1. Laur Mägi Department of Information Systems and Document Management
eGovernment – solutions and initiatives in Estonia
Laur Mägi
Department of Information Systems
and Document Management

2. About us
Estonia is a small (1.5 M inhabitants) and newly (1991) reborn country giving us rather flexible position to implement innovative and sometimes even radical solutions
At the same time, we have to be considerate of the needs and material opportunities of our key clients – citizens
Main tasks for near future is integration of different solutions supporting the same general process and to satisfy growing needs of community

3. Legislative background
Archives Act (1998)
Government Degrees:
“Common Principles for Document Management” (2001)
“Archival rules” (2000)
“Implementation of data exchange layer for information systems ” (2003)
Riigi Teataja Act (State Gazette)(2001)
Digital Signature Act (2000)
Public Information Act (2000)

4. Solutions for citizens - identification
The ID-card is the new generation's primary domestic identification document
Start of issue:January 1, 2002
For now more than holders
personal data file
authentication certificate
digital signature certificate
personal address:
(XXXX is the random four-digit number assigned to the person).

5. Solutions for citizens - communication
Webportal for citizens – eCitizen
Authentication with ID card or by electronic banking
Different services for communication with government
Document forms, rules, procedures
Electronic tax declaration (from 1998)
Taxes promised to be returned within 5 days this year
Tax documents with digital signature accepted
Portal for participation in legislative process
Governments virtual briefing room

6. For governmental institutions
Separate web-based back-office solutions for different stages in legislative process
Information system for approval and coordination of legal acts between ministries
Information system for Government sessions
Information system for managing drafts of law in Parliament
Electronic State Gazette
System for connecting different official registers

7. Legislative process and supporting solutions
PRESIDENT
PARLIAMENT
eParliament
GOVERMENT
VIIS
Published Act
eGazette
MINISTRIES
eJustice
Draft of
legislation
Legal Act
next

8. eJustice (2002)
Legislative draft coordination and approval between ministries before Government Sessions
Web-based system where:
draft laws are presented for approval
opinions about drafts are submitted
approved drafts are presented for Government sessions
citizens are able to search and read all documents
Back to scheme

9. VIIS - Information System for Government Sessions (2000)
Flexible solution where:
agenda for the sessions is composed of
legislative drafts from eJustice
approval documents from eJustice
other documents (either electronic or scanned) and links regarding the actual theme of the agenda point
reference data about conduction of the session and decisions are inserted during the session in real-time
Back to scheme

10. eParliament (1997)
System for chancellery of the Parliament that keeps track on
received or created legal drafts
process of approval and during different stages Parliament sessions
Database of drafts has also the public interface allowing citizens to follow the legislative process in Parliament
Back to scheme

11. Electronic State Gazette
Complex system for
civil servants in different institutions
to submit, control and manage approved legislative acts for publishing
all citizens
to access all legislative acts in force including consolidated texts containing all amendments
to access acts that have been in force in past or will become in force in near future
Back to scheme

12. System for connecting different official registers
Called X-road or X-path– crossroad of different official databases in Estonia
The aim of the project was to develop hardware, software and organizational methods for standardized usage of national registries
Several state and private sector organizations and companies were connected to the project
Government degree concerning the usage of the results was signed in December 2003
Governmental institutions should implement the principles of X-road by 2004

13. Latest things
State compensation for parents with children under 1 yr old (law from the 2003)
Parents can apply via eCitizen portal
Authentication with ID card
Applying process contains queries via X-road to different national registers
Civil servant gives final approval based on this data
Process between applying and approval takes 1-2 days

14. Strategies
Document management programme of Estonian Governance
cooperation network
principles for development, main standards and knowledge base
Action plan on Development of Document Management and Archives ( ).
implementation of principles, regulation, methodology, common solutions
For citizen – more services using ID card and X-road technologies

15. Participation in European programs and working groups
Share and collect all experiences concerning electronic document management and electronic services for public (eEurope, Northern eDimension, eContent etc.)
Priorities in IDA
Standards of information exchange
Data Preservation
ID-card and digital signature
Publishing and sharing information via Internet, e-services
E-Procurement

16. Future developments
Standardization for interinstitutional communication – legislative process needs
Developing connections to information sources in EU
More public services using existing technologies – ID card, X-road, digital signature