The German federal government has stated that it will not conduct a comprehensive survey of digital dependencies across the federal administration. This position was revealed in the response from the Federal Ministry of Digital and State Modernisation to a written question posed by Green party MP Rebecca Lenhard, as reported by the news portal T‑Online.
In its reply, the ministry cited existing studies that already map out key areas for action. It also noted that the ministry is continuously monitoring developments in Europe’s digital sovereignty and is working toward a “summarised picture of the situation in the field of digital sovereignty”. The ministry will incorporate the definition of digital sovereignty that is currently being developed by the task force jointly initiated by Germany and France.
Lenhard had asked the ministry about this issue at the end of the previous year. The answer then was that “conducting a comprehensive and up‑to‑date inventory of digital dependencies in the federal administration is not planned at present”. However, in late January the committee on Digitalisation and State Modernisation unexpectedly mentioned an inventory, prompting Lenhard to follow up once more with the ministry.
She criticised the ministry’s stance, arguing that in light of the changing geopolitical climate it is hard to understand why an inventory is still not being carried out. Lenhard warned that Germany is losing valuable time and money and urged the ministry to act decisively. According to her, digital sovereignty is created not only through definitions but through transparency, strategic procurement and clear political decisions.
