21.09.23 NEWS ... Prime Minister and incumbent Kaja Kallas would likely be the only candidate for chair of the coalition Reform Party at its general assembly this November, as her three potential opponents have said that they don't intend to run.

21.09.23 NEWS ... Government members were tight-lipped on the 2024 state budget, agreed in principle earlier this week, though they did reveal that next year's budget deficit will run at 2.8 percent of GDP – which translates to a borrowing requirement of €1.16 billion.

21.09.23 NEWS ... No human remains were found at the site of a purported mass war grave in the eastern Estonian border town of Narva, an excavation revealed.

21.09.23 NEWS ... The office of the chancellor of justice is always open to hearing about matters which affect people, including and especially those relating to kindergarten and school places, Ülle Madise, the current office-holder, says.

21.09.23 NEWS ... A senior reserve army officer and former NATO official has stepped down from the Center Party following the election of Mayor of Tallinn Mihhail Kõlvart as leader.

21.09.23 NEWS ... At the UN General Assembly, a meeting was held involving the presidents of the Baltic countries and Poland. The meeting focused on ways to find solutions to the issues related to Ukrainian grain transportation, as well as on the NATO summit, which will be held in Washington D.C. in 2024.

21.09.23 NEWS ... While the coalition has received much criticism over an apparent lack of dialogue over proposed new taxes, there is time until July next year to both have that discussion and to find means of making budgetary expense for the following year, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reform) says.

21.09.23 NEWS ... Based on the latest results from a survey conducted by pollsters Norstat, 62 percent of people think that the current Reform-Eesti 200-SDE government is performing poorly, while 64 percent do not approve of the prime minister's job performance.

20.09.23 NEWS ... Liina Kersna (Reform), former minister of education and current member of the Riigikogu, commented in the podcast "Otse uudistemajast" on the party's stance towards scandal-hit Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reform): "You have to stand up for your people, but at some point, standing up for them can start to work against them."

20.09.23 NEWS ... The Minister of Finance Mart Võrklaev (Reform) said that the implementation of the car tax was delayed to enable for a more in-depth, broad discussion.

20.09.23 NEWS ... Isamaa chair Urmas Reinsalu says Tuesday's between the coalition and the mostly foreign-owned banks in Estonia will clearly harm the Estonian economy further and take revenues out of the country.

20.09.23 NEWS ... The 2024 state budget, which the prime minister announced Tuesday afternoon is now ready for processing at the legislature, includes a broad-based national defense tax component, which will be covered in 2025 by the leftovers from the "empty" €400-million budget entry.

20.09.23 NEWS ... Differences of opinion with colleagues led to the resignation of a deputy secretary general at the Ministry of Social Affairs who had become quite prominent during the Covid pandemic.

20.09.23 NEWS ... Opposition party Isamaa has continued to see its support grow, now reaching a high for the past four-and-a-half years, according to one recent poll. Meanwhile, coalition party Eesti 200's support is at a near four-year low, the same poll finds.

20.09.23 NEWS ... The Riigikogu's board organizes the weekly work schedule at parliament so that hearings on interpellations and bills submitted by the opposition can only be processed on Monday's, Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi (Reform) says.

20.09.23 NEWS ... The Bank of Estonia (Eesti Pank) is not in favor of a government plan to replace Estonia's self-imposed budgetary discipline regime with the European Union's less strict rules, ETV news show "Aktuaalne kaamera" (AK) reported Tuesday.

20.09.23 NEWS ... The 2024 state budget will see a deficit of 2.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), Minister of Finance Mart Võrklaev (Reform) said Tuesday.

19.09.23 NEWS ... Mart Laar, former prime minister and long-time leader of the forerunner to day's Isamaa, and as such synonymous with the flat rate approach to taxation, told ERR that, instead of focusing on science and research, the government could cut down on bureaucracy in state institutions and leave business be.

19.09.23 NEWS ... A draft amendment to the State Budget Act is being expedited by the Ministry of Finance which would significantly relax budgetary rules set by Estonia in respect of moving towards a balanced budget.

19.09.23 NEWS ... Both the Ministry and Finance and the main business lobby group in Estonia are of a mind that even if it were to bring in additional revenues to the state, abolishing the current corporate tax exemption for retained company earnings would do more harm than good to the economy, and consequently the state budget.

19.09.23 NEWS ... A plan to build a seaside wooden "environmental house" (Keskkonnamaja) in Tallinn's Kalamaja district remains alive, several years after it first appeared. The building would be a showpiece example of Estonian wooden-building know-how and would house state agencies in the relevant fields.

19.09.23 NEWS ... The coalition Social Democratic Party (SDE) stands for the funding of education, party leader and Interior Minister Lauri Läänemets says, adding that until there is substantive agreement on a few final key areas between his party and its coalition partners, Reform and Eesti 200, it will be difficult to finalize the 2024 state budget.

19.09.23 NEWS ... Center Party Vice-Chair Jaan Toots has been tipped as a potential new mayor of the eastern Estonian city of Narva, regional daily Põhjarannik writes.

19.09.23 NEWS ... While a proposal aimed at setting up a dedicated investigative committee which would look at business activities involving the spouse of Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reform) was filed in time last week, this week's Riigikogu agenda had been finalized by that time, and so the item was not included, Deputy Riigikogu Speaker Toomas Kivimägi (Reform) says.

18.09.23 NEWS ... On Monday, the Riigikogu, following a proposal by Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise, voted to revoke EKRE MP Kert Kingo's parliamentary immunity in order to continue legal proceedings against her.

18.09.23 NEWS ... Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reform) said that since her trust has been breached, she will no longer submit documents to the Anti-Corruption Select Committee of the Riigikogu. According to Kallas, the commission is conducting a political trial of its own against her.

18.09.23 NEWS ... On Monday, Estonian Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise is set to make a proposal to the Riigikogu for the withdrawal of EKRE MP Kert Kingo's parliamentary immunity and the continuation of legal proceedings against her. Kingo herself will also make her own presentation before the Riigikogu regarding the matter.

16.09.23 NEWS ... Narva City Council decided to vote no confidence in Mayor Katri Raik (SDE) at an extraordinary session on Saturday.

16.09.23 NEWS ... The former deputy chair of the Center Party, Jaanus Karilaid, who promised before the Center Party leadership election that he would leave the party if Mihhail Kõlvart won, announced on Saturday that he had decided to join the national-conservative Isamaa.

15.09.23 NEWS ... Saturday is likely to see the vote of no confidence against Narva mayor Katri Raik (SDE) succeed. Raik already has a new job in Narva, but she intends to return to city administration as soon as possible.

15.09.23 NEWS ... During state budget discussions, opposition to the extraordinary tax on bank profits has decreased, according to Social Democrat Jevgeni Ossinovski. He said that amendments to the state budget basic legislation were also under consideration.

15.09.23 NEWS ... Around 40 people have left the Center Party in the wake of the election of Mayor of Tallinn Mihhail Kõlvart as new party leader last Sunday.

15.09.23 NEWS ... The expedited procedure for hiking the rate of environmental fees suggests that this is not a bill which contributes to environmental and climate goals, but instead a fiscal policy bill, one whose preparation did not involve entrepreneurs, Minister of IT and Economic Affairs Tiit Riisalo (Eesti 200) says.

15.09.23 NEWS ... Estonia is to terminate a legal assistance agreement it has with the Russian Federation, Minister of Justice Kalle Laanet (Reform) says.

15.09.23 NEWS ... Sixty-nine percent of respondents to a recent survey said they thought Kaja Kallas should step down as prime minister, in the wake of controversy over her husband's business activities, and the extent to which she was aware of them.

15.09.23 NEWS ... Day one of the 2024 state budget talks started off with the simpler questions, mostly revolving around individual ministers' plans for cuts, along with their concerns, ETV news show "Aktuaalne kaamera" (AK) reported Thursday.

15.09.23 NEWS ... The restful surroundings of the Vihula Manor Country Club and Spa in Lääne-Viru County were the scene of day one of a two-day cabinet session, which will hammer out the 2024 state budget.

14.09.23 NEWS ... Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said that no popular state budget decisions are expected to be made at the Vihula meeting. The Foreign Ministry has identified up to €1.4 million in savings.

14.09.23 NEWS ... Coalition politicians do not rule relaxing or otherwise changing state budget regulations they set for themselves during the coalition negotiations in spring, given the changed budgetary and economic situation compared with that forecast at the time, and the new-found need to make cuts of €200 million next year.

14.09.23 NEWS ... While the Internal Security Service (ISS) conducted its first and only security clearance check on Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reform) ahead of her ascending to that post in early 2021, it was another authority, the Foreign Intelligence Service (Välisluureamet).

14.09.23 NEWS ... A €350,000 loan the prime minister gave to a company owned by her spouse did not end up in last year's declaration of financial interests as a result of human error, the prime minister says.

14.09.23 NEWS ... While Center members leaving the party is a serious problem, time is needed to allow tensions to dissipate, new party leader Mihhail Kõlvart says.

14.09.23 NEWS ... The government is to meet at an out-of-town session today, Thursday, in order to discuss next year's state budget and state budget strategy. The finance minister has called for finding €200 million in cuts or via revenue sources, for the forthcoming 2024 state budget.

14.09.23 NEWS ... According to the amendments to the law governing Riigikogu elections as drawn up by the Ministry of Justice, the government would have more say in the organization of e-voting, which could raise doubts about the fairness of the elections. Justice Minister Kalle Laanet (Reform) rejects these claims.

14.09.23 NEWS ... Finance Minister Mart Võrklaev (Reform) on Tuesday sent for a three-day coordination round a draft bill which, were it to pass into law, will temporarily find extra sources of funding for the state, but at the expense of the legislature's options in having a say on making payments towards unexpected expenses.

14.09.23 NEWS ... Support for Kaja Kallas as prime minister has fallen to its lowest point of the year so far, according to a recent survey. Former Center Party leader Jüri Ratas polled ahead of her in the same survey, while the leaders of the other two opposition parties placed third and fourth.

14.09.23 NEWS ... The first day following a ban on Russian vehicles entry into Estonia passed relatively calmly at the Narva border checkpoint, ETV news show "Aktuaalne kaamera" (AK) reported, with vehicles bearing Russian license plates only seen leaving the country.

13.09.23 NEWS ... Latvia's prime ministerial candidate, Evika Siliņa, on Wednesday officially unveiled the provisional division of ministerial portfolios in her administration, public broadcaster LSM reports. That coalition will be subject to a vote at the Saeima, the Latvian parliament, later this week.

13.09.23 NEWS ... The City of Tallinn says it aims to build three new schools and a further five kindergartens in the next four years.

13.09.23 NEWS ... The election of a new party leader is always followed by an exodus of members, Center Party Vice-Chair Jaan Toots says, and last weekend's election of Mayor of Tallinn Mihhail Kõlvart, to replace Jüri Ratas, whose term ended, is no exception.