Summary

One year after Karsten Wildberger was sworn in as Digital Minister on May 6, 2025, the Open Source Business Alliance (OSBA) takes stock. The industry association acknowledges that digital sovereignty is being taken seriously at the ministry, but calls for greater consistency in implementation. The OSBA demands a clear, binding open source strategy as a foundational principle for genuine digital independence for Germany. OSBA Board Chairman Peter Ganten appeals to the minister: "Dare to act!"

People

Topics

  • Digital Sovereignty
  • Open Source
  • IT Procurement
  • Germany-Stack
  • Cybersecurity

Clarus Lead

The Digital Ministry is developing into a strategically key institution in a period of growing geopolitical tensions and cyber threats. Whoever controls digital infrastructures determines state capability, economic independence, and security – a power factor that Wildberger has recognized, but which the OSBA does not yet see implemented consistently enough. The political moment to implement a radical open source agenda is now, warns the association: the window for genuine digital sovereignty could quickly close again.

Detailed Summary

The OSBA criticizes that "digital sovereignty," while now prominent in political debate, is being redefined by various actors with self-interests – from technological independence to European data protection to favoring European corporations. This definitional proliferation dilutes the objective. The OSBA therefore proposes a clear definition: Digital sovereignty is only achievable through open source, since only open and independently verifiable technology restores genuine decision-making power to the state.

The OSBA recognizes concrete progress in the Germany-Stack: the integration of open source standards from the Sovereign Cloud Stack (SCS) by the IT Planning Council into binding infrastructure marks a genuine breakthrough for interoperable, vendor-neutral cloud structures in public administration. In parallel, the EVB-IT model contracts (November 2025) were reformed to structurally simplify open source procurement. An announced IT planning and procurement prerogative would give the Digital Ministry additional veto power over IT projects of other ministries – a lever that the OSBA wants to see used consistently to reduce dependencies.

The central demand is: procurement criteria must be designed nationwide so that public funds flow only into software with free, viewable, and reusable source code (the "Public Money – Public Code" principle). This not only creates resilient infrastructure but also positions the state as an innovation driver.

Key Messages

  • Digital sovereignty has become a strategic success factor for Europe in a bipolar world; control over IT infrastructure means control over state capability
  • Open source is not optional but a necessary condition for genuine digital independence; monopoly-like proprietary structures lead to strategic dependencies
  • First concrete successes: SCS standards anchored as binding in the Germany-Stack; reformed procurement contracts facilitate open source procurement
  • Missing coherence: positive signals from the ministry are not enough; a dedicated, measurable open source strategy with timeline and veto power for the Digital Ministry is needed

Critical Questions

  1. Evidence/Data Quality: What empirical data demonstrate that open source solutions are more cost-effective, maintainable, and secure in administrative practice than established proprietary systems? The OSBA cites no benchmarks.

  2. Conflicts of Interest: To what extent do OSBA members (open source companies) advance their own economic interests through these demands? Where are possible conflicts between "digital sovereignty" and market promotion?

  3. Causality: Is it assumed that open source alone guarantees digital sovereignty? Or do governance, competency development, financial resources, and cultural change in authorities play equally important roles that must also shape the strategy?

  4. Feasibility: What costs arise from converting existing proprietary systems, in which millions have been invested, to open source? Who bears transformation risks and skills shortages?

  5. Counter-Hypotheses: Could a hybrid approach (open source for critical infrastructure, proprietary for specialized software) be more pragmatic and faster in achieving sovereignty than radical open source absolutism?

  6. Veto Power: How is it ensured that a veto right for the Digital Ministry in IT projects of other ministries does not lead to stalemate or inter-departmental competition instead of promoting sovereignty?

Sources

Primary Source:
"Dare to Act, Mr. Minister!" – One Year of the Digital Ministry – Industry Association OSBA Takes Stock – https://osb-alliance.de/pressemitteilungen/trauen-sie-sich-herr-minister-ein-jahr-digitalministerium-branchenverband-osba-zieht-bilanz

Verification Status: ✓ 05.05.2026

This text was created with the assistance of an AI model.
Editorial Responsibility: clarus.news | Fact-Check: 05.05.2026