Igaunijas gads

I am a German living in Estonia and Latvia at the same time due to my work. In Estonia it really amazes me that they can sign documents digitally for almost 10 years now! Digital signature is equal to handwritten signature by law there! Documents between people and organizations move electronically in most cases. As far as I know, all the public sector is using electronic document exchange system where all the signatures are given with this ID-card which has this chip. They don't print things! And even more... they have advanced their ID-card service so that you can sign any document in any place in world using your mobile phone only (you need to have special SIM-card that supports mobile-ID service and is related to your person). It is really common to use electronic services, all kinds of them. More and more of the private sector companies are starting to use those electronic environments and offering all kinds of e-services. It has been made really easy to communicate with the state with lots and lots of services. For example, I am a foreigner, but I hold an Estonian ID-card and I just made a mobile phone contract. I did not even have to go to mobile shop. I signed contract digitally online and it was brought to my house by delivery. No hand-written signatures and paper documents. It's a pitty that other countries, Germany for example, are not using the systems that Estonians have created. It's very interesting, even old people and everyone are used to those services which seem "ultra modern" to other people in other countries.