Tallinn Digital Summit to be held in Estonia next week to focus on trusted connectivity

  • 2021-08-31
  • BNS/TBT Staff

TALLINN - The Tallinn Digital Summit 2021 to be held next week will focus on trusted connectivity and highlight the links between cross-border infrastructure, geopolitics and digital technologies.

Initiated by the Estonian prime minister, the Tallinn Digital Summit is held for the fourth time.

"When the world went into lockdown due to the pandemic, we realized how connected we really are -- the world, our communities, organizations and people. Our lives and the functioning thereof largely depend on these links and connectivity can only be built on trust," Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas was quoted by government spokespeople as saying.

"The main challenge for democratic states is building trusted physical and digital connectivity. What must be taken into consideration is that infrastructure no longer only means roads or bridges but also increasingly how we create, transmit, store and protect digital data. The Tallinn Digital Summit will provide a platform for our heads of state and international organizations, entrepreneurs and the tech community to jointly build trusted and smart connectivity," Kallas said.

The digital summit with bring together top politicians, opinion leaders, entrepreneurs and the tech community to draw attention to the importance of changes in the digital field and their impact on the economy, society and states. In addition to the Estonian prime minister giving the opening speech, keynote speakers at the event also include President of the European Council Charles Michel, Secretary-General of the OECD Mathias Cormann, Executive Vice President of the European Commission and European Commissioner for Trade Valdis Dombrovskis and United States Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. Participants in panel discussions also include the prime ministers of Australia, Poland and Croatia and the Estonian prime minister and president.

Held on Sept. 7, one of the goals of the Tallinn Digital Summit 2021 is to bring together discussions on the topic of infrastructure and connectivity and on a number of initiatives fostering international cooperation, such as Build Back Better World, Blue Dot Network and the global EU connectivity strategy.