MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE PRIME MINISTER OF ESTONIA ACTING ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ESTONIA AND THE PRIME MINISTER OF FINLAND ACTING ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERN-MENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF FINLAND ON COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY
The Prime Minister of Estonia acting on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Estonia and the Prime Minister of Finland acting on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Finland (here-inafter referred to as the Participants)
recognising the value that Estonia and Finland can give to each other if they join forces and under-take cooperative measures to develop digital society, economy and government together for mutual benefit,
taking into account the 2008 bilateral report “Opportunities for Cooperation between Estonia and Finland” which envisioned ICT as one of the most promising collaboration areas between Finland and Estonia,
taking into account the Estonian “Information Society Development Plan 2014-2020”, in which Government of the Republic of Estonia has highlighted development of cross-border digital service environment as one of strategic priorities, recognising the progress made in Estonia in ICT development, especially in regard to the creation of the e-governance infrastructure and digital services,
taking into account the Finnish ICT2015 report, the implementation of which is being ensured by an ICT expert group established by the Prime Minister’s Office of Finland,
noting that the Government of Finland has stated in its structural policy programme of 29 August 2013 that Finland will fully utilise the opportunities that are presented by cooperation with Estonia in ICT development,
noting the high level correspondence between the Participants expressing mutual interest in advanc-ing Finnish-Estonian collaboration in ICT development,
wishing to take another step towards a fruitful cooperation in this area,
have reached the following understanding:
Purpose of the Memorandum of Understanding The purpose of this Memorandum is to strengthen bilateral cooperation between Finland and Esto-nia in ICT development and for the Participants to express the objectives and outlines of their coop-eration.
Objectives and areas of cooperation between the Participants Within the context of this Memorandum of Understanding, the Participants will have the possibility of sharing their resources, experience and expertise in ICT development. The Participants wish to promote cooperation as follows:
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Estonia’s X-Road’s source code will be implemented for practical use in Finland as a national data exchange layer. Estonia will share the current X-Road source code with the Finnish Ministry of Finance. Es-tonia will also share updates to the source code as they become available. X-Road has proved its worth in Estonian national ICT infrastructure and it has the potential to provide a cost-effective way for improving Finnish ICT infrastructure. Finland will aspire to develop a national data exchange layer that has X-Road as its inspiration and basis.
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Finland and Estonia will cooperate in the development of future versions of the X-Road platform and the Finnish national data exchange layer. The Participants will share with each other any developments that are made to the X-Road architecture in either country. The Participants will reciprocally share their experiences and insights regarding X-Road and the national data exchange layer and look into preparing a roadmap for developing future versions of these infrastructures jointly.
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Cross-border cooperation will be advanced in multiple fields of digital society, econ-omy and government. The Participants are interested in developing cross-border cooperation e.g. by exchange of information or experts between authorities of both countries, by organizing joint initiatives and events, etc. as appropriate. The Participants will research and regularly discuss the pos-sibilities for cross-border cooperation in different fields of digital government and society, including joint cross-border services and infrastructure.
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The Participants will share with each other information that is relevant to achieving the aforementioned objectives The Participants will share experiences, insights and ideas concerning functional organisa-tional models, recommended courses of action, regulatory matters and other matters relevant to designing, developing and implementing successful and practical ICT solutions within society, economy and government.
Coordinating representatives of Participants
The Participants designate the following ministries as their coordinating representatives, responsible for the arrangement and implementation of co-operation:
- Republic of Estonia: Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications,
- epublic of Finland: Ministry of Finance.
These representatives will decide upon concrete plans for co-operation under this Memorandum. Other institutions are invited to participate and can be designated as responsible for implementation of particular activities.
Nature of the Memorandum
This Memorandum represents the mutual interests and aspirations of the Participants regarding the improvement of ICT use in government, economy and society in both Estonia and Finland. This Memorandum does not modify or supersede any national or international laws or regulatory re-quirements in force in, or applying to, Estonia or Finland. It is a statement of intent of the Partici-pants and it will not create any binding legal obligations for either Participant. The provisions of this Memorandum may not give rise to any legal claim on behalf of either Participant or third party. The provisions of this Memorandum do not prejudge or assume any particular decisions or under-takings.
This Memorandum of Understanding is not eligible for registration under Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations.
This Memorandum complements other present and future arrangements on cooperation between the Participants. Any differences between Participants in the interpretation or application of this Memo-randum will be settled amicably by mutual consultation.
Amendments and termination
This Memorandum of Understanding may be amended at any time by the mutual written consent of the Participants.
This Memorandum of Understanding may be terminated by either Participant giving six months written notice. The Participants will consult to determine how any outstanding matters should be dealt with. Termination will not affect the validity of any contract made under this Memorandum of Understanding
Entry into effect
This Memorandum will come into effect on the date of signature thereof by the Participants.
Signed electronically on 10 December 2013 in the English language (Digital signature) (Digital signature)
PRIME MINISTER OF ESTONIA, ACT-ING ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERN-MENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ESTONIA Name: Andrus Ansip
PRIME MINISTER OF FINLAND, ACT-ING ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERN-MENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF FINLAND Name: Jyrki Katainen
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