Andres Sutt, Minister of Entrepreneurship and Information, Estonia
Veronika Antall-Horváth, Deputy Director, Antall József Knowledge Centre
HE Kristi Karelsohn, Ambassador, Embassy of the Republic of Estonia to Hungary
Taavi Kotka, Information Visionary,
HE Heli Tiirma-Klaar, Ambassador at Large for Cyber Diplomacy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Estonia
Information and communication technology have become an unavoidable factor in every aspect of today’s world, including the public sector. Digital transformation is widely viewed as an important step towards a more effective and transparent form of governance. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for digital access to key areas of public administration became even more pronounced. In this panel, experts in the field of building and evaluating e-government and e-economy frameworks from Estonia, Central Europe, and the EU will discuss the main indicators of a successful system.
Máté Mester, Managing Partner, MSpire
Marten Kaevats, National Digital Advisor, Government Office of Estonia
Ewelina Kasprzyk, Researcher and Project Manager, The Kosciuszko Institute
Robert Lipovsky, Senior Malware Researcher, ESET
Leonardo Cervera-Navas, Director, European Data Protection Supervisor
We are living in the age of Big Data, when more and more concerns arise about data security. As the pandemic is accelerating the digital transformation of nearly every aspect of our daily lives, the need of social contract on the question of business and individual data privacy is increasingly challenging. In addition to creating digital trust among society in Central Europe, one of the most important steps toward the success of e-governance is implementing good governance while avoiding surveillance abuse and curbing the growing threat of “techno-authoritarianism.” On the part of individuals, along with these challenges, digital awareness has an increasingly significant role as e-governance is becoming truly realistic and apparently inevitable in the post–COVID era. Our distinguished speakers will discuss these matters and possible solutions to them.
Anett Mádi-Nátor, Head of Cyber Security Working Group, ICT Association of Hungary
Dr András Csenterics, Privacy and Data Security Attorney, Réti, Várszegi & Partners Law Firm – PwC Legal
Merle Maigre, Senior Cyber Security Expert, e-Governance Academy
Jack Kelly, Internal Data Investigator, Bank of America
Attila Steiner, State Secretary for the Development of Circular Economy, Energy and Climate Policy, Ministry of Innovation and Technology
COVID-19 brought challenging economic times to the world, it has put a sizeable dent in the earnings of several business sectors, as well. Many businesses and consumers increasingly “went digital,” we have seen a strong uptake of e-commerce since the pandemic took hold. Without a doubt, countries like Estonia (an emerging hub for global e-commerce activity), that harness the potential of e-commerce are better placed to benefit from global markets. On the other hand, there are businesses that have recognized the importance of sustainable innovation and transformation, already before the pandemic, and remained strong pillars of the economy. There are a number of industries where, in recent years, great changes have taken place, and innovation has transformed the environment in which we live. After-pandemic improvement with focus on sustainability, innovation, and digitalisation might be key pillars driving the recovery of the economy, and new fields of cooperation can arise in which V4 has to find its new position, as well.
Máté Olti, Commercial Attaché, Embassy of Hungary, Mexico
Attila Steiner, State Secretary for the Development of Circular Economy, Energy and Climate Policy, Ministry of Innovation and Technology
Dr Zoltán Cséfalvay, Head of Center for Technology Futures, School of Economics, Mathias Corvinus Collegium
Kristi Talving, Deputy State Secretary General for Business and Consumer Environment, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, Estonia
Miguel Coleta, Director—Sustainability, Philip Morris International
Karoliina Ainge, Cybersecurity and Technology Lead, Independent Diplomat
With more and more information being available on a daily basis, humanity truly has all the answers at its fingertips. But how can someone know whether the gathered information is valid or fake? In the past year, the amount of so-called “fake news” has risen to an all-time high while we are experiencing infodemic. One of the most important topics of nowadays is vaccination, which would finally lead humanity to start living like before the pandemic again. But what are the dangers of the fake news pandemic after the COVID-19 is handled? An example is presented by the Estonian government’s campaign to educate children starting from elementary school to help them become digital citizens from a very young age. This not only helps protect the young population of Estonia, but also creates a safe net for society from the spread of disinformation from the very ground levels of society. The Ministry of Education and Research has stepped in to teach the Estonian netizens digital skills and how to stay safe online. From this perspective, and based on this kind of knowledge, how can the V4 cooperate to create a systematic approach in countering disinformation? How can society be taught to counter disinformation, and maybe most importantly, how can one stay safe online?
Dániel Deme, Journalist, Magyar Hírlap
Csaba Krasznay, Director, Cybersecurity Research Institute
Lieutenant Colonel Yves Desbiens, Project Officer, NATO Strategic Communications Center for Excellence
Karoliina Ainge, Cybersecurity and Technology Lead, Independent Diplomat