10 February 2023
The Estonian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, His Excellency Viljar Lubi, completed his visit to
Jersey today, Friday 10 February, following two days of engagements in the Island.
Digital Sector
The visit focused primarily around the digital sector and how Jersey can look to further strengthen
its digital infrastructure to deliver public services. During his visit, the Ambassador attended three
roundtable discussions with government, centred on digital economy/e-gov; digital health; and
education.
During these discussions the Ambassador met a wide cross-section of Ministers, including the Chief
Minister; the Minister for External Relations; the Minister for Economic Development, Sport,
Tourism, and Culture; the Assistant Minister for Economic Development, Sport, Tourism, and
Culture; the Minister for Health and Social Services; the Assistant Minister for Health and Social
Services; and the Minister for Children and Education.
The Ambassador also spoke with Suzanne Wylie, the CEO of the Government of Jersey,
on innovation, digital ID’s, and government services in health and education.
As part of his programme, the Ambassador attended Digital Jersey’s Annual Review as a keynote
speaker as well as meeting with representatives from Jersey Finance. He also had the opportunity
to meet with members of the Estonian community in Jersey, supported by Jersey’s Estonian
Honorary Consul.
The Ambassador was hosted at Government House by the Lieutenant Governor, His Excellency Vice
Admiral Jerry Kyd CBE, during his stay in the Island. The Bailiff, Sir Timothy Le Cocq, hosted an
official dinner for the Ambassador alongside States Members, industry representatives and Digital
Jersey board members.
Ambassador comment
Upon the conclusion of his visit, His Excellency, Viljar Lubi said:
“For about the last ten years, Jersey and Estonia have held conversations about collaboration on
digital governance.
“When the CEO of Digital Jersey, Tony Moretta, invited me to speak at their Annual Review, little
did I know that I would be welcomed with such warmth and enthusiasm from the Government of
Jersey and industry representatives.
“We now look to push the co-operation between our nations forward”.
Ministers comment
The Minister for External Relations, Deputy Philip Ozouf, said:
“In a post-Brexit world, it has become increasingly important for Jersey to strengthen and deepen
our bilateral relationships with like-minded partners across Europe. As a small, innovative country,
Estonia enjoys one of the world’s most competitive tax systems and remains a world-leader in the
digital sector. There is therefore a strong rationale for forging stronger links between our
jurisdictions.
“Estonia’s expertise in the digital sector provides opportunity for us to further develop our digital
infrastructure. Jersey enjoys some of the fastest and most comprehensive broadband cover in the
world, but as always there are areas we can and should look to improve in. The discussions we held
over the last few days, particularly on e-governance and digital education, have provided valuable
insights into the lessons that the Estonian government has learnt building a digital society, and
how best to apply that to a Jersey context.
“Critically as well, is the value that the Estonian diaspora plays in our Island. Jersey is an increasingly
diverse community, with over 16% of our population comprising of European nationals. Although
our formal relationship with the European Union has changed, our commitment to engaging with
our European partners has not.
“The Ambassador’s first visit to Jersey marks a renewed phase of our engagement with Estonia, and
I hope that this relationship can deepen and diversify in the months and years ahead”.
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