The European Union faces the challenge of ensuring that its public administration, economy and critical infrastructure remain digitally efficient – whilst meeting high standards of security, compliance and user-friendliness. Materna brings to this task many years of experience in the public sector and in highly regulated environments, and specialises in confidently implementing highly complex technical requirements. Below, we highlight examples of solutions that streamline processes, facilitate collaboration and strengthen digital sovereignty.
Development and modernisation of digital administrative platforms, specialist procedures, registers and interoperable services for a sovereign European administration.
European institutions face the challenge of providing digital public administration services in a cross-border, user-friendly and secure manner. This requires partners who understand regulatory requirements, public processes and the operation of mission-critical systems. Materna brings decades of experience in the digitalisation of German public administration – ranging from e-government platforms and register modernisation to complex specialist procedures.
In the European context, we support institutions in designing, implementing and further developing sovereign digital administration platforms. These include interoperable government services, digital identities, portals, register and specialist procedures, as well as cross-border administrative processes. Of particular relevance here is our experience with customs and tax procedures such as ATLAS and EMCS, which serve as robust references for secure, scalable and compliant administrative digitalisation.
Our approach: We don’t just advise – we deliver. Materna combines strategy, architecture, software engineering, integration and long-term responsibility for digital platforms. This results in administrative services that meet European requirements for sovereignty, traceability, interoperability and future-proofing.
Design and implementation of digital administrative platforms
Modernisation of specialist procedures, registers and portals
Interoperable government services in line with European standards
Support for the ‘once-only’ principle, the European Digital Identity and cross-border services
Software engineering, integration and operation of mission-critical public-sector systems
Experience with customs, tax and administrative procedures such as ATLAS and EMCS
Secure, resilient and compliant operation of critical applications, platforms and cloud environments – from ITSM to cyber security.
Digital sovereignty does not end with architecture. Secure, stable and traceable operations are crucial. European institutions require operating models that combine high availability, IT security, compliance and adaptability – particularly for critical platforms, administrative processes and central IT services.
Materna supports public sector clients in setting up and operating secure IT environments: from IT service management and service desks, through cloud and platform operations, to cyber security, managed services, monitoring and continuous optimisation. We combine operational experience with a deep understanding of regulated environments and public procurement processes.
In doing so, we consider security, resilience and sovereignty as an integrated whole. Through technology independence, European cloud and open-source ecosystems, and partners specialising in sovereign infrastructure, we create robust operational models for public institutions. Our services range from consultancy through migration and integration to long-term operations – with clear responsibility for service quality, security and continuous development.
IT service management, service integration and service desk
Operation of applications, platforms and cloud infrastructures
Managed services for mission-critical administrative environments
Cyber security and security consultancy
Support with NIS2, the Cyber Resilience Act and KRITIS requirements
Sovereign cloud and platform strategies with European technology partners
DevOps, Kubernetes, monitoring, automation and continuous service improvement
Harnessing data and AI – responsibly, transparently and integrated into real-world administrative processes
Data and artificial intelligence open up new opportunities for public administration: processes can be accelerated, decisions better prepared, documents analysed more efficiently and services made more user-friendly. At the same time, the public sector is subject to particularly high standards regarding data protection, transparency, traceability, governance and digital sovereignty.
Materna supports public institutions in using data and AI solutions responsibly – from data platforms and data rooms through to analytics, generative AI and trustworthy automation. The focus is on specific use cases in regulated administrative environments: intelligent document processing, knowledge management, chatbots, agent and assistant systems, data integration, decision support and the secure automation of administrative processes.
Our approach combines technological implementation with governance. We develop data and AI solutions in such a way that they remain explainable, controllable and compliant with regulations. This includes AI governance, compliance with the AI Act, secure data architectures, sovereign AI models and integration into existing administrative processes. In this way, AI becomes not an experiment, but a reliable tool for modern public administration.
Data strategies, data platforms and data spaces
Analytics, dashboards and data-driven administrative services
GenAI solutions for document-intensive administrative processes
Chatbots, agent and assistant systems, and knowledge management
AI governance, AI Act readiness and compliant use of AI
Trusted automation for recurring administrative workflows
Integration of sovereign AI and data solutions into existing IT landscapes
Digital customs procedures – interoperable, compliant and reliable for cross-border flows of goods.
Customs is a key factor in ensuring that supply chains in Europe function effectively: it protects the single market, secures revenue and ensures that the movement of goods is compliant, transparent and predictable. For this to work in practice, digital processes are needed that reliably reflect complex rules and facilitate the smooth exchange of information between businesses, authorities and IT systems.
A central component of this in Germany is ATLAS (Automated Tariff and Local Customs Clearance System), the established digital backbone for customs declarations and the processing of customs procedures. Materna brings in-depth domain knowledge and implementation experience to this field: We have been working on the successful development of ATLAS since 1992 – from business and technical concepts through to the implementation of software components and integration into complex system landscapes. This results in solutions that scale reliably in day-to-day operations and quickly adapt to changes in legislation and practice.
As the leading IT service provider for customs systems in Germany, Materna is now bringing this expertise to Europe: we understand the requirements for interoperable, secure and auditable procedures, and we help to design business processes, data flows and operating models in such a way that they remain compatible with European standards and future developments. We also consistently focus on the user experience, for example in the development of the AI-powered ‘eZOLL’ app.
Digital tax procedures – cross-border, compliant and reliably integrated into European processes.
When goods are moved within Europe, speed, traceability and regulatory compliance are key – particularly for goods subject to excise duty. Systems such as EMCS (Excise Movement and Control System) ensure that declarations, supporting documents and checks function digitally across borders, and that all parties involved have access to reliable status information at all times. This facilitates trade, safeguards revenue and enables risks to be identified at an early stage.
The MoeVe (Modernisation of Excise and Transport Tax Enforcement) initiative is modernising processes relating to excise and transport taxes in Germany and systematically digitising them for both businesses and public authorities, from the submission of applications right through to processing within the specialist systems.
In both initiatives, Materna brings its experience of complex, highly regulated IT environments to bear and acts as the implementation partner: we design end-to-end digital workflows, integrate specialist systems and portals, ensure quality in releases and guarantee stable ongoing development during operation. The result is solutions that work in day-to-day practice whilst also aligning with European standards and data exchange mechanisms.
Materna is also transforming the VAT refund process for non-EU citizens in Germany into a digital solution and providing support for this (eAKZ, electronic export receipt).
Those who work with Materna benefit from an implementation partner that does not view complex requirements in isolation, but rather places them within their organisational, procedural and technological context. In-depth technical expertise, methodological strength and practical implementation experience all work in tandem. This results in solutions that are not only conceptually sound but also work effectively in day-to-day practice. Our experience of challenging projects, including those in regulated environments, shapes our structured approach to requirements – from precise analysis and realistic prioritisation through to sustainable implementation.
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