Digital sovereignty has long been part of every public sector digital strategy. However, the Sovereignty Barometer of public IT by next:public shows how large the gap between aspiration and reality is. The study provides resilient figures – and they paint a clear picture of structural dependency.
1. The Core Finding: Dependency Is the Normal State
The barometer is based on a survey of public sector IT managers. The central finding is unambiguous:
- Around two-thirds of administrations classify their dependency on international, non-European IT providers as strong.
This dependency does not affect specialized applications but the foundations of administrative operations. This is exactly where the greatest loss of control occurs.
2. Where Dependency Is Particularly Deep-Seated
The study makes clear that the biggest lock-ins do not arise in specialized procedures but in the basic layer of IT:
- Operating systems
- Office software
- Collaboration and communication tools
These components are infrastructurally set. They define file formats, interfaces, update cycles, and security models. Those who are dependent here can hardly resolve dependencies in specialized procedures anymore. Technological diversity above this layer changes nothing about that.
3. Lack of Design Sovereignty as a Structural Problem
A particularly critical value concerns the adaptability of software:
- More than 40% of administrations can only adapt a small part of their used specialized procedures or platform services internally or via public IT service providers.
Specifically, this means:
- Adjustments are technically or contractually restricted
- Further developments depend on external manufacturers
- Own priorities can only be implemented to a limited extent
Sovereignty ends where software can no longer be changed. Use without design is not control.
4. Cloud Transformation: Opportunity or Amplifier of Dependency
Another central finding of the study:
- Two-thirds of applications currently still run in classic on-premise environments.
The upcoming cloud transformation is therefore not a peripheral issue but a massive structural cut. The barometer makes it clear: Whether cloud leads to more sovereignty is decided not by the technology but by the design.
Crucial factors are:
- Use of open standards
- Availability of European offerings
- Capability of public IT service providers in cloud operations
Cloud without these guardrails merely shifts dependencies – it does not resolve them.
5. Overview of Findings
| Area | Central Figure | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Dependency on non-European providers | approx. 66% strongly dependent | Structural lock-in |
| Adaptability of specialized procedures | >40% only slightly adaptable | Lack of design sovereignty |
| Operating model | approx. 66% On-Premise | High transformation pressure |
| Critical dependencies | OS, Office, Collaboration | Control over basic layer lost |
6. Conclusion: Realization Present, Consistency Missing
The Sovereignty Barometer shows not a knowledge deficit but an action deficit. The figures prove what has been known for years:
- Proprietary standards prevent switching options
- Dependencies arise early and act long-term
- Sovereignty without open source remains an illusion
- Cloud without strategic guardrails reinforces existing power relations
Digital sovereignty does not arise through strategy papers or location promises. It arises through adaptability, exchangeability, and own technical competence. As long as these prerequisites are not systematically built up, public IT will remain dependent – regardless of how often sovereignty is invoked.