Belgian-Macedonian Business Club

BMBC organized a “Tech Talk” with Jüri Kivimäe, Data Analyst in the Intelligence Department of the Estonian Tax and Customs Administration.

Jüri shared his expertise and experiences in data analysis with the realm of tax and customs, providing valuable insights into how data-driven strategies can enhance operational efficiency and decision-making processes.

1. In Estonia, all government services are digitized, from drug prescriptions to marriage appointments. 99 % of all declarations are submitted digitally.
2. A small country has an advantage in digitalization versus a large one. It is technically easier to implement a system for a few million citizens than for a few hundred millions.
3. The first step to digitalize the country is to have a digital identification for every citizen and every entity
4. Digitalization is a process with permanent improvement. If it took once 15 clicks for a digital tax declaration, there was still room to improve it to five.
5. Estonia developed the Kratt (Gremlin) AI model developed in or for the public sector. The aim is to assist its users in many various aspects.
6. Other AI use: fraud detection. Undeclared salaries: the AI model has 97 % accuracy
7. For security reason – Estonia is under permanent attack – ETCB and other authorities with sensitive data are careful about moving to cloud. There is Riigipilv (Estonian Government Cloud) that is available to any public sector organization.
8. To digitalize, the administration has to outsource part of the development work, and sometimes to integrate the outside employees inside the administration.
9. Data management, from quality control to X-road exchange between administrations is the basis for data analytics and machine learning.
10. Not every project which was started was successful or even implemented. Some trial-and-error, try new paths, start quickly, abandon if not feasible is part of a rapid and successful digitalization
11. Sometimes, data analytics and machine learning deliver too much data. It needs co-development and permanent incremental improvement.
12. Establishing and maintaining human competences and to develop systems permanently is the key challenge for keeping the systems state of the art.
13. High digitalization increases the trust of the population in the government.
14. Estonian tax and customs administration has a 83 % trust rating.

Tech Talk is a meeting form for professionals to have a free flow discussion accross cultures, functions and disciplines. Jüri Kivimäe was present in Skopje in the context of the National Convention on the European Union in the Republic of North Macedonia, 3rd session of Working Group 6 – Anticorruption on the topic: “Integrating Artificial Intelligence in Public Financial Management” where he had the opportunity to further discuss with Digital Transformation Minister Stefan Andonovski and the head of the Public Revenue Office Elena Petrova. In a separate exchange, he discussed with UJP Public Revenue office staff.

This Tech Talk was sponsored by BMBC, British Business Association, NL Chamber of Macedonia and Intertec.