German associations welcome
creation of digital minister post

Critics claim Germany has been hesitant when it comes to digital policy. For some time, the OECD has been criticizing Germany’s digital infrastructure. In rural areas, only half of households has fast internet, in spite of the fact that the former government planned to have faster internet across the country by 2018.

 

Prior to the announcement of the Digital Minister, Germany’s leading ICT associations had issued an online petition calling for the incoming German government to create this position, to centrally coordinate and accelerate Germany’s digital transition. The poll, designed to look like a job advert for the new post, mentioned the results of a survey by research institute Civey, in which 77.7% of Germans urged a new government coalition to prioritize digitization.

 

The appointment of Dorothea Baer of the conservative CSU to this new established post has also been well received. Eco, the German association for internet companies, described Baer as an ‘experienced web politician’ who understands the politics of the net. She has stated that digitalisation has been too slow in Germany, and hopes she will be given sufficient room to implement new policies.

 

Bitkom, the German association for digital industries, also welcomed Baer’s appointment and urged the new coalition government to become more ambitious in the area of digital policies governing, for example, intelligent transport infrastructure and data policies that balance protection and innovation. Broadband Association (BREKO), which represents the majority of all alternative fixed line broadband network operators in Germany, has urged the governing parties to act quickly to enact promises in the coalition agreement like nationwide access to gigabit-speed internet by 2025.