OREANDA-NEWS. June 06, 2014. The Council of e-Estonia held is first working meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Taavi Roivas, at Stenbock House.

The Council of e-Estonia is engaged in the information and communication technology (ICT) policy, i.e. the development issues of the information society in the country. The Council manages the implementation of the Estonian Information Society Strategy. Additionally, the Council shapes the Estonian positions in other issues regarding the development of information society at the national or European Union and international level.

Prime Minister Roivas was of the view that at its regular meetings, the Council should definitely discuss future-related issues – trends and novel initiatives of the ICT-world, which help to keep Estonia at the forefront of information technology.

“The role of the Council, which gathered in such composition for the first time, is to advise the Government on expressing views, to manage the work of public authorities and to make arrangements,” Roivas said. “To this end, we will also involve external experts and invite guest speakers.”

Roivas said that the Council helps to effectively target the promotion of ICT introduction in various areas, as well as the development of ICT-sector and e-Government: “The Estonian ICT-policy and also the Council aim to create an excellent environment for the creation and introduction of innovative ICT-solutions.”

The main substantive issues of today’s meeting included the state of information technology education and an idea to establish a competence centre comprising education, research, and entrepreneurship, i.e. an IT-building, to the University of Tartu. It was fundamentally supported. Additionally, the Minister of Education and Research was asked to submit a comprehensive overview of the current state and development plans of Estonian ICT education at the next Council meeting.

The Government decided at the cabinet meeting on April 24 that the process of issuing digital IDs for non-residents should start at the end of this year. The Council of e-Estonia discussed if and how to launch the development of innovative services targeted at e-residents. To address this issue, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications received a task to initiate preparations in cooperation with the private and public sector and give the Council an overview of the results in autumn 2014.

The creation of the Council of e-Estonia derives from the Estonian Information Society Strategy that provides for the reorganisation of the Information Society Council established in 2012 with an aim to increase its importance in guiding national ICT-policy. It was also sought to change the composition of the Council to make it more efficient in decision-making processes.

While the Information Society Council acted at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, then the new Council of e-Estonia holds its meetings with the Prime Minister being the chairman. This meets the target of the governmental coalition action plan that the general development of the e-Government is under the direction of the head of the Government.

The following persons belong to the Council: the Prime Minister, the Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications, the Minister responsible for foreign trade and economic development, the Minister of Education and Research, the President of the Association of Information Technology and Telecommunications, as well as Taavet Hinrikus, Linnar Viik, Annika Uudelepp and Taavi Kotka as experts.