Online Access Act: Federal government has digitized 115 important services

The Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) reports successes on the major construction site of administrative digitization. By the end of 2024, the federal government will have made all 115 services prioritized under the Online Access Act (OZG) available on the web or via app. These are the most important administrative services. The relevant goals from the OZG have thus been "fully achieved", at least for the federal government, emphasizes the BMI. For example, child benefit or educational loans can now be applied for digitally at www.bund.de. The portal can also be used to register maternity leave, display charging points for electric cars and provide information on professional qualifications for foreign skilled workers.

Far behind schedule

Furthermore, more than 100 of the most frequently used federal administrative services can now be used digitally "in individual federal states and municipalities", according to the ministry. However, work is still being carried out to make them available throughout Germany. For example, it is possible to register your place of residence digitally after moving to 15 of the 20 largest German cities. In total, over 35 million citizens in the connected municipalities can use this service. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) was pleased that in many cases it is no longer necessary to go to the office.

The OZG, which was passed in 2017, obliges the federal, state and local governments to offer their administrative services digitally. The overarching aim is to enable secure, fast and user-friendly interaction between citizens, businesses and the administration. The original OZG actually envisaged that 575 service bundles relating to e-government would be made available online across the board by the end of 2022. This ultimately only turned into 33 by the deadline. The OZG amendment, which the federal and state governments agreed on by hook or by crook in July, no longer contains such an overarching deadline.

States and local authorities are lagging behind

The current status of the implementation of important projects for the digitalization of public administration can be viewed via a dashboard. This shows that the federal states and local authorities in particular are still lagging behind. Almost no implementation is reported for services in the areas of law and order, cross-sectional services and research and funding. The situation is hardly any better for commitment and hobbies as well as immigration and emigration. The leader is Hamburg, where 290 OZG services can be accessed online across the board (maturity level 2). Brandenburg, Saxony and Saarland each only have less than 200, while maturity level 3 means that it should no longer be necessary to submit proof in analog form. Online applications for Bafög and Bürgergeld are most in demand.

In the autumn, the Federal Audit Office criticized the fact that in July 2024 only 5 percent of the cross-state "one-for-all" online services (EfA) had been used across the board. "This means that 95% of the EfA solutions that the federal government has fully financed are largely only in use in one state or municipality or are even investment ruins." If the federal states and local authorities do not make enormous progress in the introduction of online services by mid-2025, EU funding will be forfeited. With the OZG 2.0, responsibility under data protection law now lies explicitly with the authority that operates an EfA service. This means that often hundreds of mostly complex agreements with the downstream authorities will no longer be necessary.

(mho)