Posts Tagged ‘Estonia’
Cybernetica to deliver next-generation file encryption standard for Estonia
Cybernetica has successfully completed additional technical delivery of the CDOC2 project for the Estonian Information System Authority (RIA), implementing a comprehensive upgrade to Estonia’s national file encryption standard that addresses critical security requirements and enables long-term secure document storage.
CDOC – Crypto DigiDoc – is the file format used to store encrypted DigiDoc files. The objective of the CDOC2 project was to replace the previous CDOC 1.0 standard. It became clear during the 2017 ROCA cryptographic vulnerability crisis that additional protections are necessary. Updates to the standard are two-fold:
- modernising the encrypted file format and adding additional encryption algorithm support
- providing additional protection against harvest-now-decrypt-later attack and preparing CDOC system for quantum computer threat
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Originally published on 6 Mar
Read MoreHanwha Aerospace to invest €100M in Estonia’s defence industry
Estonia cooperates extensively both within NATO and with a wider block of allies. This week, South Korean defence giant Hanwha Aerospace has announced a direct investment package of nearly €100M in Estonia, with the total economic impact — including joint R&D activities with local companies — projected to reach up to €260M. The investment aims to strengthen Estonia’s technological sovereignty and establish the country as a regional hub for territorial defence systems.
The announcement builds on a deepening bilateral relationship. In late 2024, Estonia signed a €290M contract with Hanwha to procure at least six Chunmoo multiple-launch rocket systems alongside three types of munitions. Hanwha had previously delivered six K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers to the Estonian Defence Forces, making it one of Tallinn’s most significant defence procurement partners. Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur noted that Hanwha is also among the potential bidders for Estonia’s upcoming naval overhaul.
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Originally published on 6 Mar
Read MoreOpen arms Nato’s Baltic members agree to open their borders in the event of an emergency
The eight Nato countries bordering the Baltic Sea, together with Iceland and Norway, have pledged to open their borders to each other’s citizens should they be forced to flee in the event of a disaster. The agreement is an extension of a patchwork of arrangements among some of the countries in the region and will make it possible to co-ordinate responses and establish uniform procedures for doing so.
The bear not in the room is Russia. The Kremlin has repeatedly said that it does not intend to invade Nato countries, but western intelligence agencies have advised their governments to be ready for everything from small-scale shenanigans to an outright invasion. Military collaboration has long been a way to signal to their populations that they are doing what they can to prevent such things from happening. Now, civil-defence agencies are showing they will be taken care of in the event they do.
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Read MoreAIRE helps bring artificial intelligence to market responsibly
The Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs has launched a full-service offering for institutions and companies developing AI solutions, ensuring that the system being created is legally compliant, technically secure, and trustworthy. The AI & Robotics Estonia centre (AIRE), based at TalTech, is responsible for conducting the initial risk classification assessment of projects.
AIRE’s client relations manager Evelin Ebruk noted that AIRE acts as an advisory partner, helping developers understand the risk class of their AI solution under the EU AI Act.
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Originally published on 27 Feb
Read MoreEIB supports Estonia in creating a new business model for rental housing market
European Investment Bank (EIB) have launched a cooperation to increase the availability of affordable and high-quality housing in Estonia. The aim is to develop a financing solution that helps mitigate the risks faced by private-sector developers outside major cities as well.
“Estonia is not just Tallinn. About a third of Estonia’s population lives outside Harju, Tartu and Pärnu counties, yet only up to two percent of new dwellings are built there,” said Minister of Infrastructure Kuldar Leis. “For developers, the risks are simply too high. This hampers labour mobility and regional development. Cooperation with the EIB helps bring modern rental housing to smaller centers. The aim is to arrive at a solution where state intervention is minimal and housing development can function as market driven as possible.”
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Originally published on 17 Feb
Read MoreElmar Vaher appointed director-general of ECDI
Elmar Vaher has been appointed director-general of the Estonian Centre for Defence Investments (ECDI). Elmar was selected by the defence minister, Hanno Pevkur, on the recommendation of the government’s senior executive selection committee.
From 2013 to 2023, Elmar served as director-general of the Police and Border Guard Board, where he led the consolidation and modernisation of one of Estonia’s largest public-sector organisations. He holds a master’s degree in law and has completed several executive-level leadership programmes.
Connect with Elmar on LinkedIn
Read MoreMirova and Evecon’s Baltic Renewable Energy Platform (BREP) launches Estonia’s largest solar‑plus‑storage hybrid project, signs first-of-its-kind Flexibility & Power Purchase Agreement in the Baltics with Pure Energy, and secures long-term financing from Swedbank
Mirova, an affiliate of Natixis Investment Managers dedicated to sustainable investing, and Evecon announce a series of major milestones supporting the acceleration of Estonia’s energy transition, through their jointly owned Baltic Renewable Energy Platform OÜ (“BREP”):
- Hybridization of the 77.5 MWp Kirikmäe Solar Photovoltaic (PV) plant with a 55 MW / 250 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS),
- Execution of the first Flexibility & Power Purchase Agreement (FPPA) ever signed in the Baltics, with Pure Energy GmbH, and
- Completion of a new c.€85 million long‑term financing package from Swedbank.
Together, these developments demonstrate how combining renewable generation with energy storage and long term optimization tools can unlock new value for the Baltic energy market and support Estonia’s long term energy independence.
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Originally published on 16 Feb
Read MoreKeeping up with the Nordics Baltics staying the course against corruption
When it comes to corruption rankings, there are the Nordics and then there is everyone else. Again this year, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden ended in a log jam at the top of the Corruption Perceptions Index, an annual ranking of perceived corruption in the public sector. Germany rounded out the top 10. The Baltic states (Estonia: 12; Lithuania: 28th; Latvia: 37) are showing that despite some setbacks (including the resignation of Lithuania’s prime minister last year amid a corruption scandal), that they, too, take corruption seriously.
Transparency International, which has produced the report each year since 1995, cautions against easing up against corruption, even in the Nordic countries, but, in the Baltic region, the trends at least are with them: countries with the best records are generally democratic and highly digitalised.
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That will show the path for Poland (52). To be sure, it has shown improvement since PiS, an illiberal regime that dismembered the country’s civil-society infrastructure, was voted out of office in 2023, and it finds itself solidly in the top third of the table.
Progress, though, has been modest, due to what has been deemed insufficient efforts to undo the damage done by PiS. Russia (157) finished level with Chad, Honduras and Zimbabwe. An outlier in a sea of outliers.
Estonian defence companies secure key partnerships at World Defence Show 2026
Estonia’s defence sector is making rounds even beyond Europe, and this week has demonstrated its digital capabilities at the World Defence Show in Riyadh. According to the official press release, the delegation members have secured three memoranda of understanding with regional and international partners.
The agreements, signed during the 13 February 2026 event, included partnerships between Threod Systems and Saudi Arabia’s First Shield, DefSecIntel Solutions and Oman’s The Armored Group, and Frankenburg Technologies and South Korea’s Hanwha. The deals cover autonomous systems, surveillance, counter-unmanned aircraft systems (counter-UAS), and digitally integrated defence technologies.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 13 Feb
Read MoreNIB finances Estonian Drone Technology Infrastructure
The Drone Technology Unit is designed to focus on R&D in unmanned aviation, communications, navigation, flight physics, and hardware security. It will consist of laboratories designed to validate and industrialise unmanned systems across the air, ground, and maritime domains.
The unit is part of the recently established Applied Research Centre in Estonia and is planned to become fully operational during summer 2027.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 6 Feb
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