We trace the most important events that led us here. It is not a path that can be copied, but the challenges we faced and the opportunities we found can inspire others to discover their own.
For us, e-Estonia has led to a society with more transparency, trust, and efficiency.
1994
first draft of “principles of estonian information policy”
Strategic outline for IT development, ratified by parliament 4 years later.
CHALLENGE:
politically turbulent times, establishing IT as essential to solving societal challenges.
EFFECT: 1% of GDP earmarked as stable state funding for IT.
1994
1996
launch of the tiger leap initiative
Country-wide IT infrastructure development initiative.
CHALLENGE:
catching up to the West by updating local IT infrastructure and establishing computer skills as a priority in schools.
EFFECT: 90% of the population uses the Internet regularly; #1 in the Digital Development Index.
1996
1996
first e-banking service
Online banking solutions developed by private banks.
CHALLENGE:
low population density means high cost for a nationwide network of bank o ices.
EFFECT: development of high-quality e-banking services encouraged people to get online, to embrace government e-solutions and to later use e-ID.
1996
2000
e-cabinet meeting
Database and scheduler for streamlining governmental decision-making processes.
CHALLENGE:
reducing government bureaucracy, making e-solutions part of decision-making.
EFFECT: the average length of cabinet meetings of the Estonian government has been cut from 4-5 hours to as little as 30 minutes.
2000
2000
e-tax board
Online tax declaration.
CHALLENGE:
maximising state tax revenue to support the growing needs of the developing society.
EFFECT: declaring taxes now takes about 3 minutes online; 98% of people declare their income electronically.
2000
2000
m-parking
A system that enables drivers to pay for city parking via mobile phone.
CHALLENGE:
managing growing traffic in densely populated urban areas, creating a modern and low-cost parking infrastructure.
EFFECT: 90% of parking fees are paid via mobile phones, Estonia’s m-parking solution has been adopted in countries around the world.
2000
2001
x-road
Distributed data exchange layer for registers and information systems.
CHALLENGE:
limited resources to create a national integration platform, ballooning data exchange costs, public data leaks from existing unsecure databases.
EFFECT: X-Road has become the backbone of e-Estonia, allowing the nation’s public and private sector information systems to link up and operate in harmony. 99% of public services are accessible online 24/7.
2001
2002
e-id and digital signature
Digital identification based on the mandatory ID card.
CHALLENGE:
securely identifying residence using public and private e-services.
EFFECT: 98% of Estonians have an ID-card; digital signatures save 2% of GDP annually.
2002
2005
i-voting
maximising accessibility to local and general elections.
CHALLENGE:
politically turbulent times, establishing IT as essential to solving the challenges facing society
EFFECT: one third of the votes in parliamentary elections are cast online; votes are cast from over 110 countries.
2005
2007
cyber security
Concerted effort to enhance IT security.
CHALLENGE:
In April 2007, Estonia was hit by the largest organised cyber-attack against a single country. International cooperation was needed to contain this new threat.
EFFECT: Estonia has become one of the leading nations in cyber security. Both the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Center of Excellence and the EU IT Agency are situated here in Tallinn.
2007
2008
blockchain technology
Scalable blockchain technology KSI is developed by Estonian cryptographers.
CHALLENGE:
Following the cyber-attacks in 2007, Estonia needed to mitigate threats of insider data manipulation in its registries.
EFFECT: Estonia has become a pioneer of blockchain technology. Several government registries are backed by the KSI Blockchain.
2008
2008
e-health
A nationwide system integrating data from Estonia’s healthcare providers.
CHALLENGE:
improving the quality and efficiency of health care provided under public health insurance.
EFFECT: the electronic health record has created a comprehensive pro le of each patient, reducing bureaucracy and giving access to time-critical information in emergency situations.
2008
2010
e-prescription
A centralised paperless system for issuing and handling medical prescriptions.
CHALLENGE:
minimising paperwork for prescribing and dispensing medical drugs.
EFFECT: 99% of medical prescriptions are handled online; routine refills can be issued without appointments.
2010
2013
public services green paper
Mapping challenges and solutions for developing state e-services
CHALLENGE:
addressing the e-state’s current shortcomings to assure its sustainability and future development.
EFFECT: a better understanding of the public’s needs and the clear definition of goals and principles for the development of e-services.
2013
2014
road administration’s e-portal
One-stop online service for drivers and owners of vehicles
CHALLENGE:
simplifying and reducing the costs of the Road Administration’s service provision.
EFFECT: the e-portal provides services six times faster, 20% cheaper, and increases transparency.
2014
2014
e-residency
A borderless digital society for any global citizen to join.
CHALLENGE:
finding new and innovative ways to attract international business and talent to Estonia.
EFFECT: e-residency is the first digital nation for global citizens. The number of e-residents and their businesses is steadily increasing.
2014
2015
world's first data embassy
Estonia green-lights plan to create the first data embassy outside its borders
CHALLENGE:
assuring the digital continuity of Estonia and our statehood in worst-case scenarios like critical system failures or external threats
EFFECT: Estonia is the first country in the cloud, our critical databases and services are backed up in a high-security data centre in Luxembourg
2015
2017
NIIS X-road consortium
Nordic Institute for Interoperability Solutions (NIIS) ensures the development and strategic management of X-Road and other e-governance solutions
CHALLENGE:
ensuring the interoperability of e-governance solutions and platforms both nationally and internationally
EFFECT: founded by Estonia and Finland NIIS is a pioneer of cross-border e-governance solutions, intent on providing better content and services for the public
2017
2018
seamless services roadmap
Proactive government services that react to life events requiring minimal bureaucracy
CHALLENGE:
reducing bureaucracy and human resources to manage essential routine state services
EFFECT: seamless services provide a more natural relationship with the state; the first seamless service goes live in 2018
2018
2019
government AI strategy
outlining the current and future usages of AI in government and private services
CHALLENGE:
creating the legal and strategic framework for accelerating AI development and making Estonia a trailblazer in the field
EFFECT: a detailed strategic plan for promoting implementation of AI solutions in public and private sector
2019
2020
proactive child care
when a child is born, a population entry activates all of the following services, and the family gets all the benefits they are entitled to automatically
CHALLENGE:
how to use the information that the state already has to create proactive services and lessen bureaucracy
EFFECT: parents of a newborn no longer need to apply for benefits
2020
2020
remote verification for notaries
remote authentication enables the conduct of notarial acts using Veriff’s online identity verification platform
CHALLENGE:
buying and selling real-estate while not being physically in the same space, during the pandemic or beyond
EFFECT: there are now only two things that need to be done physically in Estonia - getting married and divorced
2020
2021
world's first autonomous hydrogen vehicle
the hydrogen shuttle Liisu, developed by Auve Tech and researches from University of Tartu, is aimed at enhancing last-mile transportation
CHALLENGE:
to bring together autonomous driving and remote control with hydrogen fuel
EFFECT: driverless hydrogen vehicle Liisu is an environmentally friendly alternative to personal cars
2021