Germany's path to digital sovereignty
The new coalition agreement has been signed – and the digital strategy has become a strategic pillar for Germany's future. Digital policy is now unambiguously defined as "power politics" in the current agreement. But what's different this time? After a decade of grand announcements and often disappointing implementation, the question arises: Can Germany finally hope for concrete results rather than mere statements of intent?
The new digital strategy: Sovereignty as a core principle
The new coalition has placed its digital strategy under the guiding principle "Digital. Sovereign. Ambitious". Unlike previous approaches, the digital strategy is no longer viewed in isolation but is closely linked to geopolitical, economic and security policy objectives. The central focus lies on digital sovereignty – the ability to act independently and autonomously in the digital space.
The strategy encompasses three core areas:
- Digital policy as power politics: Germany aims to reduce digital dependencies by developing key technologies itself, securing standards and protecting digital infrastructures. This includes building European-integrated and resilient value chains – from raw materials through chips to hardware and software.
- Digital policy as economic policy: Germany should be "put in the digital fast lane" through better conditions for application-oriented research, start-ups and knowledge transfer. A particular emphasis is placed on building computing capacities.
- Digital policy as social policy: Digital competencies of all citizens should be strengthened to enable social participation and protect democracy against disinformation.
Open source as a strategic key
Open source and open standards play a central role in implementing digital sovereignty. The 2025 coalition agreement stipulates that open interfaces and standards be defined across all levels, and that open source be strategically advanced with private and public actors in the European ecosystem. In other words: federal, state and local governments should work together on open technical solutions that can be used by all, rather than creating closed, isolated solutions. Institutions such as the Centre for Digital Sovereignty (ZenDiS), the Sovereign Tech Agency and the Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation (SPRIND) are to be utilised for this purpose. The announcement to strategically align the IT budget and define concrete goals for open source underscores the importance of open technologies as a foundation for digital sovereignty.
From vague goals to concrete measures: A new era?
A look at the past shows why the current strategy could represent a turning point. Previous digital strategies suffered from vague formulations, unclear responsibilities and insufficient funding. This led to a sobering balance sheet for flagship projects such as broadband expansion or administrative digitalisation.