In Barcelona, we had ample opportunity to look beyond our own day-to-day work and to hold interesting discussions with international partners as well.

Six large halls with international regions and companies: First, the focus was on the neighboring stands with representatives of the German states: Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Hesse and Saxony. A variety of exciting individual solutions were interesting – without often seeing the opportunity of connecting points for joint digital projects. As a result, we often miss the opportunity for joint and better solutions for smart cities. On the positive side, we see forward-looking dialogs with representatives of the federal states.

Among the international participants, Dubai stood out with highly professional app solutions. Among the European representatives, the Netherlands impressed with a highly interesting presentation on “Humanizing of IT” according to the motto “Not the data, but the people have priority” – a warm-hearted, technically great presentation. The focus of the Scandinavian countries was on “Design for People, Success in Inclusion, Social Scandic Cities”.

Estonia in particular was a country that is considered a pioneer in digitization. The reduction of bureaucracy is supported by the means of digitization – an export hit, which has brought the country forward economically. The ground rules are “Simplification as a maxim. The benefit for the citizen. Data belongs to the users. No more going to the office with paperwork. No duplication of data.” Success proves it: business registration in five minutes, child registration including funds in ten minutes, tax declaration in 20 minutes. This year, the Saxon Minister for Economic Affairs, Labor and Transport also visited the site to gain insights into the digital strategy and possible points of contact.