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EuroDIG: the cornerstones of the internet’s future are trust, cooperation, and digital sovereignty

The overarching theme of the forum was the future of the internet, viewed not only through the lens of technology, but also through the perspectives of values, trust, and cooperation.

Internet governance must remain open

At the heart of EuroDIG was the question of how to protect an open and human-centric internet in a world where an increasing share of digital power is concentrated in the hands of a small number of large technology companies. Cloud services, data flows, platforms, and AI development are largely controlled by global tech giants. This also means that they are the ones setting the goals and ethical boundaries of new technologies. For Europe, this creates a strategic question: how can digital sovereignty be ensured while remaining open and user-centric?

Panel discussions emphasized that the multistakeholder model may not be simple or inexpensive, but it is still necessary to ensure that internet governance is not purely top-down. If rules are shaped only by states or large corporations, the needs of users, local businesses, communities, and the technical community are pushed into the background.

Europe’s strength could lie in shaping digital solutions according to the principles of human rights, transparency, and fair competition. The future of the internet should not be only a question of convenience or profitability, but of who truly holds control over the digital public space. We can agree that this control should remain in the hands of users: technology should serve society, not the interests of maximum profit.

Democracy in the digital age

One of the most impactful discussions focused on democracy in the digital space. The internet empowers democracy, but it can also undermine it. Disinformation, election interference, polarizing content, and platform responsibility increasingly affect the whole internet ecosystem and raise the question: who is responsible?

The discussions highlighted concern over the unavoidable shift in media consumption habits. People are increasingly getting their news from social media, one reason being the speed at which traditional media delivers information. At the same time, traditional media remains significantly more trustworthy, yet is in a much weaker economic position.

When disinformation spreads quickly and fact-checking reaches it only days later, the damage is often already done. That is why reacting after the fact is not enough. Stronger media literacy, faster verification mechanisms, and clearer platform accountability are needed. Real life has shown that platforms tend to retreat from responsibility, and even financial penalties often fail to make an impact. This does not align with European values, which is why stronger steps are needed to reduce harm.

A particularly important idea was that protecting democracy online does not mean restricting people, but empowering them. Users must have a clear understanding of how information reaches them, who is shaping it, and what interests may lie behind it. The digital public space needs transparency in the same way that the physical public space needs trustworthy institutions.

Digital sovereignty is no longer a question of convenience

Discussions on digital sovereignty acknowledged that Europe’s dependence on US technology did not emerge overnight. Over the years, a series of decisions has brought us to the current situation. The problem has two sides: foreign solutions are widely used, while local alternatives have not had sufficient opportunity to emerge, grow, and achieve widespread impact.

It is clear that Europe needs technological capability that supports an open internet, human rights, and fair competition. Innovation alone is not enough: there must also be the capacity to bring solutions to users, scale them, and make them internationally competitive. This is a difficult task, as a balance must be found between two goals: becoming digitally sovereign without becoming closed off.

One of the key messages of the conference was that digital sovereignty should not mean isolation. Rather, it should mean the ability to make informed choices, reduce critical dependencies, and ensure that European values are reflected in the technologies people use every day.

20 years of the .eu domain

Naturally, much was also said about the .eu domain and its role in shaping Europe’s digital identity. The domain was created by the institutions of the European Union in order to strengthen the Union’s digital identity and increase its visibility. It also carries European values, including linguistic diversity. From UNESCO’s perspective, the disappearance of languages is one of the greatest risks of the digital age. If languages disappear from the internet, their visibility and vitality weaken as well. The internet should therefore be a place that helps preserve our cultural diversity.

The .eu domain is seen as a complement to national domains. For example, if a company operating in Estonia uses the .ee top-level domain to reach local customers, it may use .eu to reach customers across Europe. This helps it remain trustworthy to local customers while also being part of the European single digital market.

.eu immediately found its user base when it launched: one million domains were registered on the very first day. Today, .eu ranks among the top 10 largest domains in the world, with just over 3.7 million registrations.

What does this mean for Estonia and .ee?

The discussions at EuroDIG 2026 were also clearly relevant in the Estonian context. Estonia is used to thinking of itself as a digital state, but digital trust does not emerge by default, and maintaining it requires effort. It must be built continuously, from secure national domain management and reliable identity verification to preventing disinformation, cyber fraud, and DNS abuse. In all of these areas, the domain registry has an important role to play.

The .ee domain is an important part of Estonia’s digital identity. It helps businesses, organisations, and individuals be visible online in the Estonian context and provides users with an initial signal of trust. At the same time, the role of domains is growing in cybersecurity and the protection of digital reputation. If a domain name falls into malicious hands or is used deceptively, the damage can extend far beyond a single web address. 

On the other hand, various studies show that DNS abuse in the .ee zone is among the lowest in Europe. We know that strong identity verification, which has been in use for years, is one of the reasons behind this. In that sense, we are setting an example for many others, but most importantly, we are standing up for user security and the trustworthiness of .ee.

The future of the internet is not shaped by technology alone. It is shaped by values, cooperation, and the willingness to take responsibility. Domain registries, registrars, the public sector, businesses, and users all have a role to play in that.