EU Court of Auditors report: Hardly any progress on digitalisation

Since 2021, the EU has paid out almost 50 billion euros to its member states. Money that should aim to make authorities and administration more digital and efficient. The EU Court of Auditors draws a mixed balance sheet. The European Court of Auditors criticizes in a new report that billions in Corona money for public administration have hardly led to any significant results. The EU has made almost 50 billion euros available to the member states from the Corona Reconstruction Fund for public administrations since 2021. The aim was to make administrations in the EU Member States more modern and efficient. The European Court of Auditors draws a mixed balance sheet in its report. Only a good third of the measures examined have achieved significant results so far. Progress in digitalization – but not everywhere The European Court of Auditors also looks at Germany in the report. It is noticeable that there is progress in the digitization of government services. For example, offers such as registration of residence or vehicle registration were made digitally possible. On the other hand, auditors do not see any progress in modernizing state registers. There are still delays, because the coordination between the federal, state and municipalities is not quite smooth. The report of the European Court of Auditors also criticises how the successes of the measures are measured. It can be observed which and whether projects have been implemented. Whether the authorities actually work faster, more efficient or more citizen-friendly can often not be proven. For future EU programmes, the auditors call for greater focus on measurable results.