Torsten Frenzel is the host of the independent eGovernment podcast and regularly reports on the topic of administrative digitisation. The eGovernment expert has become an integral part of the Smart Country Convention – on stage, in the live podcast area and as a media partner of the event. In our latest news blog, he reports on his key topics for 2026 and explains why these should not be missing from #SCCON26.

"Administrative digitisation is no longer in its infancy – it is more like stumbling along. It has long been clear what is important. I consider three topics to be crucial for the public sector to truly arrive in the digital present: end-to-end digitisation, digital sovereignty and register modernisation.

End-to-end digitisation requires centralisation and standardisation.

Digital processes do not end at departmental, state or municipal boundaries. As long as each administration operates its own solutions, ‘digital’ often remains a pretty front end with analogue breaks in the background. Centrally provided specialist procedures and binding standards are not a loss of control, but a prerequisite for scaling, quality and speed.

Digital sovereignty is not a buzzword, but a task

Those who make themselves digitally dependent lose room for manoeuvre – technologically, organisationally and politically. The public sector must make conscious decisions about which infrastructures, data and competencies it places in the hands of third parties. This is more inconvenient than making quick purchases from established manufacturers, but in the long term it is cheaper than waking up to dependency. Every procurement must be carried out according to the ‘exit first’ principle. How can the provider be changed with as little effort as possible?

Register modernisation can only succeed with clear roles for all levels

Local authorities are not simply downstream enforcement agencies, but the backbone of government data collection and data quality. Clarity about tasks, responsibilities and boundaries is needed at an early stage – as well as concrete instructions and checklists for each level. A kind of cookbook for register modernisation.

The consequence is clear: fewer pilot projects, more agile approaches. Less coordination, more decisions. Less fear, more courage to act. Administrative digitisation is not an end in itself – it protects democracy. And that cannot be delayed any longer.