Impressions from the "Economy in Dialogue" forum of the Cologne branch of the CDU's Mittelstands- und Wirtschaftsvereinigung (MIT) with the Federal Minister for Digital Affairs and State Modernization, Dr. Karsten Wildberger. (Photo: © Dr. Rüdiger Gottschalk)
Read aloud:
July 23, 2026
Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger presented himself to companies at the SME Forum of the Cologne SME and Economic Union of the CDU.
Outside, the temperatures were sweltering, while inside the meeting room of the Cologne branch of the CDU's Mittelstands- und Wirtschaftsunion (MIT), only cold drinks offered any temporary respite. " Economy in Dialogue " was displayed on the wall as the meeting's motto, while the guests from politics, business, and various organizations eagerly awaited the guest of the Mittelstandsforum: Dr. Karsten Wildberger, Federal Minister for Digital Affairs and State Modernization. His ministry is considered key to the country's future viability in times of digital transformation.
In a roughly 40-minute statement, the Rhineland native briefed the guests on the current status of state modernization, administrative digitization , and sovereignty/ artificial intelligence (AI). He argued that to achieve real change, the logic of the state must be transformed. He identified three key areas for action: "The first shift is 'from waiting to mandatory delivery.'" He cited the implementation of a four-month deemed approval process as an example. "This means that if no response is received after four months, the application is considered approved ," Wildberger explained. This system is already in place at the state level and should be implemented at the federal level as well. Citizens and businesses would then no longer have to wait for the administration; instead, the administration would be obligated to deliver.
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The second shift is about relieving citizens and businesses of bureaucracy. The relief cabinet has already initiated €10,4 billion in deregulation measures – and more will follow. One example is the reversal of the burden of proof regarding reporting requirements . "If a business owner wants to abolish a reporting requirement, the government will have to justify why it should still exist." This is already in place at the state level and is also planned for the federal level.
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As a third change in the logic of government, the minister cites "a sense of proportion." "We in Germany are implementing many things from the EU with a level of complexity that no one asked for." Ultimately, the economy needs much more room to develop , which many directives and reporting requirements simply no longer allow.
However, this requires a unified standard, the "Germany Stack," the national sovereign technology platform for digital projects in Germany, as well as a sovereign digital cloud infrastructure and excellent applications. The cloud infrastructure has been operational since July, and the first scalable application, a digital wallet on mobile phones for all documents from driver's licenses to insurance cards, will follow in January 2027, always meeting the highest security standards.
More than 200 companies are currently working on solutions based on this wallet, such as age verification or ID verification for package pickups or opening bank accounts. A German app is also planned.
Wildberger expressed his conviction that many still underestimate the importance of AI, even though it is changing all areas of life. But Germany is taking action. " We have fundamentally excellent starting conditions and outstanding research in the field of AI ," said Wildberger, even though more computing power is still needed. Already, there were more than 3.000 new startups founded in the first half of 2026 , driven by AI companies. His demand: "We must further support our strong small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and prepare them for AI." It is essential to bring companies together and think in terms of ecosystems. The promise, which naturally resonated with the 120 guests, was simple: Politicians must deliver concrete results. Indeed, we can only wait and see – and Wildberger will be held accountable for his actions.
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