Baden-Württemberg Premier Appoints Tübingen Mayor Palmer as Advisor for Bureaucracy Reduction

Minister President Cem Özdemir appoints his ally Boris Palmer as advisor for bureaucracy reduction and dissolves an entire committee in the process. This causes discontent within his party.

July 9, 2026 | 8:01 PM

Will he soon be wearing a cap too? Tübingen Mayor Boris Palmer. Photo: Markus Ulmer/imago

By Benno Stieber, from Karlsruhe

Can one Boris Palmer replace three mayors, a former district administrator, and two chamber of commerce directors? At least Cem Özdemir thinks so and appoints his close ally and friend as honorary advisor for bureaucracy reduction. To do this, he dissolves the Regulatory Control Council, which was previously responsible for this task. Palmer is still expected to remain Mayor of Tübingen.

Özdemir said of Palmer's appointment: With Palmer, one gains a personality who "puts a finger on the wound and finds solutions outside existing paths. Even if it may be uncomfortable for us from time to time."

This ends speculation about Palmer's future role. During the election campaign, he helped Özdemir secure crucial votes in the conservative camp. However, as a non-party minister in the new cabinet, the contentious and often offensive politician could not be sold to the Greens. After his last scandal involving a failed Nazi analogy, he even left the party. Even as an official state councilor for bureaucracy reduction, directly attached to the minister president, he would likely have had to give up his mayoral office to avoid conflicts of interest. Palmer was not prepared to do that.

Now Palmer is set to receive an independent advisor status. This also raises eyebrows among the Greens.

Green Youth voices strong opposition

The Green Youth expresses its reservations most clearly. "The personnel decision is an absolutely unnecessary and huge mistake," said state spokesperson Theresa Fidušek. Within the party youth, as well as large parts of the party, Palmer's sometimes racist remarks—for example about diverse people in train advertising—have not been forgiven.

"Cem knows very well that Boris Palmer is rightly rejected by many people, including from the party," said Fidušek. "We don't need a Boris Palmer to reduce bureaucracy; we have more capable people who would simply do their job."

Former chairman expresses doubts

The chairman of the Regulatory Control Council, former Green Mayor of Freiburg Dieter Salomon, learned of the dissolution of his committee through a phone call from Cem Özdemir. He doubts that Palmer can achieve what a six-member committee with experienced local politicians has mostly handled behind the scenes, says Salomon.

On average, the Regulatory Control Council reviewed 40 laws and 160 administrative regulations per year for practicality and developed simplifications.

"A new minister president has every right to restructure or even abolish such a committee," says Salomon, who is now managing director of the Freiburg Chamber of Commerce.

When Özdemir was confirmed as a candidate for the office of minister president, Salomon said he feared that people in rural Baden-Württemberg would not vote for someone named Özdemir. The campaign team found this statement unhelpful.

However, Salomon does not believe this is a retaliatory move. Overall, few doubt Palmer's expertise as a fighter against excessive bureaucracy. Time and again, he has critically commented on laws and regulations from his administrative daily life on Facebook due to lack of practical applicability—most recently the smoking ban at bus stops.

Salomon says: "Maybe more disruption is needed now." And almost everyone believes Palmer is capable of disruption.

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