Event round-up: Building a Digital Nation: Estonia and the UK- Roundtable with Estonian Digital Minister Liisa Pakosta
In this exclusive roundtable, techUK was delighted to host Estonia’s Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs, Minister Liisa Pakosta, for an open discussion with UK tech leaders on the future of digital public services. Featuring Estonia’s Digital Minister, representatives from the private sector, and various UK stakeholders, the event provided insight into the foundational principles and strategies that have enabled Estonia’s digital leadership.
Thank you for those who took the time to join us.
Trust as a foundation
Estonia’s digital success is rooted in public trust, which has been built through transparency, data ownership, and legal accountability. Citizens can see who accesses their data, and misuse is punishable — reinforcing trust in state systems. Estonia prioritises citizens’ control over data while ensuring full digital accessibility to public services. High trust and accountability in digital systems enabled high digital adoption rates, particularly in digital identity.
Estonia’s post-Soviet digital transition was driven by necessity. Digitisation was seen as a low-cost, high-impact tool for fighting corruption and rebuilding governance. Over time, Estonia has maintained its digital-first approach by embracing not only transparency, but also user-centricity alongside private-sector innovation. Estonia’s model thrives on private sector innovation, enabled by clear procurement rules and collaborative regulation. Digital ID, for example, was adapted from the banking sector. Estonia’s transparency in governance encourages SMEs and multinationals to contribute to scalable digital solutions.
Responsible AI Integration
Estonia is a pioneer in integrating AI across public services, with over 200 AI-enabled services already operational. An example included the process of whether an individual was able to cut down a specific tree, which could now be authorised in one minute. A national education initiative launching in September will provide free AI access to all upper-secondary students and teachers, reinforcing the government’s commitment to digital literacy. Recognising the legal challenges of a digital society, Estonia has created a new Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs. This reflects the need for legal innovation alongside technical advancements, especially with the growing use of large language models (LLMs) and AI.
Developing digital infrastructure
Cybersecurity is embedded in Estonia’s digital architecture and institutional mindset. As the first country to experience cyber-attacks in 2007, Estonia developed a robust infrastructure (e.g. X-Road) that integrates cyber resilience practices into everyday digital service delivery.
While Estonia embraces cloud technology, its adoption is strategic rather than all-encompassing. Services are reviewed for relevance and usability before migration, ensuring that the move enhances — rather than complicates — user experience.
Education, Accessibility and Inclusion
Estonia’s digital education strategy, supported by public libraries and community information centres, ensures equitable access. Teachers adapted rapidly during COVID-19, leveraging digital tools to maintain learning continuity — a testament to digital literacy being embedded across generations.
The Estonian experience shows that digital transformation must be tailored to national contexts. While some elements (e.g. Ukraine’s mobile government app) have been successfully replicated, others require adaptation to local political, cultural, and legal conditions.
This event was part of techUK’s engagements designed to bring international best practices to UK digital policymaking, with a focus on innovation, inclusivity, and trust in technology.
On June 18th, techUk is hosting a international webinar that will explore how digital ID systems are being developed, governed, and adopted both in the UK and abroad. As the UK moves forward in shaping its digital identity ecosystem, this event will explore what lessons we can draw from countries that are already ahead of the curve. To find out more, please click here.
