Tallinn Digital Summit: trusted connectivity is the key to the reconstruction of Ukraine
Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen underlined at the Tallinn Digital Summit that we need to work with partners we can trust, not with those who weaponise our trust against us. Focus of this year’s Tallinn Digital Summit was connectivity, since physical and digital infrastructure impacts all people and sectors as well as our security.
Speakers of the event agreed that trusted partnerships are key to tackling our main challenges. Many countries have already pledged to contribute to the reconstruction of Ukraine and to the rebuilding of infrastructure destroyed due to war. Reconstruction of Ukraine is a priority for democracies, where cooperation through trusted connectivity is most efficient. Ukraine’s Deputy Minister for European Integration, presented at the Summit digital solutions Ukraine is using to counter Russia and confirmed, that Ukraine is ready to share its expertise with like-minded partner countries around the world.
“Adhering to the principles of trusted connectivity will empower us in supporting Ukraine. The Tallinn Digital Summit focused on building a secure and democratic future together. To achieve this, we need international cooperation based on common values, interests, and high standards,” Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said. “At the time of current crises, we have to critically review existing political and economic relationships. We need to reduce our dependence on autocratic countries to preserve a rules-based international order and create a secure digital future.”
Prime Minister underlined the importance of the EU initiative the Global Gateway, which invests €300 billion in sustainable and trusted connectivities.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen recalled that Global Gateway will mobilise the public and private investment that is needed on the ground, including investments in projects abroad that connect us. “We need to protect our critical infrastructure,” the President emphasised. She underlined those unsustainable dependencies should be replaced with more balanced cooperation, not similar dependencies.
Key speakers of Tallinn Digital Summit included Rwandan Prime Minister Édouard Ngirente, co-founder of the Special Competitive Studies Project and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Finnish Economic Affairs Minister Mika Lintilä, Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology of the United States Anne Neuberger and Deputy Minister for Eurointegration of Ukraine Valeryia Ionan. The summit is attended by ministers from 15 countries and guests from more than 30 countries.
TDS materials
Please see the speech by Prime Minister Kaja Kallas here and the speech by President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen here.
The joint op-ed by Estonian Prime Minister and President of the European Commission on trusted connectivity and Global Gateway can be found here.
Check short interviews from TDS here.
Photos can be found here.
Check out TDS Twitter account here.