Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Forum, Technology

"It seems to me that the question is no longer on the table - whether to move on, whether this cooperation is necessary, whether states are ready to cooperate in this area," Ratas said after the summit. He added that everybody understands that it is necessary and there is a wish to do it.

"I think the main message today was that all leaders vocalized that we need an infrastructure, we need concrete rules, we need the attitude that is positive and opens doors, not closes doors - I think this was present today," the head of government said.

Ratas added that regarding details the visions of countries were still quite different.

The digital revolution is already ongoing and our future is digital, Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas said in a statement made at the Tallinn Digital Summit.

Ratas said that at the first ever digital summit the topics that were discussed were the future of governance, cyber security, digital economy and a better cross-border use of data as well as the future of work and the need for high-level digital skills.

According to Ratas, all of the summit's participants agreed that the digital revolution is here to stay and that digital developments are transforming every aspect of our lives and our societies.

Government leaders have to start by ensuring that their own services are fully digitalized to better serve their people and businesses, Ratas said. "It would also make our governments more efficient and make our societies more future-oriented. Our four freedoms also need digital cross-border public services to function better," he added.

Ratas stressed that e-governance will not work unless people have trust in e-services and digital devices, therefore cybersecurity has to be strengthened. "We need to have research, systems, and tools that are secure, with the right regulatory framework, financing, and infrastructure. The education and awareness of our people will be key. This is something we can only achieve if we safeguard European cyberspace as a whole. Improving our cybersecurity is also one of the most important things we can do to improve our citizens' rights and freedoms," he said.

He ensured that all member states are fully committed to completing the digital market by the end of 2018.

Ratas also emphasized the need to invest in infrastructure, especially 5G, research, development and industry, as well as in artificial intelligence and supercomputing. "Europe has to be at the forefront of developing fundamental and breakthrough technologies for our society, our economy, and our security. We need to make Europe the world's most attractive platform for the data economy. This includes the free movement of data, a central freedom of the digital era," the Estonian prime minister said.

Another necessary element is a modern and coherent framework for managing and processing data – the raw material of a data economy, Ratas said. "It needs to reflect our freedoms, our interests, and our values, and it must draw out out the economic and societal potential of its use," he added.

"We need to be ready to rethink our entire labor market and labor relationships, our education and training systems, and our social systems more generally. We need to include everyone – no one should be left behind," Ratas said.

"I hope Tallinn marks the beginning of a journey and that it has boosted our ambition to fully benefit from all the potential our digital future can offer. If we want to keep our economic and social AAA ratings, we need an AAA in digital too," he said concluding his speech.

At the Tallinn Digital Summit which ended on Friday evening EU leaders affirmed the wish and readiness to move forward with developing a digital Europe.