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EU Court of Auditors report: Hardly any progress in digitalization
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
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Corona reconstruction fund EU Court of Auditors sees little progress in digitalization As of: October 20, 2026 • 6:42 p.m
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 conclusion.
In a new report, the European Court of Auditors criticizes the fact that billions in Corona funds for public administration have hardly led to any significant results. The EU has made almost 50 billion euros available to the member states for public administrations from the Corona reconstruction fund since 2021. The aim was to make the administrations in the EU member states more modern and efficient.
Overall, the European Court of Auditors draws a mixed conclusion in its report. Only a good third of the measures examined have achieved significant results so far.
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The European Court of Auditors also looks at Germany in the report. It is noticeable that there is progress in the digitalization of government services. For example, offers such as re-registration of residence or vehicle registration have been made digitally possible.
On the other hand, auditors see no progress in modernizing state registers. There are still delays because the coordination between the federal, state and local governments is not going entirely smoothly.
The European Court of Auditors' report also criticizes how the success of the measures is measured. It is possible to observe which and whether projects have been implemented. However, it is often not possible to prove whether the authorities actually work faster, more efficiently or in a more citizen-friendly manner.
For future EU programs, the auditors are calling for a stronger focus on measurable results.
This topic in the program: tagesschau.de | “Report on Corona aid for public administrations” | Oct 20, 2026 | 5:34 p.m