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He was speaking alongside the prime minister of Estonia, which
has transformed its post-Soviet economy in part through new
technology. As his government takes the rotating chair of EU
councils, premier Juri Ratas called for a new free movement of
data across EU borders to stimulate economic growth in the bloc.
"I shouldn't say it but I have to say it: I still don't have a
smartphone," Juncker, the 62-year-old former prime minister of
Luxembourg, told a news conference after Ratas had spoken.
The Baltic leader, 24 years his junior, had teased him about his
lack of mobile connection, Juncker said, by sending him a
postcard "like in the 19th century" to invite him to Tallinn.
"But even without being a techie I know that our future is
digital," the European Commission president insisted.
"Digital is the DNA of your country and it needs to become part
of the European DNA," he told Ratas.
A former Estonian premier runs the digital portfolio in
Juncker's Commission in Brussels. The executive's program,
backed by national governments, includes commitments to build a
"digital single market" for Europe and favor tech investment.
"President Juncker said that he expects the Estonian presidency
to make substantial progress especially in digital themes,"
Ratas said. "The free movement of data is a precondition for the
Digital Single Market.
"To enable the free movement of data in Europe, trust and
security need to be increased. To this end, we need to put our
focus also on cybersecurity issues."
Estonia as built up its own cyber defenses for fear of
disruption from neighboring Russia.
(Reporting by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Alison Williams)
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