Public administration is not a company – it must act only within the bounds of the law and serve everyone equally. An Austrian professor in the discussion explained how these principles shape digitalization, the use of artificial intelligence, and the emphasis on technological sovereignty. He also outlined the European digital wallet and gave practical recommendations for Slovakia.
The state is not a company: what this means for digitalization and sovereignty
The state can do only what the law mandates, and it must ensure equal treatment for every citizen. This implies a more cautious pace of change and the choice of technologies that the average user can handle, not just 'enthusiasts.' Success therefore rests on uniform rules, shared registries, and processes without paper dead ends.
The speaker also emphasized the topic of sovereignty and dependence on large foreign vendors. He pointed out the risk that a decision made outside the country could suddenly render critical infrastructure or software unavailable, which puts security first. This is also why public administration should push for open standards, interchangeability of solutions, and avoiding lock-in to a single vendor.
AI in public administration: strengths, limits, and competencies
In the coming years, artificial intelligence will help the most with language: translations, summarization, and quick information retrieval. At the same time, you cannot rely on the same question always producing the same answer, which conflicts with the requirement of equal treatment. The state therefore must know the tools’ limits and establish control over the outputs.
According to the speaker, studies indicate pressure toward higher qualification: demand for seniors is increasing, while opportunities for juniors are dwindling. Over time, this jeopardizes the 'pipeline' of future experts, since one becomes a senior only through practice. The answer is targeted education, training in digital skills, and responsible deployment of AI in clearly defined processes.
Digital wallet, 'once-only' and citizen trust: what needs to be done
The next five years are set to be shaped by the European digital wallet and the 'once-only' principle within a single digital gateway. It’s not just an app, but legal adjustments, cross-border recognition (for example of driver’s licenses), and technical readiness so that documents can be verified even by police officers outside the home country. Equally important are a consistent design of services, electronic delivery and payments, so that people are not unsettled or deceived by lookalikes.
Trust grows when the state saves citizens time and minimizes their contact with state administration; a good example is registering a car via an insurance company. The key is a fully paperless procedure, qualified e-signatures, shared registries, and cross-ministerial coordination, not competition between ministries. At the EU level, it pays to get involved early to avoid duplicate work and conflicting approaches by different directorates-general. For Slovakia, the speaker recommended a binding 'bible' of reference architecture for public procurement that enforces open standards and prevents lock-in to a single vendor.
