With the release of its new Modernization Agenda,the German Federal Government has, for the first time, placed digital legislation at the center of state reform. The goal: to streamline administration and justice, accelerate decision-making processes, and make the state more capable of action. For the first time, Law as Code — the machine-readable and instantly applicable form of legislation — has been identified as a key driver of modernization. The government recognizes it as a decisive lever to accelerate structural digital transformation across public institutions. As a concrete solution, the Rulemapping method is explicitly referenced in the agenda.
Laws as digital infrastructure
Traditionally, laws are written in continuous text and later translated — often over years — into software logic by legal experts and developers. This creates complexity, delays, and costly fragmentation. With Law as Code, legal norms can now bepublished directly as machine-readable decision logic — ready for immediate digital use. This enables administrations to act more quickly, reliably, and transparently, while reducing bureaucratic burdens for citizens and businesses alike. The Rulemapping method visualizes complex legal structures as precise decision trees that reflect true legal reasoning. The result is a digital legal infrastructure that combines clarity, compliance, and efficiency — the foundation for a modern, responsive state.
Open standards and AI readiness
For Law as Code to reach its full potential, it must be based on open standards that can be used by federal, state, and local authorities alike. This is where the Rulemapping Group contributes through its open-source approach: Instead of isolated solutions, laws become part of a shared digital infrastructure. When legal provisions change, updates can be deployed instantly — just like a system update — without the need to reprogram hundreds of individual applications.
Moreover, Law as Code lays the foundation for the responsible use of artificial intelligence in public administration and justice. Only when laws exist in a machine-readable format can systems like Rule AI operate deterministically, transparently, and verifiably — ensuring that decisions follow legal rules, not statistical probabilities.
A paradigm shift in thinking
The Modernization Agenda marks a fundamental shift in how government digitalization is approached: Away from isolated digital projects — toward a structural modernization of the law itself.
“The fact that Law as Code and Rulemapping are explicitly mentioned in the government’s agenda shows that policymakers understand where true modernization must begin — with the laws themselves. This is not just a technological advance, but a structural reform with deep societal impact.”
**Till Behnke, CEO Rulemapping Group**
The inclusion of Law as Code in Germany’s Modernization Agenda marks more than another digital project — it’s the beginning of a trustworthy, transparent, and future-ready state.
