Why digital public service reform remains uneven in the EU: comparing Germany and Romania

Purpose This paper aims to examine why digital public service reform remains uneven across European Union member states despite a shared supranational policy framework. It compares Germany and Romania to analyse how institutional structures, coordination patterns and reform logics shape different trajectories of digital government reform. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a comparative qualitative document analysis of EU country reports, national digital strategies and public sector reform documents. The analysis is structured around four dimensions: governance structure, coordination capacity, service orientation and reform bottlenecks. Findings The article argues that uneven reform trajectories cannot be explained by economic capacity alone. Instead, differences in institutional complexity, administrative coordination and reform sequencing play a decisive role. Germany represents a case of comparatively high administrative capacity combined with institutional complexity, whereas Romania illustrates a different reform path shaped by more selective but in some respects more focused digital reform dynamics. Research limitations/implications This study is based on comparative qualitative document analysis and therefore captures how reform is framed, organised and officially reported rather than how it is experienced in practice by all actors. The findings are analytically transferable, but not statistically generalisable beyond the two cases. Practical implications The findings highlight the importance of coordination capacity, reform prioritisation and institutionally adapted implementation strategies for digital public service reform in the EU. Originality/value The article contributes to digital government research by showing that digital public service reform in the EU is not linear but institutionally uneven. It offers a comparative explanation of reform divergence under a common European framework.