It was reported on Friday that Estonia's e‑Governance Academy plans to spend €441,000 to procure equipment needed to digitalize Cuba. The foundation saw nothing inappropriate in the move and its head, Hannes Astok, explained that supporting Cuba is a collective decision by EU countries that Estonia also approved in 2016.

Riigikogu Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Marko Mihkelson (Reform) told ERR that, first and foremost, it is the e‑Governance Academy's own decision which international projects it participates in and which it does not.

"This is a purely EU project using EU funds — in that respect it is the e‑Governance Academy's own choice and the explanations given are absolutely not in line with the world we live in today. Especially from the moment Russia launched its full‑scale war in Ukraine, in which Cuba also participates very actively in the form of volunteers sent to fight against the Ukrainian state numbering in the hundreds, if not thousands," he said.

Mihkelson added that it is not appropriate to hide behind a contract or decision made in 2016 because today's situation has changed so much, especially after 2022 when security issues broadly became more black‑and‑white.

"I see no difference in activities against the democratic world between Cuba, North Korea, Russia and Iran," he noted. "No one can directly dictate to the e‑State Academy which projects they should undertake, but considering that over a long period they have brought a lot of international recognition to Estonia through their work, I would think the academy does not need the notoriety that comes with supporting the Cuban regime in this way."

The issue was also discussed at Monday's Riigikogu Foreign Affairs Committee session and Mihkelson said, unfortunately, the EU does not currently have a unified stance on how to relate to Cuba.

Considering recent actions by the United States and possible global changes, aid programs applied to or planned for Cuba should also be reviewed at the EU level, the MP believes.

"The goals this project is supposed to bring or the direction of the change or impact it is meant to have in Cuba would not work in the interests of the Cuban people, but rather in the interests of the regime," the committee chair said, adding that one should not expect that the digitalization project would contribute to opening Cuban society or making services more accessible to the population.

He said that recent developments, both in the context of Venezuela and in the United States, are likely increasing pressure on Cuba and the European Union should not be a bystander but should take steps itself, including not supporting the Cuban regime with aid funds — which overall amount to far more than the €441,000 contract that has come up in Estonia.

"The main country that has centrally supported this Cuba‑oriented policy is Spain and their interests are understandably somewhat different from ours, but this is an issue appropriate for discussion at the EU level," Mihkelson said.

Mihkelson said he welcomes the debate that has arisen in Estonia and the Foreign Affairs Committee will continue to address the issue when the foreign minister is also present at a session. "EU processes are, as you know, time‑consuming, but we have a number of channels through which to raise the issue, including through the high representative. Finding absolute common ground among EU member states is not easy — I already hinted at Spain — but Estonia could, together with like‑minded countries, shape a position," he said.

Mihkelson added that looking at the current stance of the U.S. administration and recent weeks' messages, including about Cuba, the topic is rapidly rising on the agenda.

IT association rules out cooperation with sanctioned states

However, Cuba is far from the only country with human rights and democracy issues with which Estonia or Estonian companies have some level of cooperation. According to Mihkelson, drawing a clear line is difficult.

"The majority of countries in the world are not democratic — they are authoritarian to varying degrees. But one clear line in the current context, as a major war rages in Europe threatening our very existence, is the extent to which certain countries are directly or indirectly involved in supporting Russia," Mihkelson noted.

Several activities of the Estonian Association of Information Technology and Telecommunications (ITL), which represents IT companies, focus on business cooperation with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. According to CEO Doris Põld, the ITL bases its choice of partner countries primarily on sanctions.

"As the representative organization for Estonian digital technology companies, one of the criteria for selecting our cooperation partners is the country of origin — it must not be a country subject to sanctions imposed by Estonia or the EU. Naturally, we also assess the target country's safety and business environment," Põld said.

At the same time, Estonian companies are free to make their own decisions and ITL does not decide on behalf of individual members. According to Põld, these principles apply only to the joint activities organized for the association's membership.

The Estonian Business and Innovation Agency (EIS) has also organized business missions to Saudi Arabia and employs a dedicated staff member to help companies build connections with the United Arab Emirates. However, EIS does not see itself as having a decision-making role in this regard, as it follows the foreign policy positions and guidelines set by the Estonian government.

"EIS does not have an independent foreign policy on the basis of which it plans economic cooperation or entrepreneurship development activities," said the foundation's communications specialist, Piret Malv.

According to Marko Mihkelson, when it comes to the UAE or Saudi Arabia, one important consideration is the extent to which these countries could realistically and directly pose a threat to Estonia's security or values.

"I don't imagine we should have a definitive list of countries to tell entrepreneurs where they can and cannot engage. In a free country with a free business environment, everyone assesses their own risks individually," he emphasized.

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