The newly appointed Federal Minister for Digital Affairs, Karsten Wildberger, has announced an accelerated push to digitize public administration, initiating a pilot program with at least two German states acting as test regions.
Speaking to the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, Minister Wildberger outlined a strategy focused on identifying and replicating successful citizen services already functioning effectively within select municipalities. He refrained from immediately disclosing the specific states involved, stating a desire to include a mix – expressing particular appreciation for city-states while also emphasizing the importance of incorporating a larger, more rural area. The stated goal is to achieve a 50% increase in digital citizen services within these pilot states within a timeframe of two and a half years.
The Minister believes the success of these pilot programs will generate significant momentum, accelerating the digitization process across the nation. Simultaneously, the initiative will catalogue best practices from different states, with the potential for the federal government to offer these solutions centrally, effectively creating a “digital marketplace” or “app store” accessible to all municipalities. This would offer a streamlined approach and reduce the need for individual municipalities to develop independent solutions.
Wildberger, a relative newcomer to politics with a background as the former CEO of the retail chain MediaMarkt-Saturn and prior experience within the energy conglomerate Eon, signaled a shift away from siloed initiatives. He stressed the necessity of a strategic, structural focus, rather than tactical, isolated projects, aiming to standardize and optimize public digital services nationwide.