Estonia will present the vision of Smart Connectivity within the framework of the Three Seas Initiative today. The overall vision of Smart Connectivity, led by the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, is to expand digital components across key infrastructure, which will in turn support new business models, technologies and innovation-based economic growth in countries extending from Estonia to Croatia.
„Today, Eastern and Central Europe are facing a series of interconnected challenges related to increasing the region’s competitiveness and reducing its environmental impact. Digitization is one of the main tools that will help make our transport and energy infrastructure more efficient and thus move also closer to our climate goals,” said Estonian CIO Siim Sikkut.
Estonia introduces the vision of Smart Connectivity today at the Three Seas Summit and Business Forum. Widespread implementation of the vision would, for example, make automated road transport and smart grids possible. "A good example is Elering's Estfeed platform, which enables end users and energy service providers to make their energy production, transportation and consumption more efficient with the help of real-time energy consumption data," said Sikkut.
According to Sikkut, in today's world, there is a huge competitive advantage for those who are able to set common standards and create the necessary digital enablers in their field or region, which enable cross-border services and new business models. "The future infrastructure is no longer conceivable without a digital dimension - the more successful are the ones who can create the most favorable environment for digital services. We need to focus more on open data exchange and use of collected data, cyber security and digital identities and therefore build interconnected cross-border infrastructure for digital solutions."
The CIO emphasized that the implementation of the vision of Smart Connectivity starts already with planning the investments for infrastructure. "The timely introduction of digital solutions could be what distinguishes the Three Seas (3S) region in the world. The 3S region could be a global hotspot for smart mobility and energy innovation, developing and selling solutions around the globe. The Estonian high-level technology sector can make a significant contribution to this," Sikkut concluded.
- The full text of the vision can be found here: https://3seas.eu/event/smart-connectivity
- The public broadcast on 19 October will begin at 14:15 (EEST) at www.3seas.eu/live, Smart Connectivity block will start at 17:45 (EEST).
The Three Seas Virtual Summit’s live-broadcast part of the summit will focus on the funding of energy, transport and digital infrastructure in the Three Seas region and the digitalisation of the energy and transport sectors.
The Three Seas initiative brings together 12 EU Member States between the Baltic, Black and Adriatic seas: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Its key partners are Germany, the European Union and the United States.
Further information about the initiative can be found online at www.3seas.eu
