Twenty years online: Lessons from internet voting in Estonia
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 continuity? In this podcast episode, Liia Hänni, digital democracy expert and former Estonian Minister, and Arne Koitmäe, Head of Estonia's State Electoral Office, take us through a journey in retrospect – without forgetting to look ahead. Tune in!
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Cyber safety as a public good in Moldova
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. In this podcast episode, Rica Williams, Senior Expert at the e-Governance Academy, and Moldovan journalist Svetlana Gore share how Moldova is turning digital safety into a whole-of-society conversation. Capitalising on all resources available, Moldova embraced creative and community-based strategies to embed cybersecurity into public life – with approaches ranging from digital street interviews to campaigns on public transport. Tune in!
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EuroStack is Europe’s bid for digital strategic autonomy
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 episode to discuss why EuroStack might just be the answer Europe needs.At its core, EuroStack stands for a simple but powerful idea: Europe should be able to rely on itself when it matters most. But, as Timmers quickly points out, that doesn't mean shutting others out. “It’s not protectionism. Rather, we need to address the critical dependencies we have, and ensure we keep a say in shaping our digital future.”Tune in!
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Training digital safety through cyber resilience in Montenegro
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, public institutions focused on long-term change. They initiated a wide-ranging transformation, strengthening cyber capabilities, forming new partnerships, and prioritising resilience not as an end goal, but as an everyday practice. In this podcast episode, we take a privileged look at what that transformation felt like from the inside with Dušan Polović, Director General for Infrastructure, Information Security, Digitalisation and e-Services at the Ministry of Public Administration of Montenegro, and Milan Sekuloski, Senior Cybersecurity Expert at the e-Governance Academy. Tune in!
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Coping with bureaucracy takes continuous practice
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's Zero Bureacracy initiative, within a wider framework of real-time economy plans taking place across the EU. We shed light on how digital transformation can help governments cut red tape, enhance efficiency, and drive economic growth by addressing the details that matter. However, this also highlights the differences across the globe in how this is done. Tune in!
Welcome to e-Governance Academy’s podcast to discover the future of governance. e-Governance Academy has assisted digital transformation globally in more than 145 countries. Our experts will share their insights and worldwide examples on how digital technology could benefit every society. Tune in for the digital government podcast every Wednesday!
Ireland