In 2005, Estonia became the first nation in the world to conduct an election partly on the Internet. By 2015 more than 30% of votes in a parliamentary election were received online. In 2013, 95% of tax declarations were made online and all Estonian doctors fill online prescriptions.
Today Estonian citizens can access hundreds of public services through the Internet, including submitting a petition and keeping track of a lawsuit. Everything can be done through a single portal.
The highlight of Estonia’s digitalization is its e-Residency program which offers anyone with 100 Euros a secure digital residency in Estonia, even if they don't actually live there. An e-residency card doesn’t include an Estonian passport or nationality.
A 2-year e-Resident card enables foreigners to use Estonian public and private sector services and resources, sign documents remotely, and encrypt files.
The smallest country in Europe is marketing e-residency cards as a way to attract entrepreneurs to establish and run a company in Europe.
To date, more than 22,000 people around the world have received e-Residency digital ID cards. 1,000 of them are British. The Estonian government has announced the ambitious goal of having 10 million e-Residents by 2025.
An important feature of Estonia’s e-government is that its citizens have full power to control their individual information and privacy. Any state or private organization must receive permission from a citizen to use his personal information.
Estonia wants to use digital technology when it takes its turn as president of the European Council this month. In the next 6 months, Estonia hopes to make a pitch for a digital Europe, lead the EU’s handling of Brexit, and supervise negotiations on Russia’s Nord Stream pipelines across the Baltic Sea.
Part of Estonia’s ambitious plan is the free movement of data which is considered the fifth fundamental freedom of the EU after people, goods, services, and capital.
Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas said digital technology is the key to economic growth and the welfare of citizens living and working in the EU.
European commission president Jean-Claude Juncker praised Estonia’s advocacy for a digital Europe.