Foresight Center director Tea Danilov revealed that according to the think tank's research, Estonian residents expect the state to make more of an effort in preventing health and social problems, according to a press release.

"Over 70 percent of Estonian residents expect personal advice from the state, and 60 percent consider it important for the state to provide preventive services," Danilov said. "This clearly indicates a need to increase the accuracy and timeliness of preventive services by using the data that the state already currently has on individuals."

In its yearbook, the Foresight Center states that if data-based prevention could help reduce the costs of cardiovascular diseases by one-sixth, that could save Estonia's healthcare system €50 million a year.

Reusing health and genetic data would also make it possible to identify other individual health risks early on. For example, when inviting people to undergo cancer screening, in addition to a person's sex and age, other characteristics associated with a higher risk of cancer could be taken into account as well. This could significantly increase the chances of detecting cancer in patients at an earlier stage, when it may still be more easily treatable.

In education, data could be reused to develop tools for the early detection of students' issues and talents, as well as digital solutions for career advice. Based on previous research, the center notes that if Estonia were able to halve its secondary education dropout rates, the country could gain more than €50 million per age cohort.

In the social sector, data reuse would make it possible to identify risk groups early and prevent job loss through retraining programs and career counseling. A one percentage point lower unemployment rate could increase the country's GDP by €800 million.

Ministry legislative intent a step closer

The Foresight Center points out in its yearbook that although various health service providers, the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund (EUIF) and educational institutions collect personal data in the course of performing their tasks, current regulations do not allow this data to be reused for purposes other than those for which they were collected.

"There are no clear rules regarding data reuse in Estonia, but it is in the interests of both the public and the individual for existing data to be reused for preventive purposes," Danilov said. The general level of data collection should not increase, she continued, meaning that the state's task is primarily to make better and safer use of existing data.

The think tank director noted that the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs has started drawing up legislative intent to develop protective measures for the reuse of personal data in scientific research and policy studies.

"This does not yet provide a solution for targeted prevention, but it is a step closer to creating greater clarity in the area of personal data reuse," she explained.

In its yearbook, the Foresight Center highlights that the proactive provision of preventive measures using personal data definitely requires constitutional assessment and legal protective measures that would ensure that the service neither entails a fundamental rights violation nor is disproportionate to the goal that has been set.

The think tank's latest yearbook (link in Estonian) focuses on the economic and social trends studied in 2024.

The Foresight Center is a think tank at the Riigikogu that analyses socioeconomic trends and builds future scenarios. The center researches a range of topics in order to anticipate emerging trends and potential disruptions.

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