Estonia’s Digital Agenda 2030, adopted in 2021, details the country’s action plan to develop the domestic economy, state, and society through digital technology.

The plan shares a “digital society program” that’s created for four years and which is renewed annually, providing a full overview of the activities and measures required to achieve its objectives.

The latest iteration of the Digital Agenda 2030 outlines the development of digital government, the availability of high-speed Internet, and ensuring a safe, reliable cyberspace as its top three priorities. For the year 2026, the plan will allocate a budget of EUR 127 billion. Within this allocation, EUR 56 million will go towards digital state services and platforms, EUR 21 million will go towards national cybersecurity initiatives, and EUR 18 million will be used for cybersecurity management and coordination. These three areas will see the biggest allocations this year.

Over the ten-year period, Estonia’s Digital Agenda 2030 is projected to cost an estimated total of EUR 1.2 billion.

Digital government

Estonia has set out to deliver the best digital government experience by 2030. This involves implementing proactive services that are provided automatically.

Estonia also aims to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) in the public sector to improve user experience and the functioning of the state. This requires changes in works processes and information systems.

AI has already been adopted in the public sector on the basis of Estonia’s national AI strategy. As of the end of 2020, approximately 80 AI projects had been implemented or were ongoing.

However, challenges remain: competences related to AI and data science are still lacking, the level of implementation of Estonian language technology is still low, and there are legal obstacles to the use of data, especially in connection with interpreting data protection requirements.

To achieve these goals, Estonia will introduce rigorous management and user-centricity standards for public services. This requires developing and introducing a common standard, including the design, development, management and measurement of these services.

Additionally, the government said it will further develop the eesti.ee state portal, establish a state-wide central catalogue of services ready for use, and continue developing the core software of X-Road, Estonia’s data exchange infrastructure. It also plans to launch a digital government marketplace to outsource standard services and software solutions to the private sector, and will update the action plan concerning digital identity to improve convenience and security identification.

High connectivity

In addition to furthering its digital government objectives, Estonia also aims for ultrafast, reliable and affordable telecommunications connections by 2030. In particular, it has set out the goal to boost the proportion of Estonian households and companies able to access an Internet connection of at least 100 Mbit/s from 58% in 2021 to 100% by 2030.

The Estonian market already offers affordable mobile services and provides easy entry for new players among three major operators and several smaller regional firms. However, the country’s small consumer base poses risks of consolidation or instability if unfavorable economic or regulatory conditions arise.

To address these issues, the government said it will carry out consistent and efficient supervision of the functioning of the market, and will promote innovative investment and cooperation models for developing communication infrastructure.

Estonia also plans to expand its broadband infrastructure, especially in rural areas where telcos tend to invest less. In addition to networks established by telco operations, Estonia has already deployed a 7,000 km state-supported backhaul network, alongside a 70% increase in mobile Internet speeds over the last two years. However, the country remains below the average of the European Union (EU) with regard to the availability of fixed broadband subscriptions in rural areas and the adoption of ultrafast broadband.

Estonia also wants to develop its 5G and 6G core infrastructure. Although no specific timeline exists for 6G deployment, it is anticipated to begin before 2030.

Cybersecurity

Finally, on cybersecurity, Estonia will focus on ensuring that its digital government, economy, and broader digital way of life are protected.

Currently, the country has a decentralized yet fragmented cybersecurity landscape where the primary burden of security information systems falls on individual owners and service providers. To ensure coordination despite fragmentation, certain critical functions like monitoring, standard-setting, and cybercrime investigation are centralized under specific ministries.

In particular, a dual-leadership model has been implemented involving the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications (MEAC) and the Information System Authority (RIA). Meanwhile, the Ministry of the Interior and its subsidiary bodies are responsible for investigating cybercrime and ensuring internal security. The Ministry of Defence and the authorities in its area of government are assigned cyber security tasks related to national defense. Finally, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs oversees cyber diplomacy.

To achieve its security goals, Estonia said it will constantly analyze changes in digital trends and emerging cyberthreats. This includes updating its cybersecurity administration model as needed, and amending legal acts, contrasts, crisis-response plans and other regulatory documents. Estonia will also work on establishing a network-based think tank to support policy-making related to cybersecurity.

The government has also committed to increasing funding for research and development (R&D) and joint actions related to cybersecurity at the EU level, enhancing the capacity of academic institutions and development centers in implementing cybersecurity-related R&D, and bolstering its response capabilities. This involves strengthening the monitoring and supervisory roles of government agencies, organizing national and international crisis-response exercises, and significantly increasing the number of specialized cybersecurity experts within the public sector.

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