A newly established Federal Ministry for Digitalization and Modernization (BMDS) is projected to operate with a substantial budget of 6.5 billion euros, according to an unpublished report from the Federal Audit Court destined for the Bundestag’s Budget Committee. The information, initially reported by “Welt” and Business Insider, highlights discrepancies with figures currently presented in the Minister of Finance’s draft budget, which previously drew criticism from opposition parties within the Bundestag.
The projected budget of 6.5 billion euros is comprised of 2.5 billion euros allocated directly to the BMDS, with the remaining 4 billion euros sourced from the “Infrastructure and Climate Neutrality” special fund. This fund consolidates federal spending related to broadband network expansion and aspects of modernizing public administration.
A significant portion of the funding – 3.44 billion euros – is expected to originate from the Federal Ministry of Transport, designated for “Digital Infrastructure”. Furthermore, the Federal Ministry of Finance will contribute 1.68 billion euros, primarily allocated to the IT Center of the Federal Government (ITZ Bund). The Federal Ministry of the Interior will contribute a further 1.32 billion euros assigned for “IT and network policy and modern administration”. In contrast, the Federal Ministries of Economics and Justice are slated to provide comparatively smaller contributions of 60 million euros and 700,000 euros respectively.
The digital ministry itself notes that the projected figures, pertaining to the intended Individual Plan 24, remain provisional. This is due to ongoing negotiations among departments regarding the specifics of the task transfer and potential adjustments to the precise allocation of responsibilities still remain possible.
