Skip to main menu 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 ... Estonia's National Library (Eesti Rahvusraamatukogu/ RaRa) contains approximately 9,000 historic French works and, now, for the first time, they have been mapped and studied. French cultural historian Dr Sophie Turner told ERR News about her experience and discoveries.
11.03.24 NEWS ... I have asked Prosecutor General Andres Parmas to take a look at criminal cases of heightened public interest before they go to court in order to rule out repercussions for the prosecution office, Justice Minister Kalle Laanet (Reform) told ERR's "Uudis+" program.
06.03.24 NEWS ... Exactly 80 years ago, the Soviet Army launched bombing raids on Narva, Estonia's eastern border city, as it tried to retake territory from the Germans. A new exhibition launches at Narva Castle today, explaining the event. ERR News spoke to the museum's Head of Collections and Exhibitions Zurab Jänes about its significance and parallels with Russia's current war in Ukraine.
05.03.24 NEWS ... Despite EU sanctions, the Russian economy has not retracted and is instead growing, while many Estonian businesses continue to do business with the eastern neighbor. Businessman Oleg Ossinovski tells "Impulss" about the ethical side of continuing to do business with Russia and why have sanctions failed to brought the Russian economy to its knees.
04.03.24 NEWS ... Art critic and curator Hanno Soans said that "Hetk" taps into the worst nightmares of Estonians and cuts through every stratum of society. He said the reaction showed how sanitized our media reception is and how accustomed we have become to the horrors of war not far from us.
03.03.24 NEWS ... Writer Rain Raud tells ERR in an interview that thinking about themselves as a free nation, Estonians must realize that they are multifaceted, have plurality of opinion and it is entirely normal for people to take a different view. That is why it would be wrong to try and phrase a single narrative for all of Estonia.
01.03.24 NEWS ... Outgoing commander of the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) Gen. Martin Herem said on Vikerraadio's "Vikerhommik" on Friday that Maj. Gen. Veiko-Vello Palm, the commander of the Estonian Division who recently announced his retirement from active duty, had been prepared to continue serving under the new EDF chief. Herem admitted that maybe should have done a better job getting certain reserve and retired officers into his space, as that may have meant fewer attacks against the EDF and its leaders.
01.03.24 NEWS ... Züleyxa Izmailova, a member of the Eesti 200 party's board, said in an interview with ERR that mistrust and tensions in the party's board, leading to a "conflict of values," have been going on for some time and are affecting the party's rating.
29.02.24 NEWS ... Commenting on Maj. Gen. Veiko-Vello Palm's recently announced decision to retire from active duty, Gen. Martin Herem, commander of the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF), said that the lack of trust in Palm expressed in the media in recent weeks also had a role in this decision. Herem believes that retired officers and politicians have unduly disparaged the Estonian Division commander.
28.02.24 NEWS ... Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine is a matter of survival for the country as it and its people will be destroyed should they lose. At the same time, the regime in Russia might also collapse should it fail to win the war, Ukrainian Ambassador to Estonia Maksym Kononenko tells ERR in an interview.
27.02.24 NEWS ... Russa is a dangerous place for Russians and foreigners alike, U.S. Ambassador to Estonia George P Kent said during an interview with "Välisilm". The diplomat said he is confident the U.S. support package for Ukraine will be passed, and discussed U.S.-Estonia relations, Donald Trump, and NATO.
26.02.24 NEWS ... Two years ago, when Russia started a full-scale war in Ukraine, everyone thought Russia had some sort of pain threshold. But now, it's pointless to even measure or hope for it, said Gen. Martin Herem, the commander of the Estonian Defense Forces, in an interview with ERR.
24.02.24 NEWS ... In an interview with ERR, Col. Mati Tikerpuu, the 2nd Infantry Brigade commander, said that the full-scale war in Ukraine, which began two years ago, showed Westerners that wars still exist. He said that the war in Ukraine shows how Russia fights, which helps to prepare, but also confirms that the preparations made so far have been in the right direction.
16.02.24 NEWS ... In an interview with ERR, MEP Andrus Ansip (Reform) said he was ready to run in the European elections, but had not yet made a final decision.
15.02.24 NEWS ... Martin Helme, EKRE chair, said that the Supreme Court decision has stripped the opposition of all political influence in parliament. Politics will become more aggressive and more confrontations will occur.
13.02.24 NEWS ... The Kremlin's initial, stated goals in initiating the war on Ukraine have become obscured, or even completely forgotten, during the two years since the invasion began, Estonia's former ambassador to Moscow and historian Margus Laidre said in an interview.
10.02.24 NEWS ... Commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade Col. Andrus Merilo, told "AK" that his nomination as a candidate for the EDF chief did not surprise him, but the offer came sooner than expected. The final rationale was that the threat of possible war in Estonia is serious and must be addressed.
07.02.24 NEWS ... It is a principle not just for Estonia, but the whole of NATO that whoever takes so much as a single step across the border gets a bloody nose, Estonian Division commander Maj. Gen. Veiko-Vello Palm says in an interview to ERR. He remarks that Estonia's small size means that every meter of ground is precious and should not be surrendered without a fight.
07.02.24 NEWS ... Jerry Mercury asks Andrea Stanislav about the performance "Reflect-Narva" and its place in the context of the artist's creative life.
06.02.24 NEWS ... Russia could keep the war going by switching to a planned economy, Jamestown Foundation senior research fellow, and non-resident senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) Pavel Luzin tells ERR in an interview. He finds the war in Ukraine to be one of storage facilities, with Russia pulling weapons out while not being able to replace them.
31.01.24 NEWS ... During a visit to North America, President of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar (Eesti 200) and his Latvian and Lithuanian counterparts Daiga Mierina and Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen met with U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) in Washington on Tuesday to discuss aid to Ukraine. Hussar confirmed that Johnson recognizes the Baltics' contributions to defense.
26.01.24 INTERVIEWS ... At ERR News we have covered plenty of aspects of the British and American NATO deployments to Estonia, on land, sea, and air, but what about the third major contributing nation and arguably the military with the best ration packs, France?
24.01.24 NEWS ... While the Western countries did consider the possibility of Russia putting NATO to the test in the past, they now hold it more likely as Russia has not eased up in Ukraine, Gen. Martin Herem, commander of the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF), tells ERR in an interview.
21.01.24 NEWS ... Former Internal Security Service (ISS) Director General Arnold Sinisalu (2013-2023) tells ERR in an interview that Russian intelligence takes a considerable interest in Estonia and talks about the recent arrest of a university professor on suspicions of working for Russian special services.
15.01.24 NEWS ... Former PPA head Elmar Vaher proposes several internal security reform ideas in an interview to ERR. The ex-police chief would close the Paikuse Police and Border Guard College, moving the teaching of several subjects to universities, have three police prefectures instead of the current four and replace police officers with technology in traffic supervision.
14.01.24 NEWS ... With a best case scenario of just a few months from now, the Reform Party is actively working toward unseating the ruling Center Party in the Estonian capital, Pärtel-Peeter Pere, the newly elected chair of Reform's Tallinn chapter, told ERR on Saturday.
12.01.24 NEWS ... It is almost impossible to form a coalition without the Center Party in Tallinn because members of the opposition have a difficult relationship and a one-vote majority would not hold, Tallinn city councilman Mart Kallas (EKRE) tells ERR in an interview.
09.01.24 NEWS ... The failure of the U.S. and its allies to support Ukraine has global implications as it encourages Iran, North Korea, and China, Gen. Ben Hodges, the former commanding general of the United States Army Europe, told "Välisilm". He also said NATO should shoot down missiles fired by Russia at Ukraine's civilian infrastructure, comparing the situation to the Middle East.
08.01.24 NEWS ... The current static state of the war in Ukraine is inevitable and what happens when a major force meets another and finds itself unable to overcome it. But the Russians are willing to expend a countless number of lives, tanks and IFVs, head of the Defense League School, Maj. Rene Toomse tells ERR in an interview.
03.01.24 NEWS ... The Estonian Division, which has now been operating for a year, has taken Estonia's defensive capacity to a new level, its commander, Maj. Gen. Veiko-Vello Palm tells ERR in an end-of-year interview. The general also says that Ukraine's stout resistance is the only thing holding back Russia and that Estonia faces the greatest security threat since regaining independence.
29.12.23 NEWS ... The government should admit not everyone finds it equally easy to cope, tone down its arrogance in favor of more empathy. Understanding and putting in a good word is a good start, President Alar Karis says in his end of the year interview to ERR.
28.12.23 NEWS ... President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, who recently turned 70, told ERR in an interview that Prime Minister Kaja Kallas is the most influential leader in Central and Eastern Europe when it comes to foreign policy and the intellectual superior of the leaders of larger Western powers. Ilves considers criticism of Kallas to be blown out of proportion.
27.12.23 NEWS ... Former ISS Director Arnold Sinisalu, as co-author of the end-of-year special of "Pealtnägija," interviews Estonia's last ambassador to Moscow Margus Laidre.
24.12.23 NEWS ... Estonia's referendum on religious education in 1923 was a bitter religious-secular standoff, driven by left-wing politicians. Today, while religion is not included in the national curriculum, a Tartu University survey shows that a level of religious intolerance among pupils is alarming. Archbishop Urmas Viilma has called for a referendum, but researchers disagree: the reintroduction of religion into the national curriculum must be a political decision.
22.12.23 NEWS ... New Narva Mayor Jaan Toots tells ERR in an interview that while the city's teachers are busy learning Estonian, Narva will likely need an extension for switching to teaching fully in Estonian.
22.12.23 NEWS ... Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) revealed some of the underlying situation surrounding apparent tensions in the coalition which emerged this week, including matters surrounding the state budget, in a long interview with ERR which follows in its entirety.
21.12.23 NEWS ... Prime Minister Kaja Kallas tells ERR in an interview that she is satisfied with the work of Minister of Finance Mart Võrklaev, including his recent statement according to which Estonia should drop €400 million in planned tax hikes.
14.12.23 NEWS ... Estonia's Kristin Tattar is currently the best women's disc golfer in the world. Speaking on radio show "Vikerhommik," Tattar said that disc golf has led her on a journey of self-discovery, along which she has also learned the importance of asking for help.
14.12.23 NEWS ... According to Andres Lindemann, responsible for the Rail Baltica project at the Ministry of Climate, Estonia's position is that if the execution of Rail Baltica through Riga endangers the completion of the main line by 2030, the construction of the Riga connection should be postponed, and the focus should be on the Tallinn-Warsaw main line. Lindemann states that initially, one set of tracks is just as good as two.
04.12.23 NEWS ... Giving up ministry souvenir supplies could save symbolic amounts, but eliminating some state services would save much more, State Secretary Taimar Peterkop told ERR's "Terevisioon." He also said that Christmas bonuses were not to be canceled and that each ministry could decide how to pay them.
30.11.23 NEWS ... Forest management will have to be adjusted in response to our ecological indicators, which means that consensus-building among various stakeholders is not paramount in the question of forest management, Mikk Marran, chair of the State Forest Management Center (RMK), said in an interview with ERR.
28.11.23 NEWS ... Allan Puur, Tallinn University professor of population sciences, tells ERR in an interview that births are down by a quarter over the last four years in Estonia, whereas the slump has been the steepest in the last two years. He gives soaring cost of living as the main short-term reason.
28.11.23 NEWS ... Estonian and Latvian ministers putting themselves forward as "unofficial candidates" for NATO's secretary general can "force the discussion" about who can lead the alliance, Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Krisjanis Karins said in an interview with ERR News. Karins announced his interest in the job earlier this month.
27.11.23 NEWS ... Russia's losses are not high enough for it to end the war in Ukraine, said Estonian Defense Forces chief Gen. Martin Herem and the Ministry of Defense's top official Kusti Salm on Monday. The pair were also against the formation of a civil defense service which has been discussed in recent days.
27.11.23 NEWS ... Writer, long-time diplomat and politician Jaak Jõerüüt tells ERR in an interview that ratings are supposed to fluctuate, giving the example of Sweden where a single party remaining in power for a long time has created both prosperity but also dangerous naivety.
26.11.23 NEWS ... Minister of Health Riina Sikkut (SDE) is set to propose to the cabinet ways of reducing the Estonian Health Insurance Fund's mounting deficit for the coming years. As the board will be short €150 million by 2025, the ministry proposes moving children's medical expenses out of its budget.
23.11.23 NEWS ... Estonian officials have been ready to face a so-called migration attack from Russia for a long time – the only real question was when it would occur, Veiko Kommusaar, deputy director general at the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) said. ERR News outlines the situation and what could happen next.
19.11.23 NEWS ... Lotte films, television programs, and characters are so popular in Estonia that a Lotte Village Theme Park, Lottemaa, has been built. In an interview with Kaspar Viilup, Lotte universe creator Heiki Ernits talks about the brand.
19.11.23 NEWS ... Estonia has already pledged approximately €25 million to help rebuild Ukraine – next year's budget permitting. ERR News spoke to Margus Gering, head of the Ukrainian Development and Cooperation Program at the Estonian Center for International Development (ESTDEV) about plans, priorities, and why work needs to start now.