Estonia has produced a digital solution that will make it simpler to organise and run the events taking place during the Estonian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The Presidency Gateway is the central web portal that will be used by the ministries organising the Presidency events, as well as the delegates and, if necessary, the journalists attending the events.

Over 260 different events are taking place in Estonia during the Estonian Presidency, with up to 30 000 delegates attending. The Presidency Gateway includes a comprehensive overview of each event, including venues and programmes, as well as a document depository. The portal also makes it possible to carry out interactive polls and perform group tasks. It is optimised for smartphones and tablets and can be used without downloading a separate application.

This is the first time such a wide array of digital tools has been implemented to run presidency events. To simplify the work of journalists and delegates, a user-friendly and reusable workflow has been developed, and once the Estonian Presidency ends the Presidency Gateway source code and its supporting documentation will be released for subsequent presidencies to use.

The Presidency Gateway was produced by AS Andmevara and partners, the ICT tender was carried out by the Centre of Registers and Information Systems, and the development was commissioned by the Government Office of the Republic of Estonia.

The Presidency Gateway is part of the Estonian Digital Presidency initiative to review the work processes of the Council of the EU in a team effort with other presidencies, in order to lay the foundations for a digital workflow. The goal of the initiative is to improve cybersecurity, improve the effectiveness and speed of routine procedures, and promote the use of digital signatures. By helming the initiative, Estonia wishes to leave a positive legacy for future presidencies and to establish the basis for digitising workflows. It is also Estonia's goal to demonstrate that EU institutions can implement e-solutions and e-governance principles as effectively as EU member states already do. Estonia's goal is also to ensure a close cooperation between the Presidency and EU institutions in taking forward the implementation of e-solutions and e-governance principles.

Source: The press release of The Government Office (https://www.eu2017.ee/news/press-releases/estonias-digital-gift-european-union)