Start of coalition negotiations: Top position for digital policy

Berlin, 20.10.2021

“We welcome the fact that digitalization is to be given a central role in a possible “traffic light” coalition. If the three parties continue to pursue the good approaches from the exploratory paper in the coalition negotiations, digitization will finally receive the priority it deserves as a driver of innovation and climate protection, and digital policy will be given a top position at the cabinet table.

The exploratory paper contains some good approaches in this regard. For example, the massive acceleration of approval procedures is of great importance for further increasing the speed of fiber optic expansion. It is important that this approach is further specified in the coalition negotiations, particularly with regard to implementation at municipal level. The question of how state investment in the expansion of digital infrastructure can be used in such a way that it sensibly complements, but does not replace, the self-financed expansion of companies must also be clarified.

The fact that the parties want to reorganize and bundle digital policy competencies is fundamentally positive. In order to give the approach the necessary clout, we consider the establishment of an independent digital ministry in which overarching digitalization issues – such as digital infrastructure, digital administration and IT security – are bundled to be extremely important.”