"When you move house in Germany, you need to register your new address with the authorities. In Germany, that often means calling city hall, waiting weeks for an appointment, and showing up in person with paper forms. Yes, in 2025! And if you forget your health insurance card at the doctors? Some apps can help by sending a fax. "Around three quarters, 77%, of German companies still use fax machines," says Felix Lesner from Bitkom, Germany's IT industry association."
"'And 25% use it often or very often.' Why? 'Most of the companies state that it's essential for communication with the public authorities. So maybe this is where the problem lies,' he told DW. Falling behind The European Union regularly publishes rankings of digital development among member states, with Germany performing somewhere in the middle of the 27 nation bloc at best."
"German computer pioneer Konrad Zuse may have invented the world's first programmable computer, but his descendants have fallen behind digitallyImage: Oliver Berg/dpa/picture alliance Frank Reinartz, head of the Digital Agency company in Dusseldorf, says Germany doesn't have an issue with strategy or targets, "we have an issue with getting things done." Dusseldorf, a city of around 650.000 people, offers 120 administrative services online out of 580 just over 20%."
German public administration remains heavily analogue, with many services requiring in-person appointments, paper forms, and long waits. Around 77% of companies still use fax machines and 25% use them often, frequently for communication with public authorities. EU rankings place Germany in the middle for digital development, with CapGemini ranking it 24th for e-government. Historic technological achievements coexist with limited online public services; routine tasks like address registration, car registration, or marriage licenses often require queues. Dusseldorf provides about 120 of 580 services online, roughly 20%, and local leaders point to execution problems rather than lack of strategy.
Read at www.dw.com
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