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General

German associations issue joint petition for Digital Minister

Thursday 15 February 2018 | 16:54 CET | News

Germany’s leading ICT associations have issued a joint petition online calling for the incoming German government to create a position for a Digital Minister to accelerate and coordinate Germany’s digital transition. 

In their joint online appeal — styled as a mock job advertisement for a Digital Minister — the associations criticized that the incoming government between the conservative CDU and the Social Democrats (SPD) has reneged on its commitment to create a stand-alone digitization ministry or a cabinet post for a digital minister in its coalition agreement despite earlier promises to do so.

The associations said it was “incomprehensible” that the coalition partners could walk away from this earlier consensus, particularly given the experiences of the past four years when digital policies were divided among a number of ministries. Instead, “fatal consequences” could result from the government’s decision to stick to its earlier course, the associations warned. 

Among the associations that signed the petition include Bitkom, the Federal Association of German Startups, the Federal Association for the Digital Economy (BVDW) and Eco, Germany's association for internet companies. 

The associations warned that Germany could only manage the transition to digital technologies successfully if all the competencies for digital policy were combined into one ministry.

Otherwise, the standstill of the past four years would continue, said Florian Noell, President of the Federal Association of German Startups. 

Moreover, Germany needs a Digital Minister with “powers and resources”, including the ability to check legislative initiatives and examine existing laws for their compatibility with the digital age, said Bitkom president Achim Berg.


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Categories: General
Companies: Bitkom / BVDW / Eco / Eco Verband
Countries: Germany
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