Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Technology

 Although the decision on the agency’s location will be made next year, Estonia is working hard to bring the institution here.

“Having met in this issue with representatives of different ministries, heads of our foreign representations and heads of IT companies, I can assure that the work to bring the IT agency to Estonia is under way intensely for a long time already,” said European Parliament member Kristiina Ojuland.

ITL President Taavi Kotka said that the IT agency is extremely important for Estonia, creating it here would be the best help ever for the whole Estonian IT sector. “Estonia would nicely manage to build it up,” said Kotka.

Estonian IT visionary Linnar Viik said that although Estonia’s wish to get the IT agency is justified and Estonia a strong candidate, the efforts made so far are like trying to find someone in a mist since currently it isn’t even known whether, when and what kind of an agency the IT agency will be. “Our joint efforts will get a clearer content when exact information exists about the creation of the planned agency and it is clear what is expected of candidates,” he said.

Interior Ministry adviser Piret Lilleväli said that the agency would work with giant volumes of data, for example it would have to administer the Schengen information system (SIS) that is used by the police and border guard in all Schengen states.