January: Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy in flying visit to Tallinn

Same-sex marriage is now legal in Estonia, and over 50 same-sex couples register to marry in January alone.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives in Tallinn on a one-day visit. As well as speaking at the Riigikogu, Zelenskyy gives a joint press conference with President Alar Karis.

Teachers protest in the Estonian capital as a nationwide strike begins, with more protests in Tartu and elsewhere.

The government agrees to a teacher pay hike which will cost a total of €5.7 million, and the main teaching union calls off the strike, unprecedented in Estonia, after a few days.

Tartu is 2024 European Capital of Culture and a welcoming party and launch, attended by the head of state,, heralds the year's activities.

February: About-turn on EU's platform work directive

Estonia and three other states, Germany, Greece and France, block the revised EU platform work directive.

However a month later Estonia does an about turn and accepts the directive, which would for instance impact workers who earn money via the Bolt platform.

One in three men in Estonia report experiencing intimate partner violence, according to a Statistics Estonia study. Another survey later in the year puts the figure of women experiencing intimate partner violence somewhat higher, at two in five.

The Estonian government approved the nomination of Col. Andrus Merilo as new Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) commander-in-chief, replacing Martin Herem, who announced the previous month he would be standing down. Col. Merilo is promoted to Brigadier General and takes over the reins formally in June.

Estonia gains 95 islands, small islets really, but still loses four square kilometers in area, thanks to a new and updated map.

March: Laanet ousted from justice minister post, Kõlvart no longer Tallinn's mayor

An exhibition commemorating the 1944 Narva bombing is opened at Narva Castle.

Candles are lit on March 25 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the 1949 Soviet deportations of over 20,000 Estonians.

Kalle Laanet (Reform) resigns as justice minister after alleged pressure put on the prosecutor general's office, along with media reports over state support for the rental of an apartment while in Tallinn, and apartment which reportedly belonged to his stepson.

Another political casualty in March is Center Party leader Mihhail Kõlvart, who loses a vote of no confidence as Tallinn mayor.

This ends nearly two decades of Center dominance in the capital, as the Reform-SDE-Isamaa-Eesti 200 coalition is ushered in the following month, with Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE) as mayor.

April: Russian GPS jamming interferes with civilian airliner flights

Two separate passenger flights from Finland to Tartu airport are forced to turn back after GPS jamming prevents them from navigating safely.

The jamming is found to be a deliberate hybrid attack by Russia.

Finnair, who operated the flights, suspend travel to Tartu for one month.

A planned car tax in Estonia is discriminatory against owners of cars purchased from other EU member states, the European Commission finds.

President Alar Karis the following month declined to give his assent to the bill in the form it was presented, arguing it discriminated against disabled vehicle owners.

In a precedent-setting case a man found guilty of desecrating the Estonian national anthem in a 2022 satirical video is fined over €15,000. The anti-desecration law had previously only applied to the Estonian flag, not the national anthem.

Estonia is hit by a near blizzard in late April, the first time snowfall of that volume had been seen at that time of year in over 30 years. Yet just a month later after a much hotter spell, firefighters have to battle hundreds of blazes of all sizes, including one major one at a landfill site.

May: 20 years since Estonia joined the EU

May 1 marked 20 years since Estonia joined the EU, a change made all the more poignant by Russia's invasion of EU aspiring member state Ukraine.

Latvia, Lithuania, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia also all joined the union on May 1, 2004, the largest single enlargement round since its establishment.

Another reminder of what is at stake is provided a little over a week later, when the controversial "Victory Day," celebrated in Russia and marking the end of World War Two, is also observed at the Bronze Soldier monument, as it is every year.

An outdoor screening of the Moscow parade from Ivangorod, Russia, can easily be seen and heard from the Narva side of the river, but seems to attract only a few curious viewers.

Prices at Estonian branches of discount supermarket chain Lidl are in many cases higher than those in its outlets in Finland, even as earnings are considerably higher on average in Estonia's neighbor to the north.

Estonia's 2024 Eurovision Song Contest entrants 5miinust and Puuluup finish 20th overall.

June: EU elections and eastern border closure

Estonia heads to the polls as does the whole EU, with an advance voting period followed by all 377 polling stations open a couple of days ahead of polling day, Sunday, June 9.

Isamaa is the big winner on the night, picking up two MEP seats where it previously had one. This is done at the expense of the Reform Party, which won only one seat.

A major rift in the opposition Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) begins over comments allegedly made by party founder Mart Helme about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and is followed by several leading members either being expelled from the party or leaving it.

Estonia closes its eastern border in Narva for two days, from the inside. It is still possible to return into Estonia, but not to leave it via Narva.

Holdups are soon seen at the southeastern border crossings to and from Russia, due to obstruction activities in the latter country.

Amateur divers find what is thought to be the wreck of an Estonian passenger aircraft shot down by Soviet planes over the Baltic Sea at the start of World War Two.

July: New government takes office

July starts with a bang after Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reform) announces she will resign to take up the EU's top foreign policy job. The news comes after months of speculation.

Reform's prime ministerial candidate Minister of Environment Kristen Michal launches negotiations with SDE, and Eesti 200 which last for several weeks, dominating the news cycle.

The three parties agree to raise taxes in the coming years to fund defense spending.

The new government takes office on July 23 and one of Michal's first calls is to Ukrainian President  Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Debate sparks after the Estonian Institute of Economic Research says Estonia is on track to become one of the top five most expensive countries in Europe.

August: Celebrations and commiserations

August is also a month of anniversaries, including the Restoration of independence on August 20.

The Estonian and Latvian presidents meet on the border to mark the 35th anniversary of the Baltic Way.

On the last day of the month, Estonia marks 30 years since the last Russian soldier left its territory on August 31, 1994 – more than 50 years after the Soviets occupied the country for a second time.

Several days before, part of the former Soviet submarine base at Hara Harbor crumbles into the sea.

Elsewhere, Estonia's athletes return home empty-handed from the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Estonia becomes the first Baltic state to be granted full CERN membership.

September: Estonian education reform begins

The long-awaited education reform, switching all remaining Russian language schools to Estonian language, begins on September 1. Minister of Education Kristina Kallas says the reform is 10 years too late, but better now than never.

More are anniversaries marked in September: The memory of Estonians who fled 80 years ago during World War Two; The 80th anniversary of the mass killing of Jews at the Klooga concentration camp; And the 30th anniversary of the Estonia ferry disaster.

The northern lights puts one of the first autumn displays in Estonian skies and experts predict many more over the coming winter.

Discussions about defense continue. Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform) says Estonia could buy weapons from Ukraine and Defense Forces (EDF) Commander Maj. Gen. Andrus Merilo says military cooperation between Finland and Estonia is increasingly focused on maritime defense.

President of Estonia Alar Karis visits Ukraine and over €510,000 in pledged in winter aid. Karis also calls for Security Council Reform during his speech at the UN's annual meeting.

Tallinn pledges to spend €100 million on public transport in the coming year, including a new tramline to Kristiine.

October: Voting rights in the spotlight

New NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visits Estonia, and the eastern flank, for the first time since taking office on October 1. He meets Estonian and NATO allied troops at Tapa Military base and praises Estonia's defense spending.

Discussions over removing voting rights from Russian and Belarusian citizens hot up in the Riigikogu, as parties start drafting legislation. SDE proposes a good behavior list the Internal Security Services can check – which is rebuffed by all parties and the ISS. Negotiations continue all month.

The Rail Baltic saga continues as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania wonder where to find additional funding. The blame game never ends. But building starts at Tallinn's Ülemiste terminal where the line will eventually start.

The Riigikogu recognizes mass deportation of Crimean Tatars as genocide.

De-Sovietization continues: Tallinn renames Lasnamäe's Moskva puiestee; a Tartu school removes Alexander Pushkin from its name; and a village seeks to break its Russian connection.

Tartu's former boiler house chimney is demolished, while Tallinn finally ends extensive construction work in the city center.

November: Kaja Kallas becomes EU's top diplomat

The U.S. elections dominate the news cycle for the first half of the month. Politicians and foreign policy experts say they have already prepared to work with President-elect Donald Trump, and that Estonia's foreign policy will not change overnight. Some predict that his second term will be different from the first. All call for Europe to increase defense spending.

Kaja Kallas' three-hour hearing is held at the European Commission to determine her suitability for the job of high commissioner. She is successful and becomes the first Estonian to hold such a high position.

The government denies it has "secret plans" to shutter Estonia's shale oil industry – Europe's most developed – by 2040. Prime Minister Kristen Michal denies the claims.

Residents complain about bad behavior in Tallinn's Old Town by young people questioning the area's safety. More police patrols are organized as a result.

Tallinn's Christmas market opens with a reduced time frame, closing before New Year. Officials say they are trying to attract Scandinavian tourists who travel before December 24, and that Estonians do not visit after. Locals complain about high prices.

At the end of the month, high-ranking members of the Estonian Defense Forces say planned wind farms on land and at sea negatively impact Estonia's ability to defend itself.

December: Sanctions and the shadow fleet

Tartu's year as the European Capital of Culture ends with a light show and open-air rave. Experts have mixed reviews on its success.

Estonia's beleaguered state-owned airline Nordica formally files for bankruptcy.

The Baltics take the lead in sanctioning Georgian officials over the violent treatment of protestors. Estonia issues travel bans to more than a dozen people.

Kaja Kallas makes her first official visit as high representative to Ukraine on the first day of her new term. Experts detect a shift in tone from her predecessors.

Prime Minister Kristen Michal hosts the annual Joint Expeditionary Force Summit. While targets on defense spending and ring-fenced support for Ukraine are missed, 12 countries agree to take steps against Russia's "shadow fleet."

On Christmas Day, the EstLink 2 electricity connection between Finland and Estonia breaks – the latest Baltic Sea undersea cable to suffer damage. The Finnish Coast Guard detains a ship from Russia's "shadow fleet" the following day.

Investigations are underway and will continue into 2025.

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