Berlin: The Federal Court of Auditors has criticized significant shortcomings in the digitalization of German public administration. At the heart of the issue is the so-called “Deutschland-Stack”—the planned shared technical foundation for digital services across federal, state, and local governments. The aim is for authorities to use the same systems for identification, data exchange, registry access, payments, and digital mail. However, key technical standards are still missing, even though initial components have already been defined. Consequently, the Court of Auditors warns of the risk of subsequent rework, additional costs, and further delays. The federal government intends to roll out key parts of the new infrastructure in stages by early 2028.
Digitization aims to put an end to the patchwork of government IT systems
Federal, state, and local authorities currently operate using a multitude of different IT systems. The “Deutschland-Stack” is intended to create a unified technical architecture to address this. Agencies would then no longer need to develop bespoke solutions for every digital application process; instead, they would reuse centralized components for functions such as user authentication, payment processing, and data transmission. Furthermore, shared interfaces would ensure that the various systems can communicate with one another.
Image: Shutterstock
The aim is to make digitalization simpler and more standardized for citizens. For instance, users could verify their identity electronically once and use that same identity for multiple administrative services. Furthermore, government agencies would be able to exchange necessary registry data directly with one another, eliminating the need to resubmit documents with every application. Fees, reimbursements, and digital official notices are also intended to be processed via shared systems.
Audit Office Criticizes Lack of Technical Foundations
It is precisely this shared foundation that has drawn criticism from the Federal Court of Auditors. The Ministry for Digital Affairs had developed a total of 128 standards and technologies for the “Deutschland-Stack” (Germany Stack) by February 2026. In March, the IT Planning Council initially designated 49 of these as mandatory. Nevertheless, key areas remained unresolved, including specifications for IT security, artificial intelligence, and automated administrative processes. Additionally, other formats and technical rules had not yet been finalized.
At the same time, the federal and state governments have already selected central core services—such as digital identities, data exchange, registry lookups, payment services, and digital mailboxes. Consequently, further adjustments may become necessary later if existing systems do not align with the final standards. The Court of Auditors views this approach as problematic, as subsequent modifications could drive up costs and cause further delays to the schedule. In response, the Ministry has pledged to create an implementation plan for the necessary adjustments.
Over 3,000 IT Projects Complicate Oversight
Criticism has also been directed at the management of the federal government’s overall digitalization efforts. For the 2027 budget, ministries submitted more than 3,400 IT projects with a total value of approximately €7.1 billion. Approval from the Ministry for Digital Affairs was required for 3,081 of these projects. However, due to the sheer volume, the Ministry was unable to review all proposals within the allotted timeframe. Furthermore, it could not quantify how many projects were consequently deemed approved without undergoing a full review.
Of the 3,081 projects, 2,905 received unconditional approval. Another 157 projects were approved subject to conditions or recommendations, while 19 projects were rejected. Preliminary figures indicate that the 157 projects subject to conditions represent a total value of around €920 million. However, there are currently no clear procedures in place for cases where ministries fail to implement such conditions later on. Thus, the Federal Court of Auditors’ criticism extends beyond any single digitalization project; it addresses the fundamental question of how the federal government plans, oversees, and technically coordinates its multi-billion-euro investments in IT.
Author: Blackout News
Sources: Netzpolitik (06.08.26) – Bild (04.08.26) – Bundesrechnungshof (30.07.26)