duty of loyalty to the constitution. Interior Minister Daniela Behrens sums it up: “Extremists in the civil service will not be tolerated.” The reform could become more important in the context of the AfD and the activities of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, such as regionalheute.de reported.

What is particularly explosive is the fact that serious disciplinary measures, such as dismissals, can no longer be ordered by the courts, but directly by the authorities. This saves time and detours, as disciplinary proceedings previously took an average of four years, and trust in the public service suffers from extremist incidents. Explained in recent reforms zdfheute.de that the new regulation will come into force on April 1st and is intended to strengthen the authorities' personal responsibility.

New concept for disciplinary measures

The reform of disciplinary law not only provides for faster processing, but also stipulates that disciplinary authorities will in future be able to ask the Office for the Protection of the Constitution whether there is evidence of anti-constitutional activities by civil servants. This could be crucial in detecting extremist efforts at an early stage and taking appropriate action. Extremist incidents, such as the activities of the “Reichsbürger” sect, have caused a stir in the past and highlighted the need for this reform. This is stated in a report constitutionblog.de stated that such incidents endanger the integrity of public institutions.

In addition, authorities now have the opportunity to issue disciplinary orders against extremist officials themselves. Certainly not an easy undertaking, but the legislature has emphasized that every case is examined critically and the orders are subsequently checked by the administrative court. This means that the protection of civil servants' rights remains guaranteed, while at the same time sending clear signals against extremism.

The background and effects

The reform responds to the significantly low number of disciplinary actions in the past. In 2021, for example, only 373 disciplinary measures were imposed in the federal administration, which corresponds to less than 0.2 percent of the approximately 190,000 federal civil servants. According to Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, the need for a more effective approach to effectively combat extremism in the public service became apparent.

This reform is not only a decisive step for Lower Saxony, but could also become a model for other federal states in the future. While Lower Saxony is making impressive progress here, other federal states will also be required to take appropriate measures to restore trust in the civil service. The impact of these changes is being watched with excitement, both at the state and federal levels.