Agenda Profile: Ester Karuse

The Ministry of Justice and Digital Transformation's 2025 presentation on the implementation of the state's long-term development strategy "Estonia 2035."

2025-04-15

Fifteenth Riigikogu, Fifth Session, Plenary Session.

Political Position
The political stance is critical of the government's administrative objectives, calling into question the feasibility of the "personal state" concept. The primary focus is on the lack of basic data exchange and system interoperability among state institutions. This constitutes a forceful, results-oriented critique directed at the state's actual performance.

1 Speeches Analyzed
Topic Expertise
The speaker demonstrates knowledge of the country's digital development and governance capacity, focusing on issues related to personalized state services and inter-agency data exchange. To showcase this knowledge, a concrete, detailed example is used (a summons issued by the Defence Resources Agency to a young person with special needs) to illustrate systemic flaws.

1 Speeches Analyzed
Rhetorical Style
The rhetorical style is critical and skeptical, starting with a polite acknowledgment ("the speech was, of course, very beautiful") but quickly moving to sharp criticism. The speaker uses an emotional appeal and a concrete, human story (the case of a boy with care needs) to prove the logical point regarding the inefficiency of the systems.

1 Speeches Analyzed
Activity Patterns
There is insufficient data.

1 Speeches Analyzed
Opposition Stance
The main criticism targets the government’s administrative capacity and the operations of various agencies (including the Defence Resources Agency), whose systems fail to communicate with one another. The critique is both procedural and policy-based, focusing on the significant discrepancy between the services promised and the actual situation.

1 Speeches Analyzed
Collaboration Style
The data is insufficient.

1 Speeches Analyzed
Regional Focus
The focus is on national administrative systems and the operations of central agencies (such as the Defence Resources Agency). There is no regional or local emphasis.

1 Speeches Analyzed
Economic Views
There is insufficient data.

1 Speeches Analyzed
Social Issues
The speaker highlights social injustice and the state's failure to adequately serve people with special needs, citing a young person requiring extensive care as a case study. The emphasis is placed on how systemic inefficiency and the lack of data exchange directly impact vulnerable groups, imposing an unnecessary bureaucratic burden upon them.

1 Speeches Analyzed
Legislative Focus
The focus is on criticizing the implementation of the long-term development strategy "Estonia 2035" and the "personal state" concept, which falls under the remit of the Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs. Specific new legislative drafts are not mentioned; instead, the emphasis is placed on the shortcomings of existing systems.

1 Speeches Analyzed