Following Estonia’s example, Ukraine is launching a Personal Data Access Monitoring Subsystem embedded in Trembita, the government’s secure data exchange platform. The mechanism allows every Ukrainian to see who accessed their personal data stored in government registers.

In this episode we host Yurii Kopytin, Senior Expert at the e-Governance Academy, and Hannes Astok, our Executive Director, about what transparency means in practice in Ukraine and, on the side, in Estonia too. 

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The topic of data protection spans the entire spectrum of the internet, from when users surf the web to when they benefit from efficient online services as citizens.

Cookie banners, privacy policies, GDPR compliance notices – all and more. And yet, for how practical the concept and its implications are, it still remains quite abstract for many. The rules exist, across the globe, actually, but the reality of what happens to your data most often stays invisible.

Estonia has taken a different approach. Through the Data Tracker, every Estonian citizen can log in and clearly see who has accessed their personal data in government registers, when it was accessed, and for what purpose.

In this episode of the Digital Government Podcast, we speak with Maarja Kirss, Head of Cooperation at the Estonian Data Protection Inspectorate (DPI), about what happens when transparency becomes a working system for the government.

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We sit down with Eeva Hellström, Senior Lead in Foresight and Training at the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, to explore one of today’s most urgent questions: how do we value what we cannot see?

Eeva explains why traditional economic models overlook the “invisible” factors that increasingly shape our economies. And why failing to recognise them leaves policymakers with critical blind spots.

We discuss:
✅ Why digital transformation shouldn’t be measured only by short-term ROI.
✅ The environmental and social costs of we rarely consider.
✅ What “post-growth” means for high-income countries.
✅ Why governments need new indicators of well-being and long-term public value.

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In this episode, governance expert Margus Sarapuu cuts through one of the biggest myths in government transformation: that digitalisation and public administration reform can happen separately. Spoiler: they can’t.

From Estonia and Ukraine to Moldova, Bangladesh, and Kosovo, Sarapuu shares why digital reforms often stall and how governments can avoid the trap of layering shiny tech on top of unreformed bureaucracy. 

If you’re looking at how to build resilient, future-proof governance systems, this episode is a must-listen.

Tune in now and join the conversation about what it really takes to make government work in the digital age.

Governments worldwide are eager to harness AI — yet many remain stronger on ambition than readiness. 

In this episode, “The Learning Curve for Effective AI in Government,” we talk with Piret Hirv, Head of the Data Management Competence Centre at the e-Governance Academy, about what it takes to turn AI pilots into lasting impact in public services.

We also speak with Oscar Del Campo Barxias, Deputy Director General for Entrepreneurship of the Community of Madrid, who shares the lessons learned for implementing AI in public services in the Madrid region. 

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In this podcast episode with Dr. Lili Milani, Head of the Estonian Biobank and Professor of Pharmacogenomics at the University of Tartu, we discuss how Estonia’s national biobank has become a trusted platform where science, ethics, and personal agency meet. 

The Estonian Biobank began as a research initiative focused on the genetics of disease, but over time, its purpose has deepened and broadened. 

“The original goal was to understand how genes relate to diseases so we could improve care,” Milani explains. As more participants joined and the scope of available data expanded, the Biobank grew into a national tool for real, tangible benefits to people’s personal lives. 

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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.  

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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. 

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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.”

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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.  

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