Europe’s largest economy, Germany is falling behind in technology. The European Union’s Digital Economy and Society Index, which monitors digitization efforts across the bloc, ranks Germany only 13th among the EU’s 27 member countries. They want to turn things around in the coming three years with their new “digital strategy”.
The release of the strategy comes as digital shortcomings plague the country across sectors: For a long time, Germany has been known as a powerhouse of engineering. But over the last two decades, as the internet became a mass phenomenon, a lack of both investment and technology specialists as well as bureaucratic obstacles have hampered the digital transformation.
“A digital awakening” is needed to make the country more self-reliant, according to the government. Cutting-edge technology in fields from artificial intelligence to quantum computing is mostly developed in other parts of the world such as the US or China. That has made Europe’s richest country increasingly dependent on hardware and software from abroad. Consequently, Berlin plans to ramp up investment in areas such as software development or the production of microchips.
The government also wants to speed up the rollout of fast internet connections and build more cell towers across the country. By the end of 2025, half of all German households are supposed to get access to fast fiber optic connections, and by the end of 2026, the country wants to get rid of mobile dead zones. Other measures include digitizing health records, and digitalizing administration so that registering a vehicle or applying for an ID can be done online. There are also plans to analyze mobility data to improve the country’s train and car infrastructure and to use modern technology to help Germany fight the effects of the climate crisis.
By mid-2025, the government will evaluate government agencies’ efforts and see whether the goals set in the strategy paper have actually been reached.
Source: Deutsche Welle
