In November, European Commission Vice President Henna Virkkunen said that the business initiative would save companies at least 150 billion euros annually. She said that the business initiative helps companies exchange data securely and easily.
Estonian officials examined the proposal and found that it could cost Estonia 150 million euros. Two weeks later, Justice Minister Liisa-Ly Pakosta said that Estonia does not support the business initiative proposal.
Deputy Chancellor of the Ministry of Justice Tõnu Grünberg said: „We have a digital state, authentication tools, and a functioning business register. The European Union also has an ecosystem for exchanging information. Why should we pay over 150 million euros?“
The European Commission says that joining the initiative should be mandatory for all public sector institutions. This point is causing a lot of resistance in Estonia.
The head of the European Commission's Estonian office, Ave Schank-Lukas, said that Virkkunen's business initiative does not duplicate existing systems but complements them.