Estonia creating conditions for transnational data exchange

The Information System Authority (RIA) launched a next generation central server of X-Road on Monday. The server allows to manage secure data exchange between the databases of Estonia and other countries.
According to Tuuli Pärenson, the project manager of X-Road, previous versions of X-Road were intended for domestic use, while the new, sixth version, introduced on November 2, makes cross-border communication possible as well. This will facilitate the daily data exchange of national tax authorities, population registers and other institutions and enterprises.
“The new software version of X-Road will also be launched in Finland this year. This means that by the end of the year, we will have the technical cooperation capabilities between Estonian and Finnish X-Road,” Pärenson said.
She added that according to current plans, data transmission between Estonian and Finnish X-Roads will be possible as soon as in 2016.
The new version considers the changes in IT management of the Estonian public sector, as well as the growing interest of private sector in using the possibilities of X-Road.
The updated version will ensure the integrity of messages with a qualified digital signature. A tool for providing secure signatures along with qualified certificates are used to create an electronic seal complying with the requirements of the European Union.
The development of version 6 of X-Road was funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
RIA's data exchange layer X-Road is a technical and organisational environment, which enables to manage secure internet-based data exchange between national information systems. X-Road enables to manage persons’ access to the data stored and processed in national databases.
Editor: M. Oll