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Press overview

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March 2024

Sooner or later: For a digital Germany – a column by Christina Lang

Instead of domain bloomers, we need a digital umbrella brand for Germany! Are you familiar with the websites arbeit-sicher-und-gesund.de, einmalzahlung200.de, or amla-frankfurt.eu? Never heard of it? Behind all these websites are official offers from the public sector. However, this cannot be recognized, let alone verified, via the domains.

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29.02.2024

#5 Stephanie Kaiser – For a digital Germany

In episode 5, Olli and Martin delve into the world of digital administration with Stephanie Kaiser, Chief Product Officer of the Federal DigitalService. As a pioneer in the field of digital transformation, Stephanie not only shares her vision of a digital future for Germany's administration, but also concrete insights into her work.

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21.02.2024

It’s a match!

Administration meets the private sector – these are the central components of the “Work4Germany” fellowship, which the DigitalService Bund runs every year. In this interview, Program Manager Christian Müller explains the special features of the collaboration between civil servants and transformation experts – and why “courage” plays a central role.

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January 2024

Sooner or later: For a digital Germany – a column by Christina Lang

Do you feel the same way? Over the holidays, with family and friends, I once again realized how important and beautiful community is. How much better things can be – despite often different perspectives. Fortunately, we are not on our own in our efforts to create a digital state. […] The power of this collaborative work can be observed particularly in so-called “Communities of Practice”.

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03.01.2024

Fellowships in the ministries – out of the comfort zone

Courage and a willingness to change are required when teams from ministries and external fellows tackle digitalization together – but it's worth it.

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November 2023

Sooner or later: For a digital Germany – a column by Christina Lang

Digital state in 40 years? Wait a minute! 40 years: That's how long it would take for everyone in Germany to use online government services – if things continue as they are now. This is the result of the new eGovernment Monitor. The study has been published since 2010 and provides a year-by-year picture of the digitization of German administration.

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27.11.2023

Digitally compatible legislation - one year of Digitalcheck

The digital check was introduced at the start of 2023. Ernst Bürger, Head of the “Digital Administration; OZG Control” department at the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Home Affairs, and Stephanie Kaiser, Chief Product Officer of the Federal Digital Service, take stock in an interview.

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27.10.2023

Digitalization of administration: "Pensioners can complete their tax return in thirty minutes"

DigitalService CEO Christina Lang on digital solutions for an age-old state apparatus and cooperation between start-ups and ministries.

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September 2023

Sooner or later: For a digital Germany – a column by Christina Lang

Do you know the Servicestandard? The British administration is regarded globally as a role model when it comes to good, citizen-oriented digitalization. But why is that? […] A key factor for success was a binding Servicestandard that verifiably defines what “good” digital services are. To integrate services into the central government website gov.uk, all 14 standard points must be met. […] And where do we stand? Experts and the public criticize the lack of user-centeredness in administrative digitalization.

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09.08.2023

Modern administration – A new “Digitalcheck” by the government is intended to ensure better laws

Why isn't the digitalization of administrative offices and authorities working? A lack of technology and money is one problem – analog thinking on the part of lawmakers is another. The German government now wants to change that.

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July 2023

Sooner or later: For a digital Germany – a column by Christina Lang

Public Money? Public Code! The approach sounds logical: the source code of software financed with public money should be publicly accessible and reusable. This strengthens trust in the state's digital offerings – and pays off for the administration. Nevertheless, the federal republic still lags far behind this ideal. In the OZG context, only isolated solutions have been developed openly, and even fewer are built on existing code. That's why I'd like to take this opportunity to make a plea for “Public Money, Public Code”!

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May 2023

Sooner or later: For a digital Germany – a column by Christina Lang

“Job with purpose” is not enough. The forecast is bleak: by 2030, there could be a shortage of up to one million skilled workers in the German administration. Almost everyone knows and worries about the high wave of retirements that we are facing. Currently, there are only around two employees under the age of 25 for every ten employees over the age of 55. In order for the state to be able to continue to fulfill its tasks – and this would be jeopardized by such understaffing – the “administration as an employer” urgently needs to become more attractive.

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04.04.2023

Not over

Constructive criticism – The National Regulatory Control Council doesn't just want to complain, but also provide constructive suggestions on how to do things better, according to Chairman Lutz Goebel. In an interview, he talks about the role of the NKR, the Digitalcheck and processes.

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April 2023

Sooner or later: For a digital Germany – a column by Christina Lang

Agile work must be put into practice! In the coalition agreement, the government finds clear words: The administration is to become more agile and digital. It must focus on interdisciplinary and creative problem-solving. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done in practice. Anyone who wants to use agile working methods in administration encounters immense challenges. […] So how can we manage the balancing act between genuinely agile working – and that requires nothing less than an entirely new working culture! – and the security and stability that is still expected of the administration system?

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25.03.2023

DigitalService des Bundes – eGovernment Podcast

In the current broadcast, we take a closer look at the DigitalService of the Federal Government. What makes the organization tick? What is its role? How exactly – and what – does the federal government's central digitization unit work on?

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March 2023

Sooner or later: For a digital Germany – a column by Christina Lang

Digital Check? Digital by Design! Almost all of us are familiar with this: in our private lives, many things now run digitally as a matter of course. […] But what happens when we interact with our state? When we want to claim a service to which we are entitled? Then things quickly get complicated. […] But why do we find it so difficult to simply digitalize administrative services? The mistake usually lies at the very beginning: in the legislative process.

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March 2023

Agile working methods for a modern administration

DigitalService stands for agility, user-centricity and interdisciplinarity. The current projects of the young organization show how the digitalization and software development unit of the Federal Government promotes and demands a modern administration.

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February 2023

Sooner or later: For a digital Germany – a column by Christina Lang

Never change a running system? […] The opportunities in the digital space are increasing at an ever faster pace, and the habits and wishes of citizens are changing along with them. If you want to be and remain effective, you have to keep up with these changes. At DigitalService, we keep asking ourselves the question: How do we as an organization manage to initiate the necessary changes, accompany them and, in the end, make them permanent? And how do we manage to remain adaptable and open to change in our work?

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27.01.2023

Die Digitalisierungseinheit des Bundes

Christina Lang from DigitalService on the biggest successes, the most insightful failures and her plans for 2023.

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20.12.2022

The property tax return project

Numerous documents and a great deal of respect for the subject of taxes: the property tax return is a challenge for most property owners. To make processing easier, DigitalService has developed a simplified online application. Katja Anokhina describes the wide-ranging project.

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December 2022

Sooner or later: For a digital Germany – a column by Christina Lang

Dare transparency, create trust. Citizens’ trust in our state has fallen again, to a historic low in late summer of this year. […] But how can this image be changed? The Federal Government has already named an important lever. “Through more transparency” it wants to “strengthen our democracy”. […] At DigitalService, we already actively practice transparency. […] We make our decision-making just as comprehensible as the motivations for our actions, and advocate free access to resources and knowledge. We call this principle “working in the open”.

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November 2022

Sooner or later: For a digital Germany – a column by Christina Lang

Without mistakes, there is no learning curve for our state. To err is human. A saying we all know. Mistakes are part of our lives. And yet, the term still has a very negative connotation. […] Mistakes, course corrections or even failure are hardly forgiven in the public perception, especially in politics. […] But anyone who shies away from making mistakes, admitting them and talking about them – for fear of negative consequences, for example – runs the risk of missing out on important insights and learning potential.

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17.11.2022

Germany's Top 40 under 40

Germany needs bright minds to navigate the country through the crises of these times and shape the future with confidence. Here are the “Top 40 under 40” whom Capital believes will do just that. Christina Lang, CEO and co-founder of the German government's DigitalService GmbH des Bundes, is one of the outstanding talents in political parties and government agencies in the category “Politics”.

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October 2022, Behörden Spiegel

Sooner or later: For a digital Germany – a column by Christina Lang

Let the data do the talking! Data as a source of information and a resource has been steadily gaining in importance for years – also in politics and administration. Data rooms are being created, data labs are being set up and chief data scientists are being hired. The German government is holding its next digital summit under the motto of the data economy. But what does data-driven, evidence-based action look like in administrative practice? How can we harness data for administrative digitization?

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September 2022, Behörden Spiegel

Sooner or later: For a digital Germany – a column by Christina Lang

Getting there faster in small steps. The property tax reform is one of the biggest reforms of financial and tax administration in post-war history. The effort involved is enormous. […] This explains the efforts of the Federal Ministry of Finance to use a simple digital solution to facilitate the submission of property tax returns wherever possible and to reduce the associated hurdles. However, there was not much time to realize this idea.

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26.08.2022

Also for Elster users: simplified reporting portal for property tax

A simplified reporting portal for property tax data is now available. This has been developed in cooperation with citizens. ELSTER users can also use it.

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August 2022, Behörden Spiegel

Sooner or later: For a digital Germany – a column by Christina Lang

Untying the digitalization knot in an interdisciplinary way. The new coalition agreement prominently states what administrative employees in the states and municipalities also experience daily: “People expect the state to provide easy-to-use and up-to-date digital services that are user-oriented, free of media discontinuity and comprehensive.” But what sounds so clear and obvious as a goal poses major challenges: Processes and responsibilities in the background are often complex and distributed, coordination paths are long, and public structures are designed to provide services in analog form.

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12.07.2022

Additional portal for property tax returns

On the page “Grundsteuererklaerung-fuer-privateigentum.de”, private owners in the eleven federal states that currently participate in the federal model can submit their property tax return. The exact listing of the federal states can be found on the home page. If owners are unsure whether they can use the portal, they can click through a short questionnaire on the website.

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July 2022, Behörden Spiegel

Sooner or later: For a digital Germany – a column by Christina Lang

First the problem, then the solution! “Talking about problems creates problems, talking about solutions creates solutions,” said psychotherapist and author Steve de Shazer. From an early age, we learn to think in terms of solutions. […] But if the problem doesn't just affect us, how can we be sure that the solution created in our head, of all things, will actually solve the underlying problem for everyone affected? The simple answer: we can't. This is especially true for our state. The problems that need to be solved by politicians and administrators are complex and often complicated. At the same time, the public typically expects quick – reassuring – answers.

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05.07.2022

Service: The new property tax

Under the Property Tax Reform Act, all property owners are required to file a “Declaration for Determination of Property Tax Value” (Grundsteuererklärung) in 2022. […] In some federal states, the declaration for an undeveloped plot of land, a one- or two-family house or a condominium can also be made via this website of the Federal Ministry of Finance: https://www.grundsteuererklaerung-fuer-privateigentum.de [Article no longer available online.]

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04.07.2022

Online pilot to simplify property tax declaration

To simplify the submission of the “property tax return for private property” and to support landowners in doing so, the Federal Ministry of Finance has had a online platform developed. It was launched on Monday. Because the Saarland is one of eleven federal states that follow the federal model for property tax, affected owners can use the so-called property tax pilot. [Article no longer available online.]

Name of the media outlet in German:
June 2022, Behörden Spiegel

Sooner or later: For a digital Germany – a column by Christina Lang

Citizen-centered? Citizen-centered! Everyone is talking about user-centricity or, better, citizen-centricity. Without citizen-centeredness, there can be no modern, digital administration. And without a digital administration, there can be no modern, digital Germany. The new coalition agreement clearly calls for this. But what is behind the buzzword that has been called for years in papers, on panels and in workshops?

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03.05.2022, Wir sind der Wandel

Digitalization meets administration

Germany lags far behind in an international comparison when it comes to administrative digitalization. To change this, the federal government bought the start-up DigitalService in October 2020. A unique path so far – also internationally. We will be accompanying this exciting journey for the next six months starting in May 2022.

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18.12.2021, Wirtschaftswoche

Official help

In the administration, people still fax, type, and staple. Christina Lang wants to change that. With her company, she digitalizes ministries. For that to succeed, the new “traffic light” coalition must offer more than new billions.

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August 2021, Handelsblatt Journal

Can the state do citizen-centric digitization?

Imagine if renewing your driver's license were as easy as placing an order online. You know exactly which website to use for the service, type in a search term and find what you're looking for – the option to renew your driver's license.

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19.07.2021, Podcast "Let’s Staat. Inspirationen aus dem Verwaltungsapparat"

Transforming administration with joy

Administration doesn't like change, and certainly not when someone brings it to it from the outside! Really? At Tech4Germany, the fellowship program of DigitalService4Germany, administration is matched with talent from the private sector. Co-Founder Sonja Anton describes the superpower of joy, how to create and sustain it in a project when cultures collide. In addition to humility and modesty about the task at hand, it is above all the servant mindset that lays the breeding ground for joy in change. And this mindset is something that everyone at DigitalService4Germany must bring to the table – fellows, partners from the ministries, and employees. You can find a great interview by Sonja Anton about Tech4Germany here.

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Gründerszene-Podcast
29.06.2021, Gründerszene-Podcast "So geht Startup"

A startup from the state – can it work?

Christina Lang has traded in her career as a management consultant for a new challenge: She heads DigitalService4Germany GmbH, an organization that takes care of digital solutions for the state. The GmbH was spun off last year and is wholly owned by the German government – a state-owned startup, so to speak.

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17.06.2021, Podcast der Akademie für Öffentliches Gesundheitswesen

Carolin Bednarz & Ernesto Rodriguez | Agora – the Collaboration Platform for the Public Health Service

Communication between public health workers gets a new home: the collaboration platform Agora makes it possible to better share, collaborate and process knowledge together across the entire ÖGD. Carolin Bednarz and Ernesto Rodriguez from DigitalService4Germany have closely aligned Agora with the needs of the ÖGD; they had conducted over 70 interviews at the end of 2020 for this reason. In an interview with Dr. Emanuel Wiggerich and Detlef Cwojdzinski, they report on which functional requirements Agora covers and how the platform will be further developed.

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16.09.2020, Tagesspiegel

Developing for the state

With the “Digital Service,” the Chancellor's Office now has an in-house software forge. Expectations are high.

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Contact

Portrait picture of Pamela Krosta-Hartl, Head of Communications at DigitalService

Pamela Krosta-Hartl

Portrait picture of Stefanie Schwerdtfeger, Communications Manager at DigitalService

Stefanie Schwerdtfeger

Portrait picture of Julia Müller, Communications Manager at DigitalService

Julia Müller

Digitalcheck
+49 171 8670959
julia.mueller@digitalservice.bund.de
Mon + Wed: 9 am to 5 pm
Tue + Thu – Fri: 9 am to 2 pm

Portrait picture of Anne-Marie Pellegrin, Communications Managerin at DigitalService

Anne-Marie Pellegrin