WIf you need official documents, approvals or permits, you have been able to pay for them with cryptocurrency for a few months now. This is possible in Liechtenstein. The small principality is thus underlining its claim to be a source of ideas and pace in the mega-topic of digitalization. “Agility is not a privilege of the small, but a quality of the courageous and determined,” said Liechtenstein Prime Minister Daniel Risch, outlining his country's approach on Wednesday evening in Berlin. Federal Digital Minister Volker Wissing has “a lot of sympathy” for the idea of accepting cryptocurrencies as a means of payment for administrative services. The FDP politician would also like to see “more courage and more agility” in Germany so that digitalization can progress faster.
Wissing and Risch discussed agility as the key to successful digitalization as part of the FAZ event series “European Economic Outlook”. This also requires a “new approach to data protection,” demanded Wissing. “The principle of data economy means a lack of raw materials,” said the Digital Minister. You should say goodbye to this – which is not so easy, however, as it is a requirement of the Federal Constitutional Court. In addition, data protection is particularly high in Wissing's party, for example in the debate about data retention.
But a digitalization boost can also be achieved by the administration itself seeking the much-vaunted proximity to the citizens. This is what happened in Liechtenstein during the corona pandemic. Anyone who came to the vaccination centers could also apply for an electronic identity card there. “More than 50 percent of our population now has it,” said Prime Minister Risch.
The analog solution must not be continued
In Germany, only 14 percent of citizens use the online function of their ID card. The federal government was hoping for a boost for the e-ID because it could be used, for example, for internet-based vehicle registration. But the promise from Wissing's ministry “I-vehicles: register digitally and drive off immediately” is far from being a reality. The proportion of these approvals is a meager 2 percent. Car owners pay significantly lower fees for “I-KfZ”. “But that was an incentive for the municipalities to stay analogue,” said Wissing. Last but not least, this experience teaches: “If there is a digital solution, the analogue solution must not be seriously pursued.”
Wissing expects “more pressure” from the planned legal right to digitalization. From 2029 onwards, citizens should be able to sue for digital services from the federal administration under certain conditions. This option already exists in Liechtenstein. The legal claim has not led to mass lawsuits. “The threat was enough,” said Risch.
Obligation to communicate electronically with companies
The principality is putting particular pressure on companies. Companies are obliged to communicate electronically with the administration. Conversely, the Liechtenstein legislature must carefully consider whether its plans for digitalization will be accepted by citizens. 1,000 signatures are enough for a referendum among the principality's approximately 40,000 residents.
The electronic patient file has been available automatically in Liechtenstein for two years. Anyone who doesn't expressly object is included. The people of Liechtenstein approved this opt-out solution in a referendum. In Germany, electronic patient files are to be automatically created by health insurance companies for everyone with statutory health insurance by mid-January 2025.
Liechtenstein has also taken special paths for fiber optic expansion. The proportion of active connections is “well over 75 percent,” said Risch. In this country, according to figures from 2023, only a little more than a quarter of households that can have a fiber optic connection also have a corresponding contract. The enterprising people of Liechtenstein also accelerated the expansion with measures that would be unthinkable in this country due to different ownership structures: other networks were shut down and copper cables were sold in order to finance the switch to fiber optics.
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