A Breakthrough for Germany
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1. Germany has become tangled up in knots. We are here to untangle the knots.
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We have a clear vision. That is our ambition.
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Germany needs to rekindle its desire for competition and increase its capacity for enthusiasm. We want to start the fire.
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We need a breakthrough for Germany. Together with all of the ministries. With all of the federal states and municipalities. With all of the people of Germany. And in every area of business and industry.
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We lay claim to a “special policy zone” where we do some things differently than in the past.
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Our work consists of projects. Concrete and with clearly defined, measurable goals.
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Every breakthrough project is positive and tangible and provides decisive added value.
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We transparently and regularly communicate the progress achieved.
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Our thinking is shaped by breakthrough projects. And our work is determined by breakthrough projects.
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For a new culture of cooperation. For a new and shared understanding of leadership.
The breakthrough projects: An overview
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Full version of the 10 key statements for the mission of the Federal Ministry for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation (BMDS)
First
Germany has become tangled up in knots. The Federal Ministry for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation (BMDS) was created to untangle the knots.
Germany has become tangled up in knots. People in Germany feel that there is little progress in almost every area. They think that there is too much talk and too little action. That public administration has become an extremely complex and excessive bureaucracy. That existing institutions are increasingly dysfunctional, whether these are the Bundeswehr, the railway system or motorway bridges. Whether network coverage, government offices or major construction projects like the Berlin–Brandenburg Airport or Stuttgart 21 – everything is delayed, takes too long, feels paralysed. Politicians and government seem to be falling over their own feet. And society is increasingly divided to the point that our democracy is at risk. We seem to be falling behind many other countries, to be struggling to salvage our standing in the world. With our industry. Our economic strength. Important cutting-edge technologies.
Something has become seriously blocked in Germany. People want nothing more than for the obstacles to be cleared away at last.
That is why our country urgently needs to wake up, to be shaken up.
And the Federal Ministry for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation is here to lead the way. It is the mission of this ministry to raise awareness and get things moving in Germany again.
Second
We have a clear vision. That is our ambition.
Our vision clearly expresses what a democratic Germany should stand for and how our country and government must develop further.
But what exactly is a vision? A concrete description of what can and should happen. What will be different in future, what our ambition is. A vision clarifies what is worth pursuing.
But that is not nearly all.
Untangling the present knots and dissolving decades of blockage demand a new way of working, a new kind of policy-making.
And to make the changes visible, they must be expressed in clear and convincing language. Problems will finally be tackled, noticeable progress will be achieved and sclerotic structures will be dissolved, leading to a positive transformation of Germany – despite obstacles and resistance.
The vision of the BMDS must therefore address three dimensions in order to succeed: It must be compelling in terms of content. It must establish a new way of making policy. And it must convey both in a way that promises a successful future.
Third
Germany needs to rekindle its desire for competition and increase its capacity for enthusiasm. We want to start the fire.
Artificial intelligence is having a profound effect on digital transformation. It gives us the unique opportunity to rapidly make up now for what was left undone in the past. But to do so, Germany must have the courage to take the lead.
A comparison with other countries shows that Germany is not completely out of the running in the international competition, but it is far from where it once was with critical physical technologies: chemicals, car-making, mechanical engineering.
Catching up with and overtaking the competition requires a new desire to win, a new desire to lead, to be the best in the world when it comes to critical immaterial emerging technologies. This would also give a major boost to technology in Europe. Germany modernises, Europe scales up.
The logic is simple: Germany must become a world leader in modernisation so that it can be a high-performance democracy.
Fourth
We need a breakthrough for Germany. Together with all of the ministries. With all of the federal states and municipalities. With all of the people of Germany. And in every area of business and industry.
That is why our vision is named “A breakthrough for Germany”.
The BMDS acts. #WirMachen.
Fast. With determination. Driven by results.
In the coming years, Germany has a unique opportunity to make the most of itself. As part of Europe.
This requires a real breakthrough.
This requires everyone to work hard together. All of the ministries. All of the federal states and municipalities. All of the people of Germany. Every area of business and industry.
We need a breakthrough to thoroughly streamline the public administration and to open up new spaces for a different future:
For global leadership in key technologies.
For fully functional infrastructure.
For massive growth in productivity.
For new ways of working, living and collaborating, with entirely new opportunities that we can hardly even imagine today.
Digital transformation and artificial intelligence will be able to help us resolve many issues and problems in Germany. We must work hard now and in the coming years to lay the groundwork for that to happen.
Fifth
We lay claim to a “special policy zone” where we do some things differently than in the past.
Whenever a country wants to advance an important economic project, it sets up a kind of special economic zone. That was the case in Germany following the Second World War. But special economic zones also exist in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Dubai –– and even in Hamburg. And are amazingly successful.
So if Germany wants to advance an important policy project, it should establish a kind of “special policy zone”.
What does that mean? The BMDS is a ministry whose area of responsibility – digital transformation – extends across all sectors and differs fundamentally from those of other ministries. And more than all other ministries, the BMDS must work fast.
So it should be very clear: We do things differently in the BMDS. We depend on a different style of policy-making to achieve success. We have to make decisions faster and foster acceleration. We are allowed to experiment more in order to make innovation possible.
Sixth
Our work consists of projects. Concrete and with clearly defined, measurable goals.
Concrete breakthrough projects, not abstract goals.
The BMDS’s new policy-making style is centred on projects: focused, fast, measurable, successful.
No more task forces, red tape, administrative structures, excessive bureaucracy, commissions or vague intentions.
Instead, working like the digital economy: dividing projects into time-limited subprojects; working in interdisciplinary teams with a maximum focus on implementation; applying an iterative approach; and constantly measuring performance.
We have defined specific goals for a breakthrough for Germany, and we will achieve these goals with the corresponding breakthrough projects. This is how our approach, our communication and the entire ministry is organised.
Every breakthrough project is driven by an interdisciplinary team with clearly designated responsibilities, in close collaboration with other ministries, federal states and municipalities, as well as experts in business, industry and research.
Each breakthrough project is concentrated on one crucial aspect of digital transformation and government modernisation; each project has specific targets to make results measurable and transparent.
Seventh
Every breakthrough project is positive and tangible and provides decisive added value.
Some breakthrough projects promise rapid results, while others will require more time and effort: projects focused on reducing bureaucracy; projects using artificial intelligence to create completely new opportunities; and projects focused on digital sovereignty that help to set European standards.
The breakthrough projects:
Major Relief: Reducing reporting requirements
Reducing reporting requirements and administrative regulations by 25%
Aim: Automation and massively reduced reporting requirements will save companies time and money.
Result: A medium-sized mechanical engineering firm automatically sends its quarterly data from its ERP system, and its reporting requirements have been reduced by 25%.
A Lean State that Meets Public Needs: Reducing duplicate structures
Massive reduction in government expenditures; government is leaner, acts faster and is more responsive to public needs; more openness to people with other vocational backgrounds; greater willingness to take risks
Aim: The state apparatus is lean, quick to act, cost-effective and understandable. The structure of public administration is streamlined, areas of responsibility are consolidated and duplication of work has been done away with.
Result: Business owners no longer need to deal individually with three different government authorities (planning authority, environment agency, trade office) to open a new business location. Permit applicants can immediately see which authority is responsible, and notification is sent in digital form.
Clear Legislation: Regulatory simulation and impact assessment
Better legislation, greater clarity
Aim: The system for digitally simulating the impacts of new legislation brings about greater planning certainty for investment.
Result: Business owners can calculate the costs resulting from new legislation in advance and can plan their long-term investments accordingly.
The Best Network for All: Fibre-optic cable and 5G
Expanding fibre-optic cable and 5G networks
Aim: Secure high-speed internet and 5G networks nationwide ensure the same high quality of coverage in both urban and rural areas.
Result: Internet connections are stable enough for employees living in rural areas to work from home while their children do schoolwork online.
The New Standard: open data ecosystems
National basic IT infrastructure to bundle data, registers, identities and platforms to provide public administration, businesses, industry and the research community with secure and open data spaces.
Aim: Public administration, businesses, industry and the research community all work with secure, open data spaces.
Result: A supplier can share sensitive construction data in European data spaces without fear of industrial espionage
Better AI: Smart processes and automation, values-based AI, regulation and ethics
Targeted support; regulation; optimisation of all administrative processes based on the principle “AI first”
Aim: Artificial intelligence “made in Germany” as a seal of quality has been developed and put into operation according to clearly defined European values and standards, with binding standards for fairness, data protection and transparency.
Result: A health insurer uses AI to review applications for rehab. Thanks to transparent rules, applicants can see how the decision on their application was made. They can check at any time to see which data were used and can be sure that no discrimination occurred. That increases acceptance and trust in artificial intelligence. Administration is proactive, efficient and error-free, because applications for assistance are reviewed automatically with the help of AI. Notifications are sent automatically without delay, and people are proactively informed of available assistance.
Simply Digital: Digital administration and the once-only principle; EUDI Wallet and digital identity
Government services available online; digital transformation of administration; once-only principle; EUDI Wallet; digital identity and authentication
Aim: All government services are available online, so it is no longer necessary to visit government offices in person.
Result: A family applies online for child benefits and a place in daycare without having to upload supporting documents more than once. The notification arrives automatically a few days later. All government and private-sector services can be accessed using one digital identity. When individuals apply for parental allowance, their birth certificate, proof of health insurance and wage statements are already linked to their government-issued digital ID. No paperwork, no waiting.
Start-up Germany: Making it simpler to start a business; funding growth
Standards and best practices for technology transfer; updating law on technology transfer; legal framework for intellectual property; bureaucracy reduction; growth fund for start-ups and scale-ups
Aim: Start-ups can acquire capital quickly and independently. Entrepreneurs can found their companies online in a few days rather than months and have better access to European capital markets, accelerating technology transfer.
Result: A university team applies online for a patent and directly transfers it to a start-up without spending months in licence negotiations. The business is founded online within a few days using a standard proof of digital identity and standardised founding documents which are automatically shared with the tax office, company register and health insurance funds.
Eighth
We transparently and regularly communicate the progress achieved.
We keep the public informed using clear and understandable language. No more officialese; we use fresh and active language rather than tactical, static and passive formulations. It is important to be bold not only in terms of content and implementation, but also in the way these are presented.
No more politically loaded terms freighted with prejudice; we use language that conveys energy and inspires action. No more wagging fingers or reference to past shortcomings or errors; we look to the future, arouse a desire to win, push for positive developments. That’s how breakthroughs happen.
Specifically: you have to see the future, be able to grasp it, imagine it in detail.
That’s why it’s a breakthrough for Germany. That’s why there are eight breakthrough projects. It’s good to have a large number, because that means initiating many concrete proposals. The eight breakthrough projects are underpinned by key performance indicators and clear divisions of responsibility to make progress visible, to invite comparison and to exert pressure from within and without.
Every step forward is something to communicate. And so is every shortcoming.
Ninth
Our thinking is shaped by breakthrough projects. And our work is determined by breakthrough projects.
The BMDS is the ministry of firsts: setting a new tone. Establishing a new style of policy-making. And applying a new way of working within the ministry too.
The project structure provides a guide: subject-related, in interdisciplinary teams, fast, and driven by results.
This requires a new paradigm and mindset for many staff members from a wide range of ministries with very different cultures who are mainly used to conventional ministerial work.
Tenth
For a new culture of cooperation. For a new and shared understanding of leadership.
A clear division of responsibilities and cooperation with other ministries are the foundation for success.
A shared attitude makes clear what leadership means: acting pragmatically, setting a fast pace, clearing away obstacles, taking decisions and making progress visible.
This is possible with simple, cross-sectoral management: managers in the BMDS and other relevant ministries jointly decide on priorities for and adjustments to projects and budgets.
Progress, key results and the breakthrough projects, including their use of budget funding, are continuously assessed using clear and measurable key performance indicators.