OREANDA-NEWS. September 16, 2010. Neelie Kroes, European Commission vice president and commissioner for digital agenda, in remarks before reporters after her meeting with Estonia's Prime Minister Andrus Ansip in Tallinn on Monday hailed the digital development of Estonia.

"I'm baffled by this development," said Kroes, describing Estonia as the best country in Europe in terms of digital development. "You have changed people's behavior in day-to-day life," the commissioner said, naming as examples banking, elections and other areas where Estonia has gone digital.

Kroes said that traditions were not for the business sector and banks elsewhere should catch up with the digital progress made by Estonia. Estonia has benefited from it that, as the country's prime minister explained according to the commissioner, it had no traditions in place and everything had to be built up from scratch.

In the words of the commissioner, there would be much to gain from a digitally functioning common market, but unfortunately awareness of this was not being displayed on a day-to-day basis.

Speaking of the security of digital handling of one's finances, Kroes said Estonia was the best example that digital intercommunication with one's bank can be trusted.