The topics of digitalization and the implementation of the Online Access Act (OZG) with the digital provision of all administrative services by 2022 pose immense challenges for administrations throughout Germany. Today, administrative employees also expect a digital working environment that allows them to perform their tasks and communicate with each other as easily as possible. Demographic and financial conditions require processes to be optimized and made more customer-oriented through digitalization.

In order to meet these requirements, create synergies and benefit from mutual experience, Dr Thorsten Kornblum, Dennis Weilmann and Jan Erik Bohling, the department heads responsible for digitalization in the independent cities of Braunschweig, Wolfsburg and Salzgitter, have now concluded a cooperation agreement. This joint letter of intent envisages intensifying cooperation and exchange. IT solutions could be used jointly.

"All cities are on the same path and not everyone has to reinvent the wheel," says Dr. Thorsten Kornblum. "We want to position ourselves well and benefit from each other's regional expertise. We are open to other interested partners from the region who want to join us." Salzgitter City Councillor Jan Erik Bohling adds: "The past few months of the coronavirus pandemic in particular have shown our three cities how important it is to digitize administrative services quickly and thus have an open 'digital city hall' virtually around the clock." Wolfsburg's First City Councillor and Head of Economic Affairs Dennis Weilmann also says: "The digitalization of administration is a topic that every municipality must address and deal with even more intensively in the future. It is therefore only logical to use existing synergies and form such networks."

The three regional centers have agreed on a close and open exchange between the departments involved in the digitalization of administration with the aim of identifying commonalities in the areas of basic services, online services, specialist procedures and interfaces, developing initiatives and jointly approaching other levels such as the state or municipal IT service providers.