"I had a very productive meeting with the Estonian Association of Information Technology and Telecommunications (ITL) this morning. We agreed on several matters, but there is one aspect that might be of particular interest to the public," said Justice and Digital Minister Liisa Pakosta at the government's press conference.

"Our shared goal is to genuinely support Estonian exports. The export of Estonian companies is one way to bring more money into Estonia. The justice and digital affairs minister certainly has a role to play in helping Estonian companies with exports. To ensure that this activity is completely transparent, we agreed that when the minister receives invitations to represent Estonia in another country or to speak there – if those invitations are not specifically related to European Union matters – ITL will validate these invitations. They will assess whether it is the best use of public funds, whether the trip will significantly benefit Estonia and whether it provides an opportunity to include a business delegation," explained Pakosta.

"I am fully committed to supporting Estonian business and exports. This commitment clearly means doing so with full transparency and in close cooperation with ITL, which has taken on this additional responsibility," she added.

Prime minister: The justice and digital minister will need to make sure decisions are transparent

ERR reporter Johannes Voltri asked Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) how he feels about the Estonian Association of Information Technology and Telecommunications (ITL) organizing the foreign visits of the digital minister.

"I think it is very reasonable for this government to cooperate with businesses and any partner organizations," Michal replied.

Voltri also asked whether the prime minister sees a conflict of interest given that the president of ITL is Ats Albre, the CEO of Nortal Estonia, and the vice president is Anna-Greta Tsahkna, the wife of the current chairman of Eesti 200, Margus Tsahkna. Nortal's CEO Priit Alamäe is one of the founders of Eesti 200 and also one of its major financial supporters.

"The personnel decisions of an association are generally the concern of that association. In general, I consider it wise for ministers to collaborate with business organizations. Just as in agriculture, cooperation with the Chamber of Agriculture and Commerce is likely, and just as the president and prime minister's business delegations are guided by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry or the Employers' Confederation, this is sensible. Of course, the justice and digital minister must be extremely careful to ensure that no actions in such partnerships can be perceived as ambiguous. And I am confident that she will do so," the prime minister responded.

In response, Pakosta clarified that ITL would not be organizing her trips.

"In the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs, the justice side is responsible, among other things, for ensuring that the Estonian state is highly transparent. On the other hand, yes, we want to support Estonian business, especially the export of companies. It is often helpful for Estonian exports if a state representative speaks at or attends an important conference. But the entire business sector must have a clear and transparent picture of what needs to be done for this to happen and how it can happen. To fully guarantee this transparency, we have agreed on this working arrangement," Pakosta explained.

"If the justice and digital minister receives an invitation to speak at an international forum that is not directly state-level, an invitation to travel somewhere, or to meet on important issues, then to ensure full transparency, we will send that invitation to ITL. The association will discuss it with its members and assess whether it is in the interest of Estonian business, whether the expense will help Estonian companies. If they find that it is, then the trip will take place. To make these trips as beneficial as possible, I will publicly say, yes, I am happy to take business delegations along. Again, the business delegation will be organized transparently through ITL, so that the business representative organization itself ensures equal access for all companies, and the process is completely transparent," Pakosta stated.

Minister: It cannot be made more transparent than that

After the press conference, in response to ERR's questions, Minister Pakosta added that the meeting with ITL and the agreement on the rules stemmed from suspicions that have occasionally arisen.

"The fact that Priit Alamäe is a member of Eesti 200 does not mean that Nortal equals Priit Alamäe. The fact that Nortal's current president was elected by the business organizations themselves does not mean he controls the organization. To ensure complete transparency, all Estonian companies in the telecommunications and IT sectors that are part of ITL are involved. All these companies make decisions together. These Estonian companies have equal access to organizing the minister's foreign trips and participating in business delegations. I don't think it could be made any more transparent or inclusive of more companies," Pakosta commented.

"Priit Alamäe truly does not play any role here, let that be clear. I have not met with him. My point of contact is the business association," Pakosta added.

"This is the most transparent way to eliminate any possible fears and accusations that something could be wrong here. On the contrary, I am offering unprecedented transparency," Pakosta said further.

Eesti 200 came under public scrutiny in connection with Nortal in February of this year when a representative of the company, Andres Raieste, who is also a member of the Eesti 200 party, presented the vision of the "personal state" at an event organized by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications.

Then Minister of Economic Affairs and Information Technology Tiit Riisalo (Eesti 200), did not see a conflict of interest in Nortal's contribution to the concept of the personal state.

Nortal's CEO, Priit Alamäe, has been one of the authors of the personal state idea.

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