Digital sovereignty: Open source should save Germany's administration!

Digital sovereignty: Open source should save Germany's administration!

Digital sovereignty is becoming increasingly important in German digital policy. This is viewed as a central principle for ensuring state performance and acting as a location factor for the economy. A key aspect is reducing dependence on individual software providers, which should contribute to digital independence. The coalition agreement between the CDU/CSU and SPD confirms the focus of digital policy on sovereignty and innovation. Despite the many efforts, Germany only ranks 23rd out of 27 EU member states in the eGovernment Benchmark 2024. Loud informatik-aktuell.de Up to 300 of the 595 government services provided for in the Online Access Act are already available digitally in various federal states.

The challenges for digitalization are complex: They range from the difficulties of federalism to a fragmented IT landscape to legal obstacles and financing issues. In this regard, the Bundestag has decided on a special infrastructure fund worth 500 billion euros, which can also be used for digitalization tasks. It is recommended that these investments be invested in sustainable digital projects that contribute to strengthening digital sovereignty.

Promoting open source software

A particularly relevant measure to strengthen digital sovereignty in Germany is the increased use of open source software. This offers more freedom and independence compared to proprietary licenses and also enables transparency and adaptability. Recommendations for promoting open source in administration include, among other things, prioritizing open source in procurement procedures and introducing a mandatory open source share for public procurement. These proposals also include the possibility of a VAT discount on services related to open source solutions and the creation of an Open Source Project Office to strengthen governance in this area. The need for digital policy expertise, political will and the necessary courage to implement are undisputed egovernment.de determines.

In order to promote the spread of open source software in administration, the Open Source Business Alliance (OSB Alliance) has formulated 38 demands for politicians. The aim is to establish open source software as a standard in public administration. These demands are divided into five categories:

• Open Source Software als Standard: Umstellung der Verwaltungs-IT auf Open Source bis zum Ende bestehender Verträge mit proprietären Anbietern, Verabschiedung einer Open-Source-Strategie auf Bundesebene sowie die Ernennung eines Open-Source-Beauftragten.
• Strategische Beschaffung: Digitale Souveränität als Vergabekriterium und 20% der Bundesausgaben für Software und Cloud-Services sollen bis 2025 für Open Source Software verwendet werden.
• Open-Source-Cloud-Lösungen: Entwicklung einer Open-Source-Cloud für Behörden und Festlegung von Mindestanforderungen für Cloud-Dienste.
• Zentrum für digitale Souveränität (ZenDiS): Stärkung des ZenDiS als Open Source Program Office.
• Evaluation und Metriken: Entwicklung von Messmethoden zur Evaluierung des Einsatzes von Open Source Software.

Peter Ganten, CEO of the OSB Alliance, has criticized the insufficient consideration of open source in the 2025 federal budget and is calling for targeted investments in open software technologies.

He also sees the need for a fundamental switch to open source software and suggests a deadline for its implementation by 2035 in order to offer municipalities and authorities planning security. This could not only further strengthen Germany's digital independence, but also promote the IT economy as a whole.