From austerity to innovation - a new productivity model for public services

European public-sector IT leaders are under pressure to deliver more citizen capacity and better service outcomes without new funding, and the article argues that the answer is not more point solutions but simpler, connected operating models built around AI, automation, and unified workflows. For CIOs, the strategic implication is that value will come from redesigning services end-to-end—retiring legacy complexity, embedding governance into AI use, and using automation to free staff for higher-value work rather than layering new tools onto fragmented systems.