Minister of Labour Bärbel Bas (SPD) and Minister for Digital Affairs Karsten Wildberger (CDU) have announced plans to create a “digital social portal”. In a joint statement, the two ministers explained that the goal is to provide citizens with a unified access point to social administration, regardless of which specific authority handles the matter.
According to the announcement, citizens will soon be able to apply for benefits easily from home. This new system aims to eliminate reliance on physical paper forms, postal applications, and unnecessary mandatory appointments. They argue that a fully digitized workflow will transform various complex individual administrative steps into a quick, user-friendly public process.
Achieving this requires modernizing and interconnecting existing administrative systems. These systems are slated to be linked to the nationwide data exchange system, NOOTS. Furthermore, the EUDI-Wallet-described as the “digital wallet on the smartphone”-is expected to play a vital role. Artificial intelligence is also intended to assist in easing the administrative workload.
Despite the advanced digitization, Bas and Wildberger emphasized that the portal will not replace personal consultation. They stressed that “decisions regarding benefits will remain in human hands”.
The ministers confirmed that the implementation process begins immediately, with an expert committee, jointly overseen by both ministries, scheduled to start its work this week. While acknowledging that they will not overhaul the entire social state overnight, they stated their goal is to make it “simpler, faster, and more effective, step by step”.