Last week, on 1 July, the Estonians were entrusted to the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Similarly to its predecessor Malta, the Baltic nation harbours great ambitions. While Malta, due to its geographical position, primarily focused on the influx of refugees from North Africa, Estonia, in contrast, aims attention at a digital (and safe and inclusive) Europe as well as an "open and innovative" European economy.

For small countries like Malta and Estonia, the Presidency can be a true blessing, as it helps them get some "airtime." The chance to be in the spotlight for six months is by far not the only perk of the Presidency, though. It also enables the incumbent to adapt to the role of a broker, whose task is to arbitrate between – sometimes extremely diverging – parties. However, the prospects of success are, to put it mildly, uncertain.

Thus, it remains to be seen whether the Estonians will indeed manage to advance the Digital Single Market. After having said goodbye to roaming fees, more positive surprises could soon follow. Despite the recent success, there is still a lot to be done to fulfil the full potential of the European Data Economy. Arguably the EU's most pressing challenges are to enhance training in digital skills as well as to further digitalise public services. Luckily, Estonians are experts in both fields. 

Malta, for one, enforced an agreement on technical measures which essentially determine more coherent rules of fishery, one of Malta's key priorities. In other words: If you have a straightforward agenda, highly skilled workforce, and a clear objective in mind, anything is possible; no matter the size of the country. What is stopping Estonia?

Click here to get to a good POLITICO article on the "15 go-to Estonians in Brussels," who will play a decisive role during the Estonian Presidency. The programme of the Estonians can be downloaded here. This is also where I copied the thumbnail from.