Coalition agreement: business hopeful, civil rights activists horrified

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After the leaders of the black-red negotiating group announced the content of their agreement and the further procedure for forming a government in the Berlin Bundestag on Wednesday, reactions outside of politics have been mixed. In particular, the planned establishment of a digital ministry has been welcomed by business associations across the board: it is “a milestone for Germany and the long-awaited signal of a new departure from the new federal government”, said Bitkom President Ralf Wintergerst. Properly designed, it could become a “real driver for digitalization”.

The internet industry association Eco also welcomes the new ministry, which it had long been calling for, says CEO Oliver Süme: it is a “significant political signal that is being sent with the creation of an independent digital ministry.” As a result, digital policy will “finally receive the visibility, commitment, and responsibility it deserves.”

According to President Dirk Freytag, the German Association for the Digital Economy associates the coalition agreement with the “hope of a real turning point in German data and digital policy”. The planned centralization both on the government side and among the supervisory authorities would create the conditions for clear, reliable framework conditions. The association is also pleased that its demand for more data usage has been met.

Coalition should finally make progress

The German Broadband Association also believes that the Ministry of Digital Affairs is taking the right step, but is calling for the Ministry of Digital Affairs to “ensure that it can act quickly”. To this end, the relevant departments from the previously responsible ministries should be transferred to the new ministry. “Germany cannot afford a standstill in digital policy,” says Sven Knapp, Head of the Breko capital office.

The Association of Telecommunications and Value-Added Service Providers (VATM) is also calling for more speed: “The decision to finally bundle the many extremely complex digital policy challenges under one ministerial umbrella was long overdue. Whoever heads this digital ministry has a big task ahead of them,” says Managing Director Frederic Ufer. “The new ministry must be operational in a timely manner and equipped with clear responsibilities,” demands ANGA Managing Director Philipp Müller. The projects cannot tolerate any further delay.

The Association of Municipal Enterprises (VKU), whose members as operators of critical infrastructures are still waiting for the German implementation of the guidelines on network and information security (NIS2) and those for critical facilities (CER) and could benefit above all from the planned special funds for infrastructure, is also demanding speed: “The companies need planning security,” says VKU Association Managing Director Ingbert Liebing. Before the parliamentary summer break at the end of June, the 2025 federal budget must be passed and an act establishing the special fund as well as extensive measures to accelerate planning must be put on the agenda, he demands.

Startups see coalition ideas as positive

Verena Pausder, Chairwoman of the Startup Association, is also positive. She sees promising developments for the startup ecosystem in Germany in the coalition agreement. A holistic view of this is recognizable, “from financing to reducing bureaucracy to talent and technological sovereignty”. Plans to make working hours more flexible, faster start-ups or deep-tech funding are just as welcome as more venture capital and easier access to it. However, the startup association also has one reservation: “It is now crucial that the many sensible measures result in a consistent, implementation-oriented startup and innovation policy,” says Pausder.

Sharp criticism from civil rights activists

Civil rights organizations are much more critical of the coalition agreement. “In the coalition agreement, freedom is written in small print,” criticizes Bijan Moini from the Society for Civil Liberties. “Even more mass surveillance will do little to help, but will do a lot of damage to fundamental rights.” The black-red coalition not only wants to introduce a three-month IP data retention period, but also enable a number of other controversial projects, such as automated data analysis by security authorities and biometric comparison with publicly accessible data from the internet using AI.

The Chaos Computer Club is even calling for an “emergency brake on the surveillance catalog in the coalition agreement” and criticizes plans for mass surveillance on three levels. The club is referring to announced measures to collect telecommunications, license plate and biometric data: “Whether you communicate online, drive a car or post photos with faces online: All of this is to be recorded en masse and analyzed if necessary.” In addition, there is a paradigm shift, informational self-determination should be put to the stake, “data use and the whole 'AI' nonsense” should be given priority. The CCC is calling on the SPD to refuse to agree to this.”

(kbe)