A recent report by the German Federal Audit Court (Bundesrechnungshof) has raised concerns regarding the progress made by successive German governments in modernizing public administration through digitalization. The report, submitted to the parliamentary budget committee, highlights a persistent digital deficit despite a series of initiatives aimed at streamlining bureaucratic processes and improving citizen services.
The audit court’s assessment points to a history of efforts, including three distinct national digital strategies and the “Bund Online 2005” project, that have seemingly failed to achieve the desired level of transformation within the federal administration. The core issue, according to the auditors, lies in a lack of thorough, foundational analysis of the existing situation. Many strategic goals have been characterized as either overly abstract and vague, or insufficiently ambitious to meet future needs.
Furthermore, the report criticizes the federal government’s failure to develop sufficiently tailored central IT solutions. This deficiency has reportedly resulted in a proliferation of independently developed systems within various government agencies, leading to unnecessary expenditure and inefficiency.
The Federal Audit Court is now urging Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger, of the CDU party, to decisively address these longstanding problems. The auditors’ recommendations include a request for a comprehensive analysis of existing shortcomings, the formulation of measurable and ambitious digital policy goals and the improved utilization of potential synergies across departments.
Responding to the report’s findings, Minister Wildberger’s office stated its commitment to establishing a unified, modular IT infrastructure that can be leveraged across the government. It also indicated that a new approval process for IT expenditure will help to curtail the parallel development of competing systems, addressing a key criticism outlined in the audit’s assessment.