For the second year running, Hamburg tops the Bitkom State Index, which analyses and assesses the level of digitalisation across Germany’s federal states. Is there a secret formula behind this? That is the question posed to Jan Pörksen, Head of the Hamburg Senate Chancellery, at SCCON 2026. “Impulsiveness,” jokes Pörksen.

A central IT budget for Hamburg

As a city-state, Hamburg finds it easier to standardise processes, explains Pörksen, who currently also chairs the Digital Ministers’ Conference (DMK). Added to this is a central IT budget, which the Senate established many years ago. Through this, all IT projects are supported according to uniform rules. “That’s why it was easier for us to say: we have uniform standards, we do things together.” One realisation unites the state representatives on the podium: “Together, we are so much stronger.”

A massive boost from the BMDS

At the SCCON panel discussion ‘16 Paths, One Goal – How Digital Are Germany’s Federal States?’, four of the five leading states in the Bitkom Index – Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Hamburg – are represented. The participants agreed that the Federal Ministry for Digitalisation and State Modernisation (BMDS) and the Federal Modernisation Agenda adopted in 2025 have provided a massive boost towards a modern state and brought about a paradigm shift.

Roll-in teams for Hessian local authorities

“I am proud that we, as digital policy-makers from the federal states, have managed to pull together,” says Prof. Dr Kristina Sinemus, Hesse’s Minister for Digitalisation and Innovation. However, each federal state has its own specific circumstances. Hesse must roll out digital projects across 421 local authorities and 17 districts. Smaller local authorities in particular often lack staff, funding and expertise. That is why Hesse is now sending roll-in teams to the local authorities to support staff in implementing the new standards.

The ‘Bavaria Package’ as an incentive

In Bavaria, the aim is to reach as many as 2,056 local authorities and 71 districts, says Dr Fabian Mehring, Minister of State for Digital Affairs. His ‘Bavaria Package’ creates a financial incentive for common standards: local authorities that adopt specified IT products pay half the costs, whilst the state covers the other half.

Saying goodbye to cherished solutions

Enforcing uniform standards is a tough nut to crack, says Ronja Kemmer, Chief Digital Officer at the Baden-Württemberg State Government’s Ministry of the Interior, Digitalisation and Europe. Many local authorities have developed their own IT processes because common standards were lacking. Now, she says, it is a matter of “having the courage to let go of cherished systems”. Change is difficult. That is why incentives may be needed, such as the scrappage scheme for old cars that was introduced in the past. “That will be the biggest challenge, particularly across the region.”