Monaco Minister of State Serge Telle and Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel signed a declaration of intent launching constructive dialogue between the two governments on digital issues. The declaration is the culmination of discussions between teams from Luxembourg’s Government IT Centre (CTIE) and the Office of Monaco’s Country Chief Digital Officer, Frédéric Genta.
Mr Genta, accompanied by a delegation,* visited the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg on Thursday 6 December to meet Xavier Bettel. Following his discussions with the Prime Minister, Mr Genta visited Luxembourg’s Data Centre, which leads the way in terms of “green IT” in Europe.
The Principality of Monaco and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg have made digital transition a priority to support government modernisation and promote innovation within their respective countries. The synergies and dynamic interaction generated by new information and communications technologies create new challenges for our economies and societies.
This partnership means that the CTIE and the Office of the Country Chief Digital Officer will now be able to share expertise and experiments relating to themes of the future, such as moving government services online, e-health, and introducing a digital identity for each resident.
The two countries are also launching a study on backing up sensitive data in a Luxembourg data centre that will have immunity guarantees and privileges similar to those accorded to embassies. Estonia’s data is already hosted in Luxembourg according to this model. Finding a solution that will allow it to safeguard certain data against the risks of cyberattack or natural disaster has become a strategic priority for the Principality, and it is something that is impossible to implement within an area of two square kilometres.
Luxembourg, a trusted partner in Europe, also stores sensitive data belonging to organisations such as NATO and the European Union.
The two governments welcomed this new partnership, which is fully in line with European programmes to cooperate in the fields of digital security and innovation. Xavier Bettel stressed that this digital innovation partnership would strengthen Luxembourg’s role as a trusted digital centre and confirm the progress made towards e-government in Luxembourg.
*: Jean-Philippe Bertani, Counsellor at the Embassy of Monaco in Belgium, Jean-Charles Harle, Networks and Information Systems Director, Julien Dejanovic, Director of E-Government, and Serge Robillard, Head of Section, Office of the Country Chief Digital Officer.
