Minister Pakosta: we need to enhance Europe's competitiveness

Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa Pakosta participated in the The TTE Council meeting in Brussels. Pakosta supported the adoption of the Council's conclusions on the cybersecurity agency ENISA and the White Paper ,,How to master Europe’s digital infrastructure needs?”.

The ministers’ discussion focused on the European Union's digital decade goals for 2030 and the actions needed to achieve them. The digital goals were divided into four areas: digital skills, digital infrastructure, digital transition of businesses, and the digitalization of public services. Minister Liisa Pakosta highlighted that it is crucial for Estonia to ensure basic digital and data literacy for all people. ,,The world is increasingly based on smart devices, so it is essential to raise awareness about the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence. Moreover, the rapid development of technology requires continuous learning and adaptation," said the minister. She stressed that the European Union should further promote the cross-border and pan-European use of data to support the development of new services and business models, which would increase Europe's competitiveness. ,,It is important to ensure that businesses, research institutions, and the public sector have access to the infrastructure necessary for data processing, which is essential for research, development, and innovation," added Pakosta. The minister also emphasized the need to ensure adequate funding for data cables. ,,Recent incidents with undersea cables in the Baltic Sea demonstrate the vulnerability of critical infrastructure and highlight the need to focus more on the resilience of communication connections, both existing and new,’’ she noted. Additionally, Pakosta participated in a ministerial working lunch, where the strengthening of cooperation between the European Union and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) was discussed. Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Tomas Lamanauskas also attended the meeting.