THEPUBLICGROUP
digital evolution
Democracy is complicated in Europe with local & national interests competing with Union issues - a serious voter has a lot to weigh up. Estonia has carved out a niche as a startup hub and a friendly environment for foreign businesses. Its biggest innovation, however, lies in e-government. Citizens of this tiny Baltic nation can conduct almost every encounter with the state online. A digital-signature system makes official transactions a doddle. Armed with an ID card and a PIN, Estonians can vote, submit applications or sign contracts in seconds. Officials claim this lifts annual GDP by 2% while saving a mound of paperwork and creating opportunities for business. Estonians abroad lament the red tape involved in even simple tasks like applying for a driving licence. As Estonia assumes the rotating presidency of the EU’s Council of Ministers, it has been granted a pulpit from which to preach the digital gospel to the rest of Europe. Chief among Estonia’s plans is a proposal to expand the EU’s familiar four freedoms—the unhindered movement of goods, services, capital and people across borders—to include a fifth: data. digitisation can actually enhance security. (Other officials note the potential of blockchain technology to overcome gaps in trust.) But countries must want to change. Mr Ansip says that groups of EU governments may need to move ahead with data-sharing initiatives rather than waiting for all the laggards to agree.
Vested interests and distracted politicians have often limited Europe’s ambitions on digital matters.
digital evolution
Democracy is complicated in Europe with local & national interests competing with Union issues - a serious voter has a lot to weigh up. Estonia has carved out a niche as a startup hub and a friendly environment for foreign businesses. Its biggest innovation, however, lies in e-government. Citizens of this tiny Baltic nation can conduct almost every encounter with the state online. A digital-signature system makes official transactions a doddle. Armed with an ID card and a PIN, Estonians can vote, submit applications or sign contracts in seconds. Officials claim this lifts annual GDP by 2% while saving a mound of paperwork and creating opportunities for business. Estonians abroad lament the red tape involved in even simple tasks like applying for a driving licence. As Estonia assumes the rotating presidency of the EU’s Council of Ministers, it has been granted a pulpit from which to preach the digital gospel to the rest of Europe. Chief among Estonia’s plans is a proposal to expand the EU’s familiar four freedoms—the unhindered movement of goods, services, capital and people across borders—to include a fifth: data. digitisation can actually enhance security. (Other officials note the potential of blockchain technology to overcome gaps in trust.) But countries must want to change. Mr Ansip says that groups of EU governments may need to move ahead with data-sharing initiatives rather than waiting for all the laggards to agree.
Vested interests and distracted politicians have often limited Europe’s ambitions on digital matters.