The aim is clear: “We are creating the Deutschland-Stack for the public,” says Christina Decker, Head of the Deutschland-Stack Department at the Federal Ministry for Digitalisation and State Modernisation. Ultimately, the aim is to make public administration easier for members of the public, but also for the public authorities themselves and for private-sector companies that deal with them particularly frequently.

The Deutschland-Stack is a multi-layered technology toolkit that the federal government, the Länder and local authorities can draw on for their digital projects. The layers include portals, networks, standards and software – as well as five core services, which the federal government and the Länder have jointly committed to implementing.

Tangible benefits for citizens

“Are you still stacking or have you started running yet? How the Germany Stack will be a success,” asks a panel at SCCON 2026. For Christina Decker, it’s obvious: “We’re starting with the basic services, because that’s what citizens will notice.” First and foremost: the EUDI Wallet, which is due to be introduced in early 2027. A number of key providers will be connected to it, such as DHL and Sparkasse, meaning the wallet will become essential for everyday services. “That’s what scaling is all about: I hope that in a year’s time, almost everyone here will have the wallet on their mobile and it will be completely normal to use it.”

According to Decker, two further basic services are also already available: NOOTS (National Once-Only Technical System), which ensures that supporting data will only need to be collected once in future, and data exchange via FIT-Connect. Payment processing (ZBDS) and the basic service for mailboxes and notifications (ZaPuK) are still missing. The same applies to the milestone planning for the Deutschland-Stack – this is due to be finalised in March 2027.

Local authorities do not want to be constrained

For Dataport, as the responsible IT service provider, the task now is to integrate the EUDI wallet in practice without overwhelming the local authorities, says Thorben Ehlers, Head of the Home Affairs & Social Affairs Division at Dataport AöR. “I don’t think it will achieve anything if we impose a rigid framework on the local authorities from above.” It would be unrealistic to expect local authorities to overhaul a vast number of procedures all at once. Staff must retain the ability to make decisions in their day-to-day work. For him, therefore, the question is: “How can we break down the standards into manageable chunks for local authorities and state authorities whilst still ensuring interoperability?”

It must evolve over time

It is also a matter of managing expectations, says Dr Alfred Kransteckt, Director of the Federal Information Technology Centre (ITZBund). “We must give the Germany Stack time to develop into a vibrant ecosystem.” Its appeal will grow as the number of applications increases and as tangible added value is created for businesses and citizens alike. If only one or two functions are available, “then it won’t be used. We need the opportunity to build as much substance into it as possible.” That may take two or three years – “we should all be patient.”

It is also a matter of managing expectations, says Dr Alfred Kranstedt, Director of the Federal Information Technology Centre (ITZBund). “We must give the Deutschland-Stack time to develop into a vibrant ecosystem.” Its appeal will grow as the number of applications increases and as tangible added value is created for businesses and citizens.