On 12-13 February 2025, Estonia had the honour of hosting a regular meeting of the partners of the CIVITEC project (Citizen and ciVIc inclusion and the digital Transformation of public dEcision-making proCesses), implemented within the framework of the Interreg Europe programme.
The Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Development Agency, which is involved in the project (as a discovery partner), also had the opportunity to take part in a series of events.
On the first day of the event (Tallinn):
– Obtained insights into Estonia’s experience in developing electronic tools for decision-making.
– The event also provided a valuable opportunity to gain insight into the current e-decision-making tools in use.
A particularly interesting part of the event was the panel discussion, which focused on obstacles to effective cooperation between citizens and government agencies; the reasons for bureaucratic barriers; ways to improve civic initiatives; and the role of the state in creating convenient mechanisms for citizen participation in decision-making.
Petra Holm, Digital Transformation Advisor at the e-Estonia Briefing Centre, spoke about the country’s digital capabilities (chipped ID-cards, digital signatures, online declarations and voting, and much more).
In the Viimsi village, we had the privilege of visiting a gymnasium where we gained insight into the technological features of school self-government.
The second day was also very interesting (Vimesi village):
-We were fortunate enough to hear about various strategies for encouraging digital participation, including ways to engage individuals with limited Internet access, those with limited proficiency in ICT tools, and those who may lack motivation to engage in civic activities.
-The participants had the opportunity to become acquainted with the Citisen OS platform and took part in a workshop where they worked together with other participants to solve problems of Estonian residents.
Inspired by the collaborative nature of the work, the new acquaintances made, and the exciting ideas discussed, we are looking forward to the next meeting.
