Strategic communication

The prerequisite for strategic communication in Estonia is the democratic order of state and freedom of speech, which means that government communication is only one of the many competing voices in society alongside the communication of opposition parties, business organisations, civil associations and foreign states.

The need to strengthen strategic communication arises from security policy considerations – the threats to Estonia are closely linked to hostile subversion, the division of society and the erosion of our credibility in the eyes of our allies.

The Fundamentals of Estonian Security Policy and the National Defence Development Plan 2017-2026 define strategic communication as one of the six development directions of comprehensive national defence, describe the necessary capability developments and provide a mandate for such activities. The objective of strategic communication within the meaning of the National Defence Development Plan is to ensure support for Estonia’s security policy, keep the public aware of the security situation and prevent panic, neutralise hostile influence and expose and prevent the spread of false information.

Principles of strategic communication

• Dialogue means engaging with society as a whole as well as with target audiences individually. A dialogue can take place in many forms, such as in the media or via public opinion polls or direct communication.
• The values that determine actions emerge from dialogue with society. Awareness of values determines how the state deals with situations.
• Actions speak louder than words. Words can only support actions. Actions can be understood in multiple ways, which is why the meaning of a messenger is expressed in the holistic interaction of action and communication.
• Participation means involving the population as widely as possible in the achievement of strategic communication objectives.

Lines of action of strategic communication

• Analysis. Monitoring the media space and the public opinion on security issues.
• Coordination and planning. Coordination and planning of the communication of agencies so that government communication represents a unified view on security issues both in Estonia and externally. Carrying out communication activities to achieve greater cohesion of society and to ensure support for Estonian security policy choices.
• Government communication in times of crisis. Developing government communication capacity to respond to security crises.
• Informing the public. Informing the public of malicious disinformation and helping reduce its impact in Estonian society.

In times of crisis, information attacks against Estonia’s image intensify. Responding is not enough in a fast-paced information society and the state’s strategic communication must take a proactive approach to getting messages that are important for Estonia across both in Estonia and in the information space of our allies. We need to work hard to have many influential friends in the world who care about Estonia, who understand us, who are informed and on whose support we can count in times of crisis. Successful strategic communication enhances a country’s ability to manage security risks, threats and crises in an informed way and thereby provide greater security to our people.

Strategic communication is also developed in NATO and European Union institutions and Member States in order to achieve similar objectives. For example, the Government Office is the Estonian liaison agency for the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence established in Riga in 2014. Similarly, Estonia participates in the work of the Task Force on Eastern Strategic Communication of the European External Action Service (EEAS) with a seconded expert. Estonian agencies also have close contact with their strategic communication counterparts in our neighbouring countries – Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the Nordic countries – and they actively participate in information exchanges and joint activities.

All agencies are involved in the implementation of strategic communication. Achieving the desired result is difficult for each institution individually, so it has been decided that the development of the sector will be led and coordinated by the Government Office.