IT minister requesting feedback on future of digital society

Minister of Entrepreneurship and Information Technology Andres Sutt (Reform) is requesting feedback on the Estonian digital society development plan for the period until 2030.
The plan (link in Estonian) layouts the vision and an action plan for further developing the Estonian economy, the state and society with the help of digital technology during the next decade.
"Estonia has achieved a lot in the development of the digital state, but a state will never be ready - we must reach the next level, but we must also maintain what we have created to date," Sutt said.
The minister described the quality of the digital state and services as being also an increasingly important factor in the business environment.
"All countries compete with each other for talent, exports and investment, and the consistent development of the digital society is our competitive advantage. Many countries in the EU and globally have started to strongly address the digital transformation of their public sector in recent years, and this is forcing us to make an effort as well," the minister said.
The aim of the new digital society development plan is to create a long-term strategy to ensure a powerful Estonian digital society, where all people have the best digital experience.
"I am convinced that together we will build Estonia into an even more powerful digital society. In digitally powerful Estonia, it is easy to do the things that we need or want, and to do it safely. We must boldly move forward in our digital development, and the biggest challenge in the next decade is the digital power of our economy -- digital solutions must be the engine of the whole economy and Estonia must be a fertilized space for creating future solutions," Sutt said.
Estonia's digital society development plan 2030 is divided into three fields.
The main objective of developing digital solutions of the digital state and the public sector is to gain the best experience in the use of public services. Plans are for the next leaps in the development of the digital state to be made and the sustainability of the digital state created so far to be ensured.
Sufficient availability of connections is the basis for using digital solutions, be it a person's daily life or a business. Therefore, it is necessary to develop electronic communications, meaning connectivity, so that high-speed communication can reach anywhere in Estonia in an affordable way.
National cybersecurity must be developed further because if the credibility and security of cyberspace are ensured, Estonia can also move forward on the path of digital development. This area includes ensuring cybersecurity both in the public sector and in the economy more broadly.
In addition, the new development plan sets out expectations for other policy areas, as the implementation of the vision of the digital society depends on many actors. The development plan does not cover specific activities to promote the uptake of ICT in different areas of life and business, but sets out the needs and basis for planning support activities in the implementation of other development plans.
The implementation and updating of the development plan will be led by the development plan steering group, chaired by the minister of entrepreneurship and IT. The development of the sub-areas of the development plan is guided by councils involving public authorities and other partners.
Feedback on the development plan is awaited by May 25.
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Editor: Helen Wright