Digitalization in Local Communities: Collaboration Is Welcome, Support Is Needed
The majority of Swiss municipalities would like to tackle the digital transformation together—but in practice, they often run into obstacles due to differing IT systems and a lack of autonomy. A recent survey also shows that municipalities have a significant need for information regarding e-ID.
639 Swiss municipalities—nearly one in three—participated in the annual survey on the status of digital transformation in the spring of 2026. The survey was conducted by the association Myni Gmeind, the Swiss Association of Municipalities (SGV) and the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW). FHNW study director Joachim Tillessen views the high response rate as a meaningful data set and as evidence of the importance municipalities attach to the topic of digitalization. The survey was also supported by Digital Administration Switzerland (DVS) as part of its digital education initiative.
Desire for Cooperation Meets Practical Obstacles
Six out of ten municipalities (62 percent) would like to tackle the digital transformation as a group. The main benefits cited for collaboration include the exchange of expertise and experience, as well as positive effects on quality and efficiency. At the same time, there is concern about not being able to manage the transformation on their own—more than half of all Swiss municipalities have fewer than 2,000 residents and, as a result, have a lean administrative structure.
Yet there is a significant gap between aspiration and reality. When asked about the level of cooperation actually achieved, the municipalities rated themselves, on average, with an unsatisfactory score of 3.8; nearly one-third of the participants even gave themselves a score of 3.0 or lower. The obstacles cited include both the loss of self-determination and politically mandated autonomy, as well as practical hurdles such as differing IT systems.
When seeking collaboration, neighboring municipalities are the primary focus at the operational level, followed by associations and municipal organizations. Collaboration with the canton or the federal government plays hardly any role in cooperative projects. Instead, the municipalities want clearer guidelines and stronger oversight from these levels of government. Other critical success factors include the availability of human and financial resources, leadership that is open to digitalization, and coordination with other stakeholders.
«GemeindeConnect» as a Solution to Duplication
With the «GemeindeConnect» project, the Myni Gmeind association and the Swiss Association of Municipalities are addressing precisely this need for coordination. The project aims to jointly establish standardized digitalization services across cantons and avoid duplication of efforts. «We recently successfully completed the pilot phases in the cantons of Solothurn and Fribourg,» says SGV Director Claudia Kratochvil. «Thanks to financial support from Digital Administration Switzerland, we now plan to roll out »GemeindeConnect’ in additional cantons as well.”
e-ID: Importance Recognized, but Awareness Is Insufficient
Another focus of the survey was the e-ID, which is expected to be introduced later this year. The results show that municipalities generally view the e-ID as an important component of digital government. Nevertheless, nearly 70 percent of respondents describe their current level of information as unclear or state that they have barely enough information to make an informed assessment of the upcoming changes and prepare for them. Only 3 percent describe their level of information as clear.
Municipalities expect e-ID to be used primarily in traditional administrative processes, where forms, supporting documents, and certificates still play a major role today—such as in confirming residency. Applications in areas such as recreational activities, libraries, schools, or referendums and elections are not expected to be implemented until much later.
«Municipalities recognize the importance of e-ID, but most are still in an exploratory phase and have a great need for information regarding its practical implementation. Communicating the benefits, in particular, is therefore likely to be crucial for the acceptance and widespread adoption of e-ID in the coming years,» says Alexander Sollberger, president of the Myni Gmeind association.
More information: www.chgemeinden.ch
This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/digitalisierung-in-den-gemeinden-zusammenarbeit-erwuenscht-unterstuetzung-noetig/
