Skip to main menu 11.02.25 NEWS ... Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa Pakosta (E200) is visiting Saudi Arabia from February 8–12 to participate in a technology conference and meet with members of the government.
08.02.25 NEWS ... A Russian repair ship on the Gulf of Finland is currently within Finland's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) repairing an undersea cable, the Finnish Coast Guard reported Saturday afternoon.
08.02.25 NEWS ... Commenting on Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania's departure from the Russian-controlled IPS/UPS energy grid, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the move a harmful step for the Baltics. The Estonian foreign minister disagrees.
07.02.25 NEWS ... Estonia's development cooperation center and several local NGOs have put some of their work on hold after U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to halt foreign aid agency USAID's activities for 90 days. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hopes the confusion can be resolved.
06.02.25 NEWS ... To ensure long-term global security, Europe and the United States of America must convincingly prove that they can counter hostile powers successfully, Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said during a visit to Washington this week.
06.02.25 NEWS ... Estonia and Taiwan will cooperate to donate over 1 million medical masks to Ukraine to help Ukrainian health care institutions and units of the Ukrainian Defence Forces.
05.02.25 NEWS ... Kristi Raik, director of the International Center for Defense and Security (ICDS), said Estonia and other countries in the region, which are heavily dependent on the United States for security, must find a new approach to foreign policy to maintain their alliance.
05.02.25 NEWS ... An Elron train arrived at Riga Central Railway Station for the first time on Tuesday at 5:46 p.m. after a test run on Latvia's railways. The connection is expected to launch this summer.
03.02.25 NEWS ... On Sunday, President Alar Karis granted the lifelong ambassadorial rank to six diplomats. The last time a head of state awarded lifelong ambassadorial titles was five years ago.
03.02.25 NEWS ... Two people were killed on Sunday evening after an Estonian passenger coach belonging to Lux Express and a snowplow collided in Russia.
02.02.25 NEWS ... Ukraine's continued attacks on Russian oil infrastructure demonstrate its ability to carry out actions with global impact which could benefit the country during any future peace negotiations, experts said.
02.02.25 NEWS ... At Monday's informal EU General Affairs Council meeting, European defense readiness will be discussed. Opposition MP Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa) said Estonia should use the opportunity to discuss modifying the emissions trading system (ETS) so it can be used for controllable capacities, such as oil shale power plants, for energy security.
01.02.25 NEWS ... Norwegian authorities have released a Russian-crewed Norwegian cargo ship that had been suspected of recently damaging a Swedish-Latvian telecommunications cable in the Baltic Sea. According to the police, no link to the incident was found.
31.01.25 NEWS ... Speaking on ERR radio show "Vikerhommik," U.K. Ambassador to Estonia Ross Allen said that he really likes the complicated grammar of the Estonian language and is always grateful when people speak Estonian to him. Allen said he is now aiming to take part in this year's Estonian Song Festival and so is putting a lot of hard work into choir rehearsals ahead of the upcoming auditions.
31.01.25 NEWS ... This week, Estonia opened new honorary consulates in Portland and San Francisco to help Estonian companies and citizens, as well as contribute to cooperation between Estonia and the United States.
31.01.25 NEWS ... U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised NATO's eastern member states, including Estonia, for their respective national defense contributions, while criticizing wealthy Western European countries that he claimed depend on the U.S. for security.
29.01.25 NEWS ... Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform) has floated the idea of a Baltic Sea shipping tax to fund the protection of undersea cables after a spate of breakages over the last 18 months, the Straits Times reported.
29.01.25 NEWS ... The Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA) is set to elect a new rector this coming Friday, at a time when candidates debate whether the university should take political stances amid strong pro-Palestinian activism on campus.
28.01.25 NEWS ... Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) held his first phone call with new U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday.
28.01.25 NEWS ... Liquefied natural gas can be purchased from U.S. and Norway instead of Russia, said Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) on Tuesday, commenting on Germany's increased imports of LNG in 2024. He also pointed out Estonia has stopped using Russian gas since 2022.
28.01.25 NEWS ... The European Union has the remarkable ability to show the United States that engaging in a trade war is not in Americans' interest, said former foreign minister and current MEP Sven Mikser (SDE/S&D).
28.01.25 NEWS ... The European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has stressed the need for more investment in defense, while keeping in mind that the bloc's funds still constitute taxpayer money.
28.01.25 NEWS ... Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform) on Monday made his first official visit to South Korea and said the two countries want to improve cooperation.
27.01.25 NEWS ... "Never again" must be more than a phrase and must become a reality, Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said on Monday on the 80th anniversary of the Holocaust.
27.01.25 NEWS ... While acknowledging the need for a clearer China policy, Minister of the Interior and Social Democratic Party (SDE) chair Lauri Läänemets admits he is puzzled by recent Chinese New Year celebrations organized in cooperation with the Chinese Embassy by Kohtla-Järve Mayor and fellow party member Henri Kaselo.
27.01.25 NEWS ... Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) criticized the Chinese New Year celebrations held this weekend and said it was disheartening to see events funded by China. He said "soft power" aims to create division.
27.01.25 NEWS ... Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) postponed a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio because the ministers could not agree on a mutually suitable time.
27.01.25 NEWS ... A Chinese New Year celebration held in the eastern Estonian town of Kohtla-Järve represented a cultural initiative aimed at easing tensions in relations, the city's mayor said Monday. The event was held in cooperation with the Chinese Embassy in Estonia.
27.01.25 NEWS ... A joint statement issued by the eight Nordic and Baltic countries said Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko "continues to lack any democratic legitimacy" after "sham" presidential elections were held on Sunday.
26.01.25 NEWS ... The underwater optical cable of Latvia's State Radio and Television Center (LVRTC) was damaged in the Baltic Sea on Sunday morning, the center informed the LETA news agency. Estonia's politicians are in contact with their Latvian and Swedish counterparts.
25.01.25 NEWS ... The Estonian Center for International Development (ESTDEV) has joined forces with UNICEF to help foster language skills and social cohesion among ethnic minority children in Georgia. Bilingual teachers from different kindergartens are meeting with Estonian experts to share their experiences as well as the challenges they have encountered since the project began.
24.01.25 NEWS ... U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to cut oil prices is an effective way to influence the course of the Russia-Ukraine war, but may not be enough to end it, experts say.
24.01.25 NEWS ... The Riigikogu's Foreign Affairs Committee will not recognize the so-called presidential elections in Belarus on Sunday taking place under the strict control of Alexander Lukashenko's regime.
23.01.25 NEWS ... Members of Estonia's parliament will not recognize the legitimacy of Georgia's government and president. In a joint statement, it said it continues to support civil society and former head of state Salome Zourabichvili .
22.01.25 NEWS ... U.S. President Donald Trump's call for the European Union to spend more on its own defense should be taken seriously, according to EU foreign policy chief and former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.
21.01.25 NEWS ... According to a report by independent Russian-language media outlet Mediazona, Narva Museum Director Maria Smorzhevskikh-Smirnova has been arrested in absentia by Moscow's Basmanny District Court due to spreading "fake news about the Russian military." Smorzhevskikh-Smirnova told ERR that she considers the ruling a "great honor."
21.01.25 NEWS ... Syrians who sought international protection in Estonia cannot be forced to return to Syria and any choice must be made independently and voluntarily, said Eero Janson, head of the Estonian Refugee Council. Last month, the foreign minister said the policy would not be extended after the fall of the Assad regime, but according to the Ministry of the Interior, no changes are planned.
21.01.25 NEWS ... For the next four years, with Donald Trump as president of the United States, Europe cannot expect the continuation of what has felt like a natural special relationship with the U.S., as Europe will be seen by the Trump administration as just one region among many in the world, Riigikogu member Raimond Kaljulaid (SDE) told ERR.
21.01.25 NEWS ... Attempts by US President Donald Trump to tweak the current global economic system to better suit American businesses could disrupt the balance, says political observer and technology entrepreneur Lauri Almann.
21.01.25 NEWS ... Authors of a new report about the future of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) cooperation format say "out of the box" thinking is needed as the organization has gradually lost its purpose over the last 20 years.
20.01.25 NEWS ... Estonia's top officials on Monday congratulated Donald Trump on assuming office as the 47th president of the United States.
21.01.25 NEWS ... The role of business leaders in the second Donald Trump administration in the United States seems to be greater than in his previous one, or in those of other presidents, at least going on the spectacle of his inauguration, political analyst and US expert Andreas Kaju said.
21.01.25 NEWS ... When dealing with U.S. President Donald Trump, Europe must be confident, communicate clearly and demonstrate values that resonate with Trump, including strength, said Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Jonatan Vseviov on the "Välisilm" foreign affairs talk show.
21.01.25 NEWS ... The U.S. Ambassador to Estonia George P Kent's posting to Tallinn is almost over and he will leave soon after President Donald Trump takes office. In a final interview with ERR, he speaks about the U.S.– Estonia relationship, Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and what he will miss most about the country.
21.01.25 NEWS ... It is hard at this point in time to assess the impact of newly inaugurated President of the United States Donald Trump on the global and European economies, some economic analysts in Estonia say, since it is unclear which pledges he will get to fulfill, and to what extent.
20.01.25 NEWS ... Security experts Erkki Koort, Marek Kohv and Meelis Oidsalu have cast doubt on a claim published in The Washington Post, which cited anonymous sources suggesting that security agencies investigating the damage to undersea cables in the Baltic Sea believe the incident was an accident rather than sabotage.
20.01.25 NEWS ... Estonia sent a nine-trailer mobile demining camp to Ukraine this weekend to help clear ordinances threatening civilian lives, hindering economic development and reconstruction efforts.
20.01.25 NEWS ... Opposition Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) leader Martin Helme is one of just two Estonian citizens to be attending the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States of America today, Monday.
20.01.25 NEWS ... While Norway and Estonia may seem far apart, the two countries share many similarities when it comes to defense and their eastern neighbor. In short, what happens in the Baltic effects the Arctic, and vice versa. ERR News spoke with Norwegian Ambassador Marius Dirdal about the security situation in the High North, Russia and Norway's activity in the Baltics.
17.01.25 NEWS ...
New U.S. restrictions on AI chip exports will hold back Estonia's digital and technological development, computer scientists believe. Additionally, they say this is a deliberate attempt to weaken the European Union's competitiveness.