On 10 January, the German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier hosted the New Year’s Reception at Bellevue Palace. Together with Elke Büdenbender, he welcomed around 70 citizens from all federal states who have made a special contribution to the welfare of the community. Representatives of the public sphere were also invited, including representatives from politics, business, trade unions, culture and civil society. Oliver Süme, Chair of the Board of eco, was also invited to the New Year’s reception in Bellevue, where he once again emphasised the importance of a stringent digital policy in which clear decisions are made on the responsibilities of individual ministries and which consistently sets the course for Germany’s digital transformation.
From the Internet industry’s point of view, the aspects at the top of the digital policy to-do list include the transformation of a data-centric and data-based economy, the modernisation and digitalisation of administrative processes, as well as secure framework conditions for digital infrastructure operators in Germany: “The time for assessment and analysis is over. The German traffic light government, now in its second year in office, must now finally get down to implementation,” says Süme.
The Association of the Internet Industry has formulated 5 Theses on the 2023 Digital Policy:
- Without a digital budget, digitalisation in Germany will not gain momentum
- The data economy urgently needs clear rules
- Digitalisation is part of the solution on the path to a climate-friendly and sustainable future
- Digital administration remains the most important condition for a competitive digital location
- Digital infrastructures secure the resilience of Germany as a digital location
