Estonia’s President Kersti Kaljulaid has signalled that digital innovation in public services is high on her agenda for her six month stint as Chair of the Council of the European Union.
Estonia took over the revolving chair on 1 July and will bring its leadership in digital services to the role.
A nation of just 1.36 million people, the former Society states has outperformed its much larger neighbours in key benchmarks such as ITU’s Global Cybersecurity Index and recently topped the EU’s Digital Economy and Society Index for the online provision of public services.
The Baltic nation has made digital public services a hallmark of its government, boasting that the only things its citizens cannot do online are get married, get divorced or sell their home.
“We are proud to offer this experience back to our partners and allies,” Kaljulaid told reporters, saying this was Estonia’s chance to repay the EU for supporting it through the early days of its independence.
“We want to offer our understanding of digital society and to offer our help to make sure that digital aspects of all EU policies will be well-covered and taken forward during our EU Council presidency,” she said.
