17.01.23 FEATURE ... Officially illegal yet flourishing under a unique tacit agreement with city authorities, street art in Tartu is becoming an integral part of the city's identity, similarly to Bristol, Berlin and Amsterdam. Tartu's street art has risen from the underground to museum archives, and will even be celebrated as part of the official Tartu 2024 European Capital of Culture program.
16.01.23 NEWS ... Svetlana Štšur writes about how the mentality of Homo Sovieticus and the inertia of old mindsets continue to shape Russians' attitudes, including towards the war in Ukraine.
13.01.23 FEATURE ... In the podcast series 'Estonia Explained', historian and ERR journalist Maarja Merivoo-Parro provides an insider's view into topics that might seem bewildering to people who are not from this neck of the woods. Part five examines the sauna culture.
11.01.23 INTERVIEWS ... After 30 years, Estonia's words carry just as much weight as those of France and Germany within the European Union, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reform) said in an end-of-year interview, while speaking about the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis and the future.
01.01.23 NEWS ... ERR News takes a brief look at the year ahead.
30.12.22 NEWS ... The ERR News team sums up the outgoing year, with a month-by-month overview of more important events and developments in Estonia in 2022.
02.12.22 NEWS ... As Tartu gears up to become 2024 European Capital of Culture, discontent amongst those working in some of the city's cultural institutions has reached breaking point. With talks of a strike in the air, ERR News tried to find out how it has come to this, and what the impact might be on cultural life in the city.
21.11.22 2023 ELECTIONS ... Estonia's national elections are held every four years and the next vote will take place in 2023. ERR News lays out the basic facts.
16.11.22 NEWS ... On Tuesday, Minister of Education and Research Tõnis Lukas (Isamaa) announced a draft proposal to amend the Language Act. According to Lukas, the proposal aims to reflect changes in Estonian society by addressing the "low or nonexistent Estonian language knowledge of many employees in the service sector," including food couriers. ERR News spoke to two of Estonia's leading food delivery platforms about the proposal, before hitting the streets of Tartu to get the views of couriers themselves.
11.11.22 NEWS ... What started as a group of Erasmus students going to football matches in Tartu, soon grew into a close-knit community. Throw a bunch of flares and a drummer playing with some heart and soul into the mix, and it's easy to see how things can be taken to a whole new level, writes Michael Cole.
10.11.22 FEATURE ... During the Estonian winter, it is mandatory to wear a reflector both inside and outside cities when it gets dark. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the rule and ERR News looks at its impact.
04.11.22 FEATURE INTERVIEWS ... Curiosity and part-Estonian heritage were the key reasons Kirsten, a 21-year-old American studying international business management at Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) decided to come to Estonia, even as the dark fall days and a far more reserved populace sometimes make this a challenge, she tells state integration program New in Estonia.
19.10.22 FEATURE ... After running a survey on social media to figure out expats' favorite coffee places in Tallinn, ERR News contributor Svetlana Štšur decided to deep dive into the coffee world with Jozo, an expat and professional barista from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
12.10.22 NEWS ... The recent news that a Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU) vessel carrying Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) would be sailing to to Finland rather than to Estonia, albeit to supply both countries, is the latest chapter in a saga going back a decade-and-a-half, linking the politics of both countries, and that of Latvia and Lithuania, not to mention the European Union, with the use of natural gas as a weapon on the part of the Russian Federation.
08.10.22 FEATURE ... Autumn is a beautiful season in Estonia. After striving to get the most out of a short northern summer, the arrival of autumn in Tallinn makes it guilt-free for us to spend quality time indoors, enjoying the little things to keep us happy (and sane) for the rest of the dark and cold season, Svetlana Štšur writes as she ranks Tallinn's cafes based on the preferences of expats.
07.10.22 FEATURE ... Third country citizens' voting rights have been thrown into the headlines in recent weeks as political parties discuss rolling them back in the name of national security. But how many of these citizens cast a ballot in Estonia's elections? And where do they come from? ERR News looked at the data (and for EU citizens too).
06.10.22 NEWS ... Estonia's eastern border is currently under particular pressure from people fleeing Russia and Ukraine. How do Estonian border guards decide who to allow into the country and who not? ETV investigative program "Pealtnägija" was granted rare access and spent a Friday shadowing the work of officials at Narva's border checkpoint.
22.08.22 FEATURE ... Change isn't easy, even if, in the end, it's what more and more people in Narva want, Michael Cole writes.
20.07.22 NEWS ... While the principles agreed by the new coalition to mitigate the effects of the energy crisis will help to alleviate its symptoms, the electricity market needs deeper reform, says Arvi Hamburg, chairman of the Energy Council of the Estonian Academy of Sciences. The entire Baltic and Nordic region requires a comprehensive and consistent energy development strategy.
15.07.22 NEWS ... Svetlana Štšur polled and interviewed expats in Tallinn about their favorite meeting and free time spots in Tallinn this summer.
14.07.22 NEWS ... On Thursday, the three coalition parties put forward candidates for ministers of the next government. There are old and new faces. ERR News introduces them.
23.06.22 NEWS ... Estonia was at the forefront of the transition to a Western system of competitive research funding in the early 1990s. However, the doctoral dissertation of the Estonian researcher demonstrates that, at least initially, the change was nominal and did not transcend Soviet-era practices of funding allocation. Moreover, social science and humanities scholars are currently entangled in a research funding structure that disregards their professional development needs.
22.06.22 NEWS ... Flavien Delhaye, a French entrepreneur, moved to Tallinn in January to create his private limited company, known in Estonia as an osaühing. The young digital nomad came with one aim: being free of French administrative and fiscal constraints.
22.06.22 NEWS ... Estonia ranked fourth out of 180 countries in the 2021 Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index. While Estonia has consistently been close to the top of the RWB ranking, fourth place is the country's highest to date. ERR News discussed media freedom in Estonia with head of news for ERR Anvar Samost.
20.06.22 NEWS ... On the occasion of the basic school graduation ceremony for ninth grade students on Friday, Peter Pedak, director of the Tallinn French Lyceum, revisits the history of the school.
17.06.22 FEATURE ... Today (June 17), Estonia and Georgia celebrate the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. ERR News spoke to the Georgian Ambassador to Estonia Archil Karaulashvili about plans to further develop economic relations, EU membership aspirations and Russia's war in Ukraine.
14.06.22 UKRAINE LATEST ... Since Russia launched its full-scale war in Ukraine, millions of Ukrainians have fled to safety in the European Union. Some of those people make their way through Russia and cross into the EU via Estonia. Many of those in transit need assistance and one NGO Friends of Mariupol has sprung up to help. ERR News spoke to the organization's spokesperson Aleksandra Averjanova to find out what it does and why it formed.
11.06.22 NEWS ... Last month two Estonian restaurants were awarded Michelin stars — the first in Estonia. ERR News spoke with 180 Degrees' head chef Matthias Diether about the award, working in Estonia and why the hospitality industry.
29.05.22 FEATURE ... It was a changed security situation after 2014 led directly to the formation of the NATO enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battlegroup based at Tapa, transforming the town of a little over 5,000 inhabitants, and about an hour's drive east of Tallinn, into a hive of activity and endeavor.
15.05.22 FEATURE ... 'History is more interesting than politics,' Lennart Meri, president of Estonia 1992-2001, is reported to have said. History is, perhaps, sometimes more surprising than politics too.
14.05.22 FEATURE ... In the ongoing absence of a new ambassador, U.S. Embassy Charge d'Affaires Brian Roraff remains the ranking U.S. diplomat currently serving in Estonia. Tallinn is not his first assignment in the region, however, and as he said in a longer recent interview with ERR News, he knew the focus of the U.S.-Estonian relationship would be security and NATO cooperation.
13.05.22 FEATURE ... Svetlana Štšur interviews young Ukrainians Valeriia and Yelyzaveta on their upbringing in Ukraine as Russian-speaking Ukrainians, the feeling of guilt that a lot of Ukrainians experience outside of Ukraine and their relationships with their Russian friends and relatives.
03.05.22 FEATURE ... Ukrainian refugee Valentyna and her daughter Liza, who has been living in Estonia since 2017, talk to Svetlena Štšur about her escape from Ukraine and welcome in Romania, Poland and Estonia.
27.04.22 FEATURE ... For Estonian IT entrepreneur and angel investor Ragnar Sass, the war in Ukraine is more personal than most. ERR News spoke to the Salto-X and Pipedrive co-founder about his efforts to take humanitarian aid to the war-torn country, his business interests there and the Estonian startup scene.
07.04.22 FEATURE ... The generations born after the Baltic states regained their independence have not directly experienced what their elders suffered during the Soviet occupation. But tales run in families and influence the way young people look at the Russian invasion in Ukraine. These are their stories.
30.03.22 NEWS ... A roundup of Estonian news and events taking place around the world between March 30 – April 6.
29.03.22 FEATURE ... Estonia's city of good thoughts welcomes Ukrainian refugees, Michael Cole writes.
28.03.22 FEATURE ... I desperately want to believe that the Russian military simply sucks – not that Russian soldiers purposefully destroy hospitals and kindergartens. If they do that intentionally, my worldview, which has been quite shaken recently, will be destroyed completely, Russian dissident Nikolay Artemenko says in an interview.
23.03.22 NEWS ... A roundup of Estonian news and events taking place around the world between March 23-30.
15.03.22 UKRAINE LATEST ... Russia aims to destroy Ukraine if it cannot conquer the country, Ukrainian Ambassador to Estonia Mariana Betsa said. In a lengthy interview, Betsa spoke about her main duties during the war; refugees and the founding of a Ukrainian school in Estonia; and why Ukrainians will fight for Kyiv until their last breaths.
07.03.22 UKRAINE LATEST ... In the early hours of February 24, Russia invaded Ukraine having spent months massing troops on the border and saying no invasion was planned. Ukrainians living in Estonia told ETV+'s weekly show "Insight" how they and their loved ones reacted to the outbreak of war in their homeland.
01.03.22 NEWS ... This year, March 1 is Vastlapäev (Shrove Tuesday) in Estonia which means the time has come to — officially — eat vastlakuklid, buns topped with whipped cream, marzipan, jam or many other things. But where did they come from?
20.12.21 FEATURE ... Podcasting is hardly a new phenomenon, and Estonia is often referred to as one of the foremost digital states globally, so it will come as no surprise that there is a multitude of podcasts out there about different aspects of the country, including many in English.
30.11.21 NEWS ... Refugees from Syria, Iran and Turkey visited ETV's talk show "Hommik Anuga" over the weekend to speak about why they had to leave their home countries and why they chose Estonia. They said Estonians' fear of refugees is understandable.
16.10.21 FROM THE EDITORS ... On Monday, Kersti Kaljulaid handed the presidential chain over to Alar Karis, bringing her single term in office to a close. But what did Estonia's fifth president achieve, how was she viewed domestically and internationally and how will she be remembered? ERR News asked the experts.
23.09.21 NEWS ... ETV's investigative TV show "Pealtnägija" interviewed Ali Afzali, an Aghan who worked with an Estonian NGO in Afghanistan, and fled with his family last month after the Taliban seized control of the country.
06.09.21 NEWS ... Last week Alar Karis was elected the next president of Estonia. ETV's current affairs show "Aktuaalne kaamera. nadal" interviewed experts and asked what he should focus on during his five-year term of office and how much influence he will have on domestic politics.
02.09.21 NEWS ... During her five-year term of office, President Kersti Kaljulaid has made over 100 foreign visits, met with dozens of world leaders and participated in many high-profile agenda-setting international forums. ERR spoke to experts to see how they assess Kaljulaid's foreign policy.
21.08.21 2021 ELECTIONS ... On August 30, the Estonian parliament will vote for a new president and it's fair to say that this election is different from previous years. ERR News outlines the background, process and what can be expected over the coming weeks.
26.08.21 FEATURE ... Thursday, August 26, marks the thirtieth anniversary of the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between Iceland and Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
