As another Covid year draws to a close, let’s take the opportunity to review the digital policy highlights of this year! To begin with the brightest news of the year: In these Covid times, digital infrastructures, digital technologies and digital applications have kept things up and running, thereby contributing to combatting the pandemic by switching physical contacts to the virtual.

The coalition negotiations between the SPD, Bündnis 90/The Greens and FDP are nearing completion. The first known details about the plans for the future direction of digital policy dampen hopes for a strategic realignment that could give new impetus to the digital transformation and Germany as a digital location.

Following on from the regional state elections at the beginning of June, Saxony-Anhalt is on the verge of forming a new government. eco welcomes the fact that the planned tripartite alliance of CDU, SPD and FDP is focusing on digitalisation in the current draft of a coalition agreement, and that it is seeking to advance digitalisation with a ministry set up specifically for this purpose.