Germany went from envy of the world to the worst-performing major developed economy.
Germany went from envy of the world to the worst-performing major developed economy.
Germany racked up one economic success after another for most of this century. But the loss of Russian natural gas due to the war in Ukraine has dealt a severe blow to its industry through higher energy costs.
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As a German who has been living and working overseas (mainly Australia) for over 5 years, coming back to Germany to visit is such a huge culture shock now. It's so much less developed compared to 20 or 30 years ago (or at the very least it stagnated), everything is slow and the economy depressing.
Even things that are meant to be easily done online like tax returns are a huge pain. You need to verify yourself by scanning your ID or getting a physical letter with a code sent to you. It's ridiculous. In Australia you simply log in into your myGov account and handle everything from visa applications, tax returns, health records, welfare payments, child support etc all on one website. It's super quick and easy.
And unlike Germany, government lingo is easy to understand and accessible. I feel like Germany is purposely trying to keep things as complex as possible to the point where many people have to hire an accountant for tax purposes
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i remember seeing videos of french firefighters getting attacked by police during protests. The image was completely surreal and very eye opening as to how dysfunctional french government is.
In Australia you simply log in into your myGov account and handle everything from visa applications, tax returns, health records, welfare payments, child support etc all on one website. It’s super quick and easy.
This sounds like a security and privacy nightmare. As much as german bureaucracy is over the top in many situations but having to wait one time for a verification-letter for your ELSTER-account is not among the problems.
myGov has mandatory 2FA for all accounts. I'd be more worried about the hundreds of decades old systems that handle this data every day than a modern, convenient front-end for viewing and filing stuff
It's not though because it's all 2FA.
And it's not like you're forced to use it either, if you prefer to opt out you can still walk into a Govt service centre and be served in person without needing an appointment. Just walk in
Und nebenbei: Tausendmal besser als die ganzen Horrorgeschichten von Immigranten die monatelang auf einen Termin beim Einwohnermeldeamt warten weil alles zigmal länger dauert 🫢 Hier ginge das einfach online und während man auf das Visum wartet hat man ohnehin eine vorübergehende Aufenthaltsgenehmigung mit Arbeitsrecht usw. Deutschland ist dahingehend einfach ein Albtraum und überhaupt nicht der gegenwärtigen Situation angewachsen. Also laber mir nix. Lächerlich einfach
Norway also just has the same though spread over many sites and services, and also is two factor. The most common system is using a bank connected verification. Older people stick to the the old physical code generator that is shipped to you, while most use the more convenient "accept the phone popup" and input a pin there.
Its not the only way, but the one I use. And it works for a lot, down to insurance. It's honestly a great and somewhat safe (bar bad choices in developing the system of course) way to always have access to the big things if you need them. When I got a loan for my first house I pretty much only interacted through few phone calls and using my phone to access the bank and other relevant sites, while at work.
It is troubled in some ways, when that solution has technical problems it prevents access to a lot of other services. But even with delay, that seems way more fast than waiting for mail. It's also the very epitome of a system that fully has you tracked and connected through an online ID across platforms. But Norway isn't quite dystopian yet at least. I also think it gives you some trouble if you are immigrating or living here medium term, since you do not have access to all of this immediately.