- “The parties’ election programmes contain important approaches for Germany's digital future, but coordinated implementation by a Ministry of Digitalisation is necessary”
- Digital Germany 2030: eco formulates an agenda with 10 core demands of the Internet industry for the next legislative period
- “Election/Digital 2025”: Internet Policy Party Check live on 11 February
In just around three weeks before the German Bundestag election, in the run-up to the vote, eco – Association of the Internet Industry has analysed the election programmes of several parties currently represented in the Bundestag from a digital policy perspective. The assessment by the Association highlights central topics such as the digitalisation of society and the economy, the expansion of digital infrastructures, and the handling of data and artificial intelligence.
“In Germany, too little has been done for too long when it comes to digitalisation. While the election programmes contain good ideas for our digital future, the key lies in their consistent and stringent implementation. To this end, we call for a dedicated Ministry of Digitalisation, as well as concrete measures and milestones that will accelerate digitalisation. Digitalisation is crucial for the fundamental transformation of business, administration and society. Given past shortcomings, progress will only be possible with a digital strategy and a Ministry of Digitalisation with central authority, its own budget and cross-departmental competencies. Only in this way can Germany overcome its digital backlog,” says Oliver Süme, Chair of the Board of eco.
This is one of a total of ten core political demands that eco has published as part of its Internet Policy Agenda for the next legislative period.
Election programmes analysis: Germany’s digitalisation needs a coordinated overall strategy
eco – Association of the Internet Industry has assessed the election programmes of the SPD, CDU/CSU, Alliance 90/The Greens, FDP, The Left Party and BSW (The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance) for their digital policy concepts. The conclusion: many approaches are correct, but an overall strategy for Germany’s digitalisation is missing.
Ministry of Digitalisation: Central control or just administrative reform?
From the point of view of the Internet Industry, the establishment of a Ministry for Digitalisation as a central body for digitalisation and digital policy is essential for the next legislative period. The plan to combine digital policy competences in a Ministry of Digitalisation can be found in the programmes of the SPD, CDU and FDP. While the CDU wants to pursue a holistic approach that also includes digital policy, the FDP and SPD, on the other hand, are focusing more on centralising responsibilities for digitalising public administration.
Cybersecurity: Strengthening the BSI, but controversies over data retention
There are also different approaches to cybersecurity: While all parties except the BSW are in favour of strengthening the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) as the central authority for cybersecurity, the CDU/CSU are also planning to strengthen cooperation between the federal and state governments in order to create more coherence in cybersecurity regulation. However, the CDU is also aiming to reintroduce data retention – a controversial move that eco strongly opposes. The FDP, the Left Party and the Greens, on the other hand, are explicitly positioning themselves against data retention and chat control.
Artificial intelligence: Proactively shaping progress or hindering innovation?
There are clear differences between the parties when it comes to handling data and artificial intelligence. The FDP and CDU are committed to an innovation-friendly implementation of the AI Act and want to improve access to data, especially for AI training. The Greens are striving for a less bureaucratic implementation of the AI Act, but at the same time are considering tightening copyright regulations in the area of AI training data. The BSW proposes to ban behavioural data, which, from eco’s point of view, could lead to possible conflicts with EU law. The Left Party is focusing on more transparency with an open data law, while the SPD highlights the need for legally secure data governance and wants to ensure fair data access.
eco invites you to the event on 11 February “Election/Digital 2025: Internet Policy Party Check”
On 11 February 2025, eco is hosting a high-profile event to address nothing less than the crucial question of how the parties want to shape Germany’s digital future. What concepts do they have for the digitalisation of society and the economy? This question will be answered directly in concise questions and answer sessions with leading politicians, including Saskia Esken (SPD), Franziska Brantner (Alliance 90/The Greens), Christian Lindner (FDP) and other digital experts.
The focus will be on a dynamic and interactive exchange on the most pressing issues of Internet policy. With insights from the Internet industry and practical input from the sector, a clear view of tomorrow’s digital policy will be presented. Join the discussion and register for free now!
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