Skip to main menu 18.03.24 NEWS ... Last year, 2,087 passengers used Pärnu Airport in western Estonia, 800 fewer than in 2022. While revenues increased, the facility can only survive with state support.
18.03.24 NEWS ... Outgoing Minister of Justice Kalle Laanet (Reform) has not undergone a security check by the Internal Security Services (ISS) since 2019. If another had been carried out, his resignation may have occurred sooner.
18.03.24 NEWS ... Reform Party members on Monday would not reveal the name of the potential candidate for the next minister of justice, who will likely take office in April.
18.03.24 NEWS ... For some "dignity" is most important, while for others it might be "faith." For many more it's simply "love." Whatever one's personal story, these are just some of the words that have become meaningful since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. They are also the focus of a new exhibition at Tallinn's Vabamu Museum by Ukrainian-Estonian artist Nikita Titov.
18.03.24 NEWS ... A change to the law will mean all vehicles, including electric scooters, will need insurance in the future. This will impact some scooter companies more than others.
18.03.24 NEWS ... The second-tier Tallinn Circuit Court overturned the previous acquittal by Harju County Court in the Porto Franco case and issued a new verdict, finding Hillar Teder, former Center Party secretary general Mihhail Korb and the Center Party guilty of influence peddling.
18.03.24 NEWS ... The minimum salaries of culture workers paid by the state should rise to the forecast national average next year, the Estonian Employees' Unions' Confederation (Estonian Employees' Unions' Confederation /TALO) said. It wants to start negotiations as soon as possible.
18.03.24 NEWS ... The circulation of the country's print newspapers has continued to consistently fall over the past year, according to the latest circulation figures published by the Estonian Association of Media Companies (EML).
18.03.24 NEWS ... Over the last few weeks, director Jaanika Tammaru has been collecting stories from residents of Tartu's Annelinn district. The stories will be used as part of "Through the City" (Läbi Linna), the fourth edition of a traveling theatrical performance about different districts of Tartu and the lives of local people.
18.03.24 NEWS ... President Alar Karis said the public dispute between Minister of Justice Kalle Laanet (Reform) and Prosecutor General Andres Parmas raised questions about the independence of the Prosecutor's Office and its limits. This needs to be thoroughly discussed with those involved in the justice system, he said on Monday.
18.03.24 NEWS ... Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) on Monday reiterated that "Crimea is Ukraine" and said Russian President Vladimir Putin should stand trial at the International Criminal Court in a comment marking the 10th anniversary of the annexation of Crimea.
18.03.24 NEWS ... Security expert Rainer Saks, who regularly provides overviews of the situation in Ukraine, both on social media and in the press, has decided to run in the European Parliament elections on Parempoolsed's party list. Saks believes Parempoolsed will secure one of Estonia's seven seats.
18.03.24 NEWS ... Marine biologist Ivar Jüssi said that this year's early sea ice formation gave seals in the Baltic the best pupping conditions in many years. This is especially necessary for ringed seals that depend on snow and ice and are especially sensitive to climate change.
18.03.24 NEWS ... Tartu 2024 is marking the 100th anniversary of the birth of the surrealist literary and artistic movement with a series of exhibitions. According to Kati Torp, Tartu 2024's artistic director, surrealism is one of the most remarkable movements in the history of art, and one that is known and felt by everyone.
18.03.24 NEWS ... The Central Criminal Police have launched a misdemeanor procedure against Kalle Laanet (Reform), who on Saturday evening had stepped down as Estonia's minister of justice.
18.03.24 NEWS ... The Institute of the Estonian Language's (EKI) planned dictionary reform has caused a deepening rift among various linguistics experts. Now the chancellor of justice has gotten involved as well, promising to defend the orthographic Dictionary of Standard Estonian (ÕS) in court if need be.
18.03.24 NEWS ... Former University of Tartu professor Viacheslav Morozov, who has been held in a Tallinn prison since January 3 on suspicion of intelligence activities against the Republic of Estonia, will remain in custody for a further two months.
18.03.24 NEWS ... U.K. grime pioneer Dizzee Rascal is set to perform in Estonia for the first time, with a show announced at Tallinn's Helitehas on April 30. The show comes on the back of his eighth studio album "Don't Take It Personal," which was released this February.
18.03.24 NEWS ... Russia's election result dispelled any illusion the West might have had of being able to negotiate with Vladimir Putin, Andrei Hvostov told Vikerraadio Monday. He added that the election result will be used to support the war and entrench the dictatorship.
18.03.24 NEWS ... Former Prime Minister, MEP Andrus Ansip will on Monday hand over signatures needed to run for the Reform Party's European Parliament elections candidate at in-house elections, despite PM Kaja Kallas having suggested she does not wish to see Ansip run.
18.03.24 NEWS ... Pet health issues can become very costly for owners, as operational costs, which have risen with the cost of living, are also reflected in veterinary clinic price lists. In addition, a recently implemented regulation has multiplied the cost of pet medications several times over from previous prices.
18.03.24 NEWS ... According to a report by think tank the Foresight Center, there are nearly 10,000 households in Estonia that both consume electricity from the distribution grid and produce electricity for it.
18.03.24 NEWS ... "Successful Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil refineries definitely have an impact on the events on the front line. The Russians have to consider that, due to their huge territory, there will always be more strategically important objects than there are air defense systems that can protect them," said Col. Mart Vendla deputy chief of the Estonian Defense Forces' (EDF) General Staff, on ETV show "Ukraina stuudio."
18.03.24 NEWS ... The results of the recently published 2023 Integration Monitoring showed that whether a person feels they are part of the Estonian society does not depend solely on their native language, nationality or citizenship as every tenth Estonian also feels overlooked.
18.03.24 NEWS ... Although international schools operating in Estonia are concerned that tightening language requirements will further complicate the hiring of teachers from abroad, the Ministry of Education does not plan to relax the requirements.
17.03.24 NEWS ... Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said in an interview to BBC that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is very good at sowing fear in Western societies, while he is also afraid of finding himself at war with NATO.
18.03.24 NEWS ... Minister of Health Riina Sikkut (SDE) plans to take questions in healthcare funding, including whether to move incapacity for work benefits from the Health Insurance Fund to the Unemployment Insurance Fund, to the cabinet this month or the next.
18.03.24 NEWS ... For wood industries that create high-value-added products, a label certifying the ethical origin of timber is crucial in export markets. However, one of the two main quality labels in Estonia may soon disappear if the certifying body does not abandon additional requirements that the largest wood owner in Estonia, RMK, does not intend to agree with on principle.
18.03.24 NEWS ... The Ministry of the Interior wants emergency messages delivered to people's phones in a way that would bypass silent mode. One possible solution could also change how television is broadcast.
17.03.24 NEWS ... The Alarm Center got a call about a house fire in the Southern Estonian city of Võru at 1.32 p.m. Sunday. The local rescue team responded in six minutes and found two unconscious people in the building, but efforts to resuscitate them failed.
17.03.24 NEWS ... Traffic instructor Indrek Madar said that people are trained to pass their driving test without understanding what they learned in Estonia.
17.03.24 OPINION ... Talking about the sphere of information and media use of people in Estonia, it would be a big mistake to generalize and suggest that the Estonian-speaking part of the population is this way and the Russian-speaking that way, Kristiina Saks writes.
17.03.24 NEWS ... The Transport Administration and the Ministry of Climate are seeking ways to enhance aviation safety oversight capabilities, which may include, among other measures, an increase in state fees. Currently, the sum collected from fees and charges is significantly lower than the costs of aviation sector services provided by the Transport Administration.
17.03.24 NEWS ... The opposition Center Party on Sunday held a protesting meeting against the government's planned car tax, which started in Freedom Square (Vabaduse väljak) and culminated in front of the so-called Superministry building on Suur-Ameerika tänav.
17.03.24 OPINION ... We should not turn our backs on offshore wind solely on account of economic considerations, Marko Mägi writes.
17.03.24 NEWS ... Russian citizens living in Estonia can vote during the last day of Russia's so-called presidential election at the Russian Embassy in Tallinn. People started gathering around the embassy building in the Old Town a little before noon Sunday.
17.03.24 NEWS ... Friday marked the opening of Simen Johan's photography exhibition at the Fotografiska museum of contemporary photography, art and culture, with the author present to give a tour of the works. Wang Chen's video installation "Fractured Delights" also opened.
17.03.24 NEWS ... Estonian freestyle skier Kelly Sildaru returned to the fray and became Estonian champion in Big Air at Otepää after more than a year's break from competing.
17.03.24 NEWS ... Finnish public broadcaster Yle reported Wednesday that 46 Finnish entrepreneurs who have been handed prohibitions on doing business at home are continuing their activities in Estonia. Because a prohibition on business does not exclude all aspects of entrepreneurial activity, it may not be illegal, the Estonian Ministry of Justice said.
17.03.24 NEWS ... During the Ukraine war, the import of many food products from Russia to Estonia has increased as these products have been excluded from the European Union's sanctions packages due to food supply security considerations. It is unlikely that a broader consensus can be reached on the complete trade embargo that Estonia desires, which is why possibilities for working with neighboring countries are being discussed.
17.03.24 NEWS ... Tallinn currently has 122 vacant teaching positions, while it is probably just the tip of the iceberg as over a thousand of the capital's teachers have reached retirement age, head of the city's Education Department Kaarel Rundu said. Tallinn is planning to launch a campaign to find teachers come spring.
16.03.24 NEWS ... Kalle Laanet (Reform) has announced he is stepping down as minister of justice. He will remain in office on a caretaker basis until his replacement is nominated.
16.03.24 NEWS ... A plan is in place to construct an offshore wind turbines production plant at the Port of Sillamäe, which would focus on the production of mobile or floating foundation offshore wind turbines.
16.03.24 NEWS ... Latvian carrier airBaltic has declined to submit a bid for the acquisition of Estonian state-owned airline Nordica, on the grounds that airBaltic is focused on expanding connections to other countries, including Estonia itself.
16.03.24 NEWS ... Ice conditions on inland waters have sharply deteriorated in the ongoing thaw, and from today, Saturday, walking on lake ice in South Estonia is prohibited, ETV news show "Aktuaalne kaamera" (AK) reported.
16.03.24 NEWS ... Estonia has come out in support of am EU initiative which would create a database of job seekers from "third countries," broadly meaning non-EU/EEA nations.
16.03.24 NEWS ... Coalition party the Social Democrats (SDE) have returned Interior Minister Lauri Läänemets as leader, and announced their list of candidates who will contest the June 9 European election.
16.03.24 INTERVIEWS ... The wealthier in society should contribute more, Health Minister Riina Sikkut (SDE) said Friday. With the elimination of the income tax-free threshold, it will be possible to switch to a progressive income tax system in Estonia, the minister went on, in a lengthy interview given to Vikerraadio show "Reedene intervjuu," which follows in its entirety.
16.03.24 NEWS ... Minister of Justice Kalle Laanet (Reform) has been obtaining reimbursement from the state to the tune of €12,000 for a rental property in Tallinn in which he has been residing, investigative weekly Eesti Ekspress reported Saturday.
16.03.24 NEWS ... Prosecutor General Andres Parmas says he has been documenting his communications with Minister of Justice Kalle Laanet (Reform).