Digital Sovereignty
Ensuring autonomy
Recent geopolitical crises show that dependence on foreign technologies is a strategic risk. Germany is reorienting its digital policy with a clear objective: to increase autonomy and security with the help of European cooperation and investment in key technologies.
Global supply bottlenecks and Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine have revealed how vulnerable Germany has become to dependence on foreign suppliers of technology. Data sovereignty, control over critical infrastructures, and the freedom to take political action are at risk, for example in cloud services, network technology and operating systems.
The Federal Government is taking the necessary action and changing its strategy in order to reduce dependence on technology supplied by countries outside of the European Union. At the same time, the Federal Government plans to promote the development of key technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, cloud infrastructure and cyber security.
Secure, interoperable cloud infrastructures
The Federal Ministry for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation (BMDS) is counting on building a high-performance German cloud infrastructure with a focus on open interfaces, Europe-wide standards and greater use of open source technologies. In future, it will be possible to bar suppliers if they do not meet requirements for trustworthiness and security.
By bundling public contracts for IT, government will become a key client of the domestic digital economy. This orientation on demand will accelerate the development and market-readiness of innovations, providing crucial leverage for digital sovereignty “made in Germany”.
Strengthening European alliances
Digital autonomy is only possible together with European partners. That is why we will strengthen our strategic alliances. Joint developments in AI, cloud infrastructures, Zero Trust and open source are the foundation of a European digital value chain.
But ensuring digital sovereignty is not the responsibility of government alone: business, industry and civil society are also called on to choose trustworthy European solutions and to enhance their own digital skills. This is the only way to ensure a sustainable and independent digital future.
