Chairman of the Riigikogu’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Marko Mihkelson (independent), confirmed to ERR that the German head of government would attend the summit next month.

The Tallinn Digital Summit is set to discuss a range of issues connected to recent and future developments in the area of digitization and the Internet. Several heads of state and government are expected to attend. The event is arranged by Estonia in cooperation with the Presidency of the European Council as well as the European Commission.

Whether or not all member states will send top officials isn’t sure, as practices differ from country to country, and the issue isn’t treated with the same priority across all member states of the union. Still, the summit is part of the EU institutions’ efforts to propel Europe to the forefront of digital innovation.

In Merkel’s particular case, there is the question whether or not she would represent Germany in case she should lose the upcoming general elections on Sept. 24. According to Mihkelson, this would be the case. At the same time the likelihood of Merkel losing the election remains low, with her party, the CDU/CSU, leading with 38 percent ahead of the German Social Democrats with 24 percent in the most recent poll.

In the case of a CDU/CSU victory and Merkel continuing as chancellor, the summit in Tallinn would be her first visit abroad of her new term in office.

Another likely attendee is French president Emmanuel Macron. For Macron, this would be the first visit to Estonia.