CDU on digital affairs

The CDU wants the state's IT to rely less on dominant hardware and software vendors. It favors regional IT providers, cloud services hosted in Germany and Europe, and open-source software for critical systems.

Government offices often use programs from a few big companies. The CDU wants to change that. Local companies should supply more IT for the state. Data should be stored in Germany or Europe. Important systems should use open-source software. That is software with an open blueprint.

Central IT services are to be untangled from vendors the platform describes as monopolistic. Critical systems would move to open-source software, which the CDU expects to keep the state able to work in the long run and make costs predictable. Together with regional partners, it wants to build and run a shared digital infrastructure and secure cloud services for public administration. The goal is an IT ecosystem within the state that keeps expertise and value creation in Saxony-Anhalt.

The CDU wants a single contact with the administration to be enough, whether online or in person. Agencies would share data with each other where citizens agree, and digital services are to be accessible. Visiting an office in person remains possible.

The CDU wants fewer forms. One visit to a government office should be enough. This can be online or in person. Offices should pass data to each other. Citizens decide which data that is. Everyone should be able to use the services.

Successful pilot projects would be centrally funded, standardized and rolled out statewide. Secure AI systems and automated workflows are meant to make agencies more efficient and reduce staffing needs, and secure Wi-Fi would be available throughout the state administration. Data should be usable across state lines, explicitly including for criminal prosecution and for cases of welfare and asylum abuse, and should allow uniform nationwide portals, for example for building applications or car registration. The administration would forward wrongly addressed submissions itself. The state's digital services are to be fully accessible, supported by assistive technology and digital participation formats.

The CDU wants to help start-ups and mid-sized companies invest in digital technology and to simplify funding programs. A new legal framework would allow test zones for innovative pilot projects with little effort, because the platform sees Germany's cautious laws as the biggest obstacle to innovation.

The CDU wants to help young and mid-sized companies. They should find it easier to invest in digital technology. Funding programs should become simpler. New ideas should be tested faster. For this there will be real-world labs. These are test zones with looser rules.

Cooperation between companies, universities and research institutes is to be expanded. Tax incentives are meant to make joint research with mid-sized businesses more attractive. The planned legal framework would permit project-specific test zones and give pilot projects as much freedom as possible, for example as "Reallabore" (regulatory sandboxes).

The CDU wants to create a Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) for Saxony-Anhalt, meaning an emergency team for IT security incidents. It would help businesses defend against cyberattacks.

The CDU wants to set up an emergency team for computer security. It is called CERT. The team will help companies in the state. It supports them when they are attacked online.

The platform declares cybersecurity a top-level priority, and not only inside companies. The planned CERT is to be well equipped and stand by firms when they defend against attacks. Protection from cyberattacks and secure data are among the CDU's goals for the state's digital policy.

The CDU wants to close the remaining coverage gaps in fixed-line and mobile networks and push ahead with 5G. The aim is equivalent digital infrastructure in cities and rural areas.

The CDU wants fast internet everywhere in the state. No place should be without a network. The new 5G mobile network should grow. This matters most for schools, business parks and villages. Central places should have free Wi-Fi.

According to the platform, Saxony-Anhalt is already ahead of most German states in network expansion but has not yet reached the goal. The 5G rollout is meant to benefit schools, commercial zones and rural regions in particular. The CDU sees the network as the basis for jobs, education and mobility. Free Wi-Fi at central locations would be open to residents and tourists.