Skip to main menu 17.03.24 OPINION ... Talking about the sphere of information and media use of people in Estonia, it would be a big mistake to generalize and suggest that the Estonian-speaking part of the population is this way and the Russian-speaking that way, Kristiina Saks writes.
17.03.24 OPINION ... We should not turn our backs on offshore wind solely on account of economic considerations, Marko Mägi writes.
15.03.24 OPINION ... Estonia has certainly not done enough to prevent people from over-borrowing, from granting "quick" funds to those who cannot afford to repay them, and ensuring that the costs associated with taking out a loan do not exceed that loan amount, writes Social Democratic Party (SDE) MP Eduard Odinets.
14.03.24 OPINION ... Unfortunately, recent years have shown that it is difficult to run a country based solely on wishful thinking rooted in ideological tenets, and outdated economic policy dogmas are rather saddling Estonia with Europe's highest inflation combined with its steepest recession, Raul Parts writes.
14.03.24 OPINION ... The saying that no one is irreplaceable is perhaps true in major corporations and cities. The smaller the place, business or nonprofit, the more it depends on the people running it, Hans Väre finds in Vikerraadio's daily comment.
13.03.24 OPINION ... Sweden's flag was raised at NATO headquarters at noon on Monday, March 11, 2024, ceremonially marking one of the most surprising outcomes of Russia's war in Ukraine, defense and security experts Tony Lawrence, Tomas Jermalavičius and Jan Hyllander write in a piece first published on the website of think tank the International Center for Defense and Security (ICDS).
13.03.24 OPINION ... In the latest installment of the Vikerraadio series "Harri Tiido taustajutud" broadcast this week, the focus was on Ukrainian identity. Tiido says it seems to him that the discussion of Ukrainian identity in Russia as a dangerous, reprehensible thing to be condemned, began in 2014, Tiido noted in his opinion piece which follows.
13.03.24 OPINION ... In the long term, the negative impact of an electricity grid created via the support of subsidies and benefits is that controllable and high-efficiency production capacities remain either not built, or when built, their construction is significantly more costly, writes former environment minister Rain Epler (EKRE).
13.03.24 OPINION ... The e-Residency program has generated €213 million for the Estonian state over the past decade, according to a nationally approved impact assessment model, which follows the same methodology used by the National Audit Office in its 2020 audit of the program, writes Liina Vahtras in response to the article "Estonian E-Residency success metrics impossible to verify."
11.03.24 OPINION ... We have long been preparing the switch to teaching in Estonian to offer all children the chance to obtain a quality education in Estonian, create equal opportunities on the labor market and boost social cohesion. It is one of the most ambitious goals in education of the past few decades, Ingar Dubolazov writes.
11.03.24 OPINION ... We need to get used to the idea that wars are won by those willing to contribute to modern solutions and those fastest to adapt, Marko Kaseleht writes.
10.03.24 OPINION ... If we do nothing, the rest of Estonia will fall even further behind Tallinn and the golden ring of municipalities surrounding the capital, which would in turn encourage emigration, Reili Rand writes.
10.03.24 OPINION ... Politicians have decided to boost the relative importance of renewable energy from 10 percent to 100 percent, while hitting the target will prove consistently expensive for consumers. Onshore wind should be preferred when looking for a power portfolio that is compatible with consumer price tolerance.
08.03.24 OPINION ... This year, women are not going to be paid equally to men until the eve of International Women's Day for the work they did last year. The gender pay gap in Estonia stands at 17.7 percent, which means that women have to work 45 days more in a year to earn the same pay for the same work, writes Lee Maripuu.
08.03.24 OPINION ... The aim of the Western financial system should not be to serve authoritarian kleptocrats. The question is not whether Russia should pay, but how to make Russia pay, writes Anders Åslund, a leading specialist on the East European economies. The Riigikogu Constitutional Committee convened a public meeting with foreign experts on March 7 to discuss uses of Russia's frozen assets to pay Ukraine for war damage.
07.03.24 OPINION ... Should the Riigikogu fail to strip citizens of aggressor states of their right to vote in local elections, there is a real possibility of pro-Estonian local politicians becoming the clear minority in Ida-Viru County cities, Erik Gamzejev writes.
06.03.24 OPINION ... Harri Tiido talks about the increasingly important role of history in how the Russian state operates. In the Kremlin's historical narrative, the current and consequent wars are justified using a fabricated past.
05.03.24 OPINION ... Words matter, but deeds matter even more, International Center for Defense and Security Research Fellow Tomas Jermalavicius writes about French President Emmanuel Macron's comments about sending troops to Ukraine.
29.02.24 OPINION ... Allow me to make a relatively confident prognosis for the post-crisis Estonian economy. We are headed into a decade of bumpy generational shifts, Erik Sakkov writes.
28.02.24 OPINION ... Of course, there are people among Russian citizens who pose a threat to Estonia's security, but there are also such people among Estonian citizens. Depriving Russian and Belarusian citizens of their right to vote is a bad idea, despite its political appeal, writes Jevgeni Ossinovski.
26.02.24 OPINION ... The personalized state idea should be expedited if we want to be innovative and competitive as a society. Tallying up the cost could be left for once we know exactly what we want, Rein Lang writes.
25.02.24 OPINION ... The will to defend* is bolstered once war becomes personalized. However, we must do everything to ensure that any peace also becomes our personal peace, head of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church (EELK), Archbishop Urmas Viilma said in his sermon delivered on Independence Day, Saturday.
24.02.24 OPINION ... At the Independence Day Presidential Reception, Alar Karis said that while we can't control everything, there are many things we can: family relationships, a bullying-free school, the availability of help, courtesy, our own ability to win and to lose. "We need strongholds to be safe. Loved ones who support us. A government that defends us. Friends who understand. We must not live in fear."
24.02.24 OPINION ... "It is important that we stand up for our values. We stand by our words and our principles. Even if, and especially if, it weakens us and attracts the dangerous attention of Russia," Gen. Martin Herem said in his speech at the parade marking the 106th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia.
24.02.24 OPINION ... Prime Minister Kaja Kallas is speaking at wreath laying ceremony at the foot of the War of Independence Victory Column on February 24, 2024.
24.02.24 OPINION ... President of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Lauri Hussar said at the flag raising ceremony on the occasion of the Independence Day of the Republic of Estonia that everyone should remember that freedom was precious and its price was very high.
24.02.24 OPINION ... Rector Toomas Asser spoke at the ceremony dedicated to the 106th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia on February 23, 2024.
23.02.24 OPINION ... In her traditional speech at the concert ceremony of the anniversary of the Republic of Estonia in the Estonian National Museum in Tartu, the Capital of Culture, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas stressed Estonia's cohesion with Europe, the importance of supporting Ukraine, and the importance of national security and democratic order. The prime minister also spoke about the opportunities that crises present.
21.02.24 OPINION ... Paradoxically, it seems to me at the same time both inappropriate to say there should not be an exhibition like "Hetk," and also inappropriate to say that such a view should not be expressed, said Tallinn Deputy Mayor Kaarel Oja (SDE) in an opinion piece.
21.02.24 OPINION ... The achievements of tens of thousands of people living and working in Estonia are worthy of awards, but, unfortunately, most tend to go unnoticed, President Alar Karis said on Wednesday when awarding 151 people with state decorations.
21.02.24 OPINION ... Thirty years ago, an enraged Vladimir Putin, at the time a relatively unknown St. Petersburg functionary at the time, stormed out of a speech being given, at a prestigious ball in the German city of Hamburg, by Estonia's president, Lennart Meri.
20.02.24 OPINION ... Aiding Ukraine towards victory requires a shamefully small effort from the West, defense and security expert Meelis Oidsalu argues, while the issue is more one of procrastination.
14.02.24 OPINION ... Estonian governance must review planned strategy implementation and learn from failures. Ulmas Varblane writes that development plans are implemented and without proper study or evaluation of the results.
13.02.24 NEWS ... 2024 will be crucial for the future of the democratic West and a year of global struggle between liberal democracy and autocracy. It will also be a year of key elections, which are likely a play a substantial role in that struggle, writes Associate Professor of European Studies at the University of Tartu Stefano Braghiroli.
12.02.24 OPINION ... While the death of print news publications in Estonia, as elsewhere, is likely inevitable and irreversible, news producers would do well to avoid the desire for meeting click targets eclipsing the need for a quality media supplying the public with real news, Dario Cavegn writes in a piece which first appeared on weekly Maaleht's website.
12.02.24 OPINION ... Over the four working weeks of its year so far, the government has submitted seven bills to the Riigikogu, and the talk of a heavy workload at parliament can be left aside for now. However, there are other activities at the Riigikogu that are not making any progress, writes ERR's Uku Toom.
09.02.24 OPINION ... The West must make serious efforts to change the course of the war in Ukraine, Marek Kohv of think tank the International Center for Defense and Security (ICDS) writes.
09.02.24 OPINION ... The political-mechanical problem with the personalized state seems to be that if finding €5.7 million to hike teachers' salaries seemed to be an almost insurmountable hurdle, why should the coalition partners be motivated to come up with €200 million, Hannes Astok writes.
09.02.24 OPINION ... That freedom comes at a cost is something which both Estonia and Austria are well aware of, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said in a recent official visit to Vienna.
08.02.24 OPINION ... If the aim of Estonia's climate law is just to give orders for compliance with obligations the country has already assumed, we will end up with environmental commandments that will benefit no one, Jaak Aaviksoo writes.
08.02.24 OPINION ... The position of head of the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) represents more than a general leading the troops and performs several national defense functions instead, Ilmar Raag writes.
05.02.24 OPINION ... The government's fiscal policy is a slippery slope. Hiking taxes with little consideration and ignoring sharp social issues hardly bode well. If we cannot find ways to work together, we will fail at managing future risks, politician Jüri Ratas writes.
02.02.24 OPINION ... Decision-makers face the choice between acting now or facing the potentially catastrophic consequences of naïve assessments and inaction a few years from now, writes Tomas Jermalavicius, a research fellow at the International Center for Defense and Security in Tallinn
02.02.24 OPINION ... In his address ratifying the Tartu Peace Treaty, Jaan Poska rightly said, "Let us taste peace, but also maintain it and increase our military strength." Peace can't be taken for granted and its foundations are laid on the front line, writes Margus Tsahkna on the occasion of the Tartu Peace Anniversary.
29.01.24 OPINION ... The national alcohol policy needs to be based on public health and broader social considerations as opposed to the business interests of alcohol producers or advertising agencies, politician Tanel Kiik writes.
24.01.24 OPINION ... Much about being a woman remains concealed and associated with taboos. The film "Smoke Sauna Sisterhood," which has taken the world by storm, has sparked a revolution by presenting to the masses themes that have hitherto been taboo in public, such as sexual violence, menstruation, and abortion, writes Made Laanpere.
24.01.24 NEWS ... With regional policy in decline for a couple of decades, local authorities expect more from the state when it comes to changes in the funding of cities and municipalities than simply redistributing revenue from one place to another, writes Center Party leader Mihhail Kõlvart.
23.01.24 OPINION ... It is not so difficult to sit down, take a look in the mirror, forget one's selfish desires and patronizing demands and think about the fact we will still need to live next to one another tomorrow and the day after. Unfortunately, our ability to make decisions that benefit society as a whole has deteriorated, Raoul Lättemäe writes.
21.01.24 OPINION ... Principal Toomas Artma explains why the average salary of teachers seems high and what is causing Estonia's teachers to launch a strike on January 22.
19.01.24 OPINION ... Our worst-case scenario would be suspending Estonia's sustainability efforts in anticipation of a nuclear power plant, Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE) writes.