With the entry into office in summer of Liisa-Ly Pakosta as justice minister, the role was twinned with digital affairs, formerly under another minister's portfolio and at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications.

With the shift, the Ministry of Justice gets the two new deputy secretary general roles - one focused on digital governance and the other on digital infrastructure and cybersecurity.

In the course of the restructuring, Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications Erkki Keldo (Reform) proposed in October to end the repeatedly failed competition for the digital development position.

Minister Pakosta had previously said that the position of deputy secretary general for digital development might be eliminated entirely, as part of efforts to reduce middle-management bureaucracy.

Now, Pakosta has said that while two new deputy secretaries general will be added, several top-level positions, including departmental directors, are to be eliminated. "The department director positions will be removed, meaning the deputy secretary will take over their responsibilities," Pakosta said, adding that the overall goal is to streamline management.

She also noted that some of the structural changes require government approval.

The Ministry of Justice is now seeking two deputy secretaries via a competitive process, one for digital governance and another for digital infrastructure and cybersecurity as noted.

This would hike the number of deputy secretaries general in the ministry, from four to six.

Explaining the rationale behind the new roles, Pakosta said, "We need more focus on both cybersecurity and digital infrastructure."

"The issues with undersea cables have likely not escaped anyone's attention," she went on.

"Additionally, challenges such as moving services to the cloud require unprecedented attention," Pakosta added.

"This makes it justifiable to have a separate deputy secretary for cybersecurity and digital infrastructure, to ensure these matters are not overshadowed by other topics."

Pakosta emphasized that the new deputy secretaries should have technical education and experience in cybersecurity and communications for one role, and strong innovation leadership for the other. She expressed hope the hiring process would be swift, aiming for new hires to start early next year.

Each of Estonia's 11 ministries are headed by a secretary general, the non-politico counterpart to the corresponding minister or ministers. Several deputy secretaries general serve under this official, each with a different area of responsibility.

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