The app's testing period began last year and the whole app was initially planned to be completed by mid-2023.

"Indeed this prototype allowed us to understand the wonders and the pains of this mRiiK app, to try it out in the park and give it to people to test, then to conclude which solution would be the best for us," said Tiit Riisalo (Eesti 200), minister of Economy Affairs and Information Technology.

Diia, Ukraine's e-state app, was used as the basis for mRiik. Nikolai Kornõšev, who managed the mRiik project last year, said this solution suited the ministry and RIA until this summer and a meeting with Estonian IT companies.

"Of course, the application needed to be developed further. To do this, a plan needs to be developed and Estonian development companies need to be ready. Although in practice, in the framework of this meeting, the majority of private sector companies have asked to close this project and shelve the ready-made solution," said Kornõsev.

Riisalo said modeling the app on Diia was not the wrong choice.

"No, it was absolutely not the wrong choice. Again, a lot was learned from this process. Coming now to the information day, indeed, what this prototyping, and the testing of the prototype revealed, was how it can be built. And then, of course, the experts in the field, who have done it both in Estonia and dozens of countries outside Estonia, gave their feedback," Riisalo explained.

More than €400,000 of EU funds and almost €400,000 of Estonian taxpayers' money were spent on the project. AK asked if this is the end of mRiik.

"No, definitely not. It's actually all part of the learning process, and some of what was learned there, some of the code that was written, will be used," said the minister.

But Kornõsev said the money has been wasted. He claims the private sector stopped the project.

"A new procurement already exists and, in essence, there is also a technical description that says that the application will be made from scratch," Kornõsev said.

€200,000 has been earmarked for the app's development in RIA's budget this year. There are also plans to finance the application from structural funds.

The app could be ready in the summer, Riisalo said.

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