Estonian govt expresses support for EU's digital targets

TALLINN – The Estonian government at a sitting on Thursday confirmed its support for setting and monitoring the implementation of the European Union's digital targets.

Estonia supports setting digital goals and monitoring their fulfillment. At the same time, Estonia wants to let member states have more of a say in setting targets and assessing their achievement, reduce duplication in the submission of data to the Commission and achieve more flexibility in implementing the Commission's recommendations, government spokespeople said.

The European Commission has set out a "Path to the Digital Decade" plan to bring about a digital turn in European society and the economy by 2030. The proposal is based on the "Digital Compass 2030" communication of March 2021, which describes the transition to a digital economy and society and proposes specific targets for skills, infrastructure, business and public services.

Progress will be monitored with the help of the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI). The Commission will first work with member states to develop initial EU "paths" for each of the objectives and member states will then present strategic action plans for achieving the desired results. Each year, the Commission reports to the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union on the state of the digital decade.

The Commission shall make recommendations to the member states for the achievement of the targets, taking into account national circumstances. In addition, a mechanism will be set up for large-scale digital projects encompassing several countries.