Digital Government Podcast

At this year's Tallinn Cyber Diplomacy Summer School, one question kept coming up: how can international cyber agreements move beyond diplomatic language and translate into real action? The question is particularly timely as the United Nations Global Mechanism prepares for its upcoming meeting in New York this July, an important milestone for the permanent UN process on responsible state beha...

The last time Ott Velsberg appeared on this podcast was early 2022 . Popular LLMs had not yet been released. The conversation was about how AI could support data-driven decision-making in government – a topic that felt, at the time, more prospective than operational. Four years on, with Estonia counting over 220 public sector AI use cases and close to 60 million euros in estimated annual impact, t...

When governments across Europe try to modernise, the challenge is rarely that they lack ambition or resources. More often, what is missing is the space to think carefully before acting – to understand what the actual problem is, what has already been tried elsewhere, and who inside the administration will need to carry the change forward. The European Union’s Technical Support Instrument (TSI) was...

Thirty years ago, Estonia launched Tiger Leap , a programme that put computers and internet in every school and, in many ways, laid the groundwork for a digital society what we have known to call e-Estonia. Today, the country is attempting something just as ambitious with artificial intelligence (AI) in education. But the conditions are different this time.  When Tiger Leap started in 1996, neithe...

Governments are racing to adopt AI in public services. EU-funded projects show the pace is only accelerating. But this push raises a deeper question: what lies beneath? Too often, the answer is the same – weak or uneven digital foundations. Digital public infrastructure (DPI) can help integrate and connect siloed systems into a coherent digital government platform. So, where does it stand globally...

Leadership in the public sector has always demanded resilience. This is best exemplified by three elements: 1) the ability to hold long-term vision steady while reacting to short-term pressures, 2) to build consensus across institutions that do not naturally cooperate, and 3) to keep an organisation moving when the ground shifts beneath it. Digital transformation has sharpened all of these demands...

Following Estonia’s example, Ukraine is launching a Personal Data Access Monitoring Subsystem embedded in Trembita, the government’s secure data exchange platform. The mechanism allows every Ukrainian to see who accessed their personal data stored in government registers. In this episode we host Yurii Kopytin , Senior Expert at the e-Governance Academy, and Hannes Astok , our Executive Director, a...

The topic of data protection spans the entire spectrum of the internet, from when users surf the web to when they benefit from efficient online services as citizens. Cookie banners, privacy policies, GDPR compliance notices – all and more. And yet, for how practical the concept and its implications are, it still remains quite abstract for many. The rules exist, across the globe, actually, but the...

We sit down with Eeva Hellström, Senior Lead in Foresight and Training at the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, to explore one of today’s most urgent questions: how do we value what we cannot see? Eeva explains why traditional economic models overlook the “invisible” factors that increasingly shape our economies. And why failing to recognise them leaves policymakers with critical blind spots. We disc...

In this episode, governance expert Margus Sarapuu cuts through one of the biggest myths in government transformation: that digitalisation and public administration reform can happen separately. Spoiler: they can’t. From Estonia and Ukraine to Moldova, Bangladesh, and Kosovo, Sarapuu shares why digital reforms often stall and how governments can avoid the trap of layering shiny tech on top of unref...

Governments worldwide are eager to harness AI — yet many remain stronger on ambition than readiness.  In this episode, “The Learning Curve for Effective AI in Government,” we talk with Piret Hirv, Head of the Data Management Competence Centre at the e-Governance Academy, about what it takes to turn AI pilots into lasting impact in public services. We also speak with Oscar Del Campo Barxias, Deputy...

In this podcast episode with Dr. Lili Milani , Head of the Estonian Biobank and Professor of Pharmacogenomics at the University of Tartu, we discuss how Estonia’s national biobank has become a trusted platform where science, ethics, and personal agency meet.  The Estonian Biobank began as a research initiative focused on the genetics of disease, but over time, its purpose has deepened and broadene...

Two decades ago, Estonia made democratic history. In 2005, it became the first country to hold legally binding national elections using internet voting .  At the time, it was a bold and technically complex initiative. But twenty years later, i-voting has not only endured – it has grown to become the preferred method for a majority of Estonian voters.  What can we learn from this story of digital c...

When cybersecurity becomes a national and societal priority, the challenge for governments is to ensure relevant messages resonate broadly, are easily understood, and are culturally meaningful.  This means going beyond technical language or one-size-fits-all solutions, and instead working with local trends, social dynamics, and communication habits that shape how citizens engage with digital risks...

Can Europe really reclaim control over its digital destiny, or dependency on foreign tech giants looms ahead?  Global power structures, trade, and value chains are being reshaped – today. And with reliance on foreign digital infrastructure running deep, Europe is at a crossroads. Paul Timmers , outgoing Chairman of e-Governance Academy and Visiting Professor at KU Leuven, joins us in this Podcast...

Montenegro’s digital journey has been one of deliberate reconstruction and collaboration. In 2022, a major cyberattack exposed critical gaps in the country’s digital infrastructure.  The experience sent shockwaves through Montenegro’s public administration and made it abundantly clear that preparedness on paper does not equal resilience in reality.   Instead of responding with short-term fixes, pu...

Bureaucracy – everybody’s favourite colleague. A structure that ensures governance, compliance, and stability, however, at the cost of efficiency and agility.   Is bureaucracy a necessary evil? No need to wonder anymore, in this episode of the Podcast with Margus Sarapuu , Senior Expert at e-Governance Academy. Seasoned in public sector innovation, he comes from the recent experience with Estonia&...

When catastrophic floods struck Brazil’s state of Rio Grande do Sul in May 2024, the devastation was swift and far-reaching. Nearly 200 lives were lost, hundreds of thousands were displaced, and critical infrastructure - from roads to water systems - was brought to a standstill.  But in the eye of the storm, something else emerged: a remarkable story of how digital governance can respond to climat...

Ukraine’s digital transformation is a masterclass in the power of purpose-driven leadership amidst adversity, where resilience and clarity of vision have turned crisis into opportunity. More than simply the evolution of services or infrastructure, the country’s experience is rooted in reimagining how a state serves its citizens under extraordinary circumstances. Facing systemic challenges, a full-...

At the Tallinn Cyber Diplomacy Summer School this year, an idea resonated across sessions: our digital world is entwined into the fabric of society, influencing our security, values, and future prosperity.  In this podcast episode, we sat down for a conversation on technology, diplomacy and values with Johanna Weaver , Executive Director of the Tech Policy Design Institute, Australia. She offers a...

In cyberspace, borders are invisible, but the consequences are very real. As states continue integrating digital tools into national defence, diplomacy, and daily governance, the question of how international law applies to this domain has become increasingly urgent. The Tallinn Cyber Diplomacy Summer School sharpens this conversation with sessions that this year include speakers Liis Vihul , CEO...

AI governance is under pressure to match the speed and reach of artificial intelligence as it reshapes economies, political systems, and cultural norms. No longer a future concern, AI is a present force demanding immediate and coordinated responses. In this introductory episode to this year's Tallinn Cyber Diplomacy Summer School , we do just that with Lucia Velasco , AI Policy Lead at the UN...

Indermit Gill is the Chief Economist of the World Bank and Senior Vice President for Development Economics. Let’s start from there, proud as we are to have hosted his keynote at this year’s e-Governance Conference.   Known for his pioneering research and policy influence, Gill introduced the idea of the "middle-income trap" – a concept that continues to shape how nations approach economi...

Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility that requires strong partnerships between governments and businesses. Governments, therefore, face the challenge of adapting to a world where – in the cyber domain – the state is not the sole provider of intelligence or security, and private sector emerges as a cyber intelligence actor.  In this Podcast episode, eGA’s Head of Cybersecurity Merle Maigre spea...

The EU’s Digital Decade 2030 agenda lays out an ambitious vision: a digitally skilled population, secure and sustainable infrastructure, modernised public services, and a thriving digital business environment. But how do we get there in a way that is concrete, practical, and scalable?  In this Digital Government Podcast episode, we sat down with Federico Menna , CEO of EIT Digital and the keynote...