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Friday, 21.08.2026
Transforming Government since 2001
Exporting public e-services can be complicated, since every country is unique in its legislative and institutional environment. Oftentimes, a country’s historical and cultural background makes it difficult to accept changes to the existing services. Still, some ideas are just so appealing that they find their way in. We’ll describe five components of Estonian e-society that have managed to cross borders successfully.

  1. m-Parking

    Probably the most widespread technology transfer to come from Estonia, m-Parking in simple words is a system that lets drivers pay for parking using their mobile phones. In Estonia, 90% of parking fees are paid via mobile.

    Read more: Top 5 Technology Transfers from e-Estonia

While 76% of Estonian entrepreneurs would give 5 or 4 points on the scale of 1-5 to the e-services offered by the state, they also consider the state's e-environments too complicated, LETA/Eesti Päevaleht online reports.

The e-services study, commissioned by the economy and communications ministry, indicated that 96% of entrepreneurs said that the e-services have helped them save time. 93% estimate that officials proceedings have become more comfortable and 87% said that they guarantee better access to information.

Read more: E-services help Estonian entrepreneurs to save time

A study, commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, revealed that the use of electronic solutions has changed the way public services work by being 12 times faster and of higher quality than the conventional services.

Margus Püüa, of the Ministry’s State Information Systems department, said that while some research has been carried out in Estonia already, a substantive impact analysis on the use of and satisfaction with eServices has yet to be conducted. He added that the purpose of the study was to develop a method and use it to assess how much time and money eServices can save.

Read more: EE: Electronic solutions make public services up to 12 times faster

After Estonia's efforts to push its government administration online, the country now plans to assign a digital identity to all its citizens. The goal? To help cement ties with business talent – both Estonians abroad and foreign expatriates with links to the east European nation.

To continue to move towards a true e-state, anyone who comes here should be given an Estonian digital identity. In other words, the state should ensure that Estonian citizens who have left the country or foreigners who have lived here for a short or long period continue to be linked to the country as e-residents. Estonia would thus gain credibility and attract investors.

Read more: EE: After the e-government, here come the e-citizens

Liia Hänni, program director at the e-Governance Academy and a former Cabinet minister, has said that while the state scored a number of successes in the area of information society last year, in 2013 it should set new goals and catch up on questions where it has lagged behind.

Hänni examined a chapter in the Cabinet's governing program named “From E-State to I-State” that aims to shift e-development focus towards citizens. The chapter has 33 steps from affordable, ultra-fast internet for every home to creating a "characteristic face" and positive international image for i-Estonia.

Read more: EE: Liia Hänni: E-Tiger Treading Quietly

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