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Co-creating Digital Sovereignty

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Publications

How does ZenDiS respond to questions from the Bundestag, what is needed for sovereign and secure software supply chains - and why is digital sovereignty important for our democracy? In this section, we provide a selection of statements, position papers, specialist articles and guest contributions, which will be added to on an ongoing basis.

Paper + statements

10. October 2026 paper

Criteria for Digital Sovereignty: Version 1.0

In order to strengthen the digital sovereignty of public administration in a targeted manner, sovereignty must be measurable against clear criteria. ZenDiS has therefore proposed a set of criteria and further developed it through a public consultation. The result is a practical framework that assesses both the organisational sovereignty of an administration and that of its business-critical IT solutions. (Currently only available in German)

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15. August 2025 paper

Recognizing sovereignty washing in cloud services

The demand for sovereign cloud solutions has risen sharply - and with it the supply. At the same time, a debate has arisen as to when a cloud service is truly sovereign. In the white paper, ZenDiS explains what constitutes sovereign offerings and how sovereignty washing can be recognized.

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15. August 2025 paper

Recognizing sovereignty washing in cloud services

The demand for sovereign cloud solutions has risen sharply - and with it the supply. At the same time, a debate has arisen as to when a cloud service is truly sovereign. In the white paper, ZenDiS explains what constitutes sovereign offerings and how sovereignty washing can be recognized.

Read more
10. April 2025 paper

Secure software supply chains: OpenCode as a building block of a sovereign digital infrastructure

Secure and reliable digital infrastructures are essential for public services. In the joint strategy paper, ZenDiS & BSI show how openCode can become a central component of a sovereign software supply chain.

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25. February 2025 paper

ZenDiS publishes building blocks for a superior digital strategy

In order to maintain our state's ability to act, the administration must be made independent of IT solutions that are subject to the control of third countries. Digital sovereignty must be understood as a state task, prioritized and underpinned with measures. Three proposals.

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3. December 2024 stellungnahme

ZenDiS publishes statement on open source

On December 4, 2024, the German Bundestag's Committee on Digital Affairs will hold a hearing on open source. As one of the invited experts, our Managing Director Jutta Horstmann answered the MPs' questions in advance.

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9. August 2024 paper

Digital sovereignty in public procurement law

In order to strengthen digital sovereignty in public administration, ZenDiS advocates open source priority in public procurement law.

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10. October 2026 paper

Criteria for Digital Sovereignty: Version 1.0

In order to strengthen the digital sovereignty of public administration in a targeted manner, sovereignty must be measurable against clear criteria. ZenDiS has therefore proposed a set of criteria and further developed it through a public consultation. The result is a practical framework that assesses both the organisational sovereignty of an administration and that of its business-critical IT solutions. (Currently only available in German)

Learn more
15. August 2025 paper

Recognizing sovereignty washing in cloud services

The demand for sovereign cloud solutions has risen sharply - and with it the supply. At the same time, a debate has arisen as to when a cloud service is truly sovereign. In the white paper, ZenDiS explains what constitutes sovereign offerings and how sovereignty washing can be recognized.

Read more
15. August 2025 paper

Recognizing sovereignty washing in cloud services

The demand for sovereign cloud solutions has risen sharply - and with it the supply. At the same time, a debate has arisen as to when a cloud service is truly sovereign. In the white paper, ZenDiS explains what constitutes sovereign offerings and how sovereignty washing can be recognized.

Read more
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Specialist articles + guest contributions

2. July 2025 gastbeitrag

Podcast: Alexander Smolianitski as a guest on the 9vor9 podcast

How is the openDesk office and collaboration suite structured? Alexander Smolianitski, Head of Open Source Products at ZenDiS, explains in the 9vor9 podcast. Other topics include: How far is Germany in the area of digital sovereignty? And: AI and open source - do they go together?

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20. February 2025 gastbeitrag

Digital sovereignty - How dependencies endanger our democracy

In a guest article for the Handelsblatt Journal, ZenDiS Managing Director Jutta Horstmann looks at the increased threats posed by Donald Trump's re-election and points out ways out of critical dependencies.

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1. February 2025 gastbeitrag

How open source solutions are becoming a lever for greater sovereignty and sustainability in procurement

Leonhard Kugler, Head of Open Source Platform at ZenDiS, has published a guest article in the magazine "Kleine Kniffe". Among other things, he explains why open source solutions can also be the answer to the United Nations' sustainability goals.

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9. December 2024 gastbeitrag

Open source: paving the way for digital sovereignty

Digitalization is essential for a functioning administration. However, critical dependencies on individual technology providers jeopardize the ability to act. In the specialist article for "Innovative Verwaltung", we show how digital sovereignty can be regained with the help of open source.

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2. July 2025 gastbeitrag

Podcast: Alexander Smolianitski as a guest on the 9vor9 podcast

How is the openDesk office and collaboration suite structured? Alexander Smolianitski, Head of Open Source Products at ZenDiS, explains in the 9vor9 podcast. Other topics include: How far is Germany in the area of digital sovereignty? And: AI and open source - do they go together?

Read more
20. February 2025 gastbeitrag

Digital sovereignty - How dependencies endanger our democracy

In a guest article for the Handelsblatt Journal, ZenDiS Managing Director Jutta Horstmann looks at the increased threats posed by Donald Trump's re-election and points out ways out of critical dependencies.

Read more
1. February 2025 gastbeitrag

How open source solutions are becoming a lever for greater sovereignty and sustainability in procurement

Leonhard Kugler, Head of Open Source Platform at ZenDiS, has published a guest article in the magazine "Kleine Kniffe". Among other things, he explains why open source solutions can also be the answer to the United Nations' sustainability goals.

Read more
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