From the office to the internet: citizens demand faster digitalisation

When your ID card is about to expire... Instead of standing in line, many citizens want a simple application process: a few clicks on their smartphone – done. And that is now possible for more and more administrative services. According to a recent Bitkom study, 60% of services are already available digitally, including frequently used services such as citizen's income applications and naturalisation. But the analysis also shows that the desire for more speed is growing. Nine out of ten Germans expect digitalisation to progress more quickly. ‘We are making progress with digitalisation in cities and municipalities, but people want to see faster progress,’ says Bitkom President Dr Ralf Wintergerst. ‘We could be much faster if we didn't reinvent the digital wheel everywhere, but instead quickly rolled out solutions that work.’

What people really want

The study makes it clear that citizens are not only demanding more online services, but also more convenience:

• 82% would like automatic reminders, e.g. before their ID card expires.
• 71% do not want to have to provide information multiple times, but would like to see better data exchange between authorities. (Once-only principle)
• 65% would find it useful if contact with authorities were to be predominantly digital in future.

In short, people want an administration that works just as smartly as their everyday apps.

Tailwind from politics

Two-thirds of those surveyed would like the federal government to take more control and set guidelines to speed up the process. With the new Federal Ministry for Digitalisation and State Modernisation, a central office has now been created for this purpose. The task now is to translate these expectations into visible results.

Dr Karsten Wildberger, Federal Minister for Digitalisation and State Modernisation: "We need more momentum in the digitisation of public administration. Citizens and businesses in our country should finally feel that real progress is being made – not just in isolated cases. Many administrative services are in the hands of the federal states and local authorities, so we want to work closely with them. Work with the first pilot municipalities is already underway. We are listening very carefully to where the problems lie and will work together to find tailor-made solutions. Our goal is to develop a blueprint for the whole of Germany so that we can move forward more quickly.‘

Smart Country Convention puts ideas into practice

How this can be achieved will be the focus of the Smart Country Convention from 30 September to 2 October 2025 in Berlin.

Dr Mario Tobias, CEO of Messe Berlin: ’People are actively demanding digitalisation, as demonstrated not least by the new study by the digital association Bitkom. The Smart Country Convention is the ideal place to bring together all relevant players to jointly accelerate the digital transformation in the public sector. The patronage of Federal Digital Minister Dr Karsten Wildberger and the strong presence of the newly founded Digital Ministry impressively demonstrate how important the SCCON is as a platform for politics, administration, business and science."

With over 18,000 participants, more than 650 speakers and 460 exhibitors, SCCON is the leading event for the digitalisation of administration, smart cities and smart regions. Discussions will be held with high-ranking guests such as Federal Digital Minister Dr Karsten Wildberger, Federal Minister for Family Affairs Karin Prien and Andrea Nahles, Chair of the Executive Board of the Federal Employment Agency.

Whether new apps for citizen participation, smart transport solutions or digital administration: SCCON shows how Germany is making the leap from paper files to smartphones – and how local, state and federal governments can work together to pick up the pace.