04.10.24 NEWS ... Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) said Minister of the Interior Lauri Läänemets' (SDE) comments about the end of the free market were misunderstood. The state's role in the economy is decreasing, but still exists he added.

04.10.24 NEWS ... Leaders of the Eesti 200 and Social Democratic (SDE) parties both say that there is insufficient information to go on in order to make a decision right now on climate ministry proposals for offshore wind power support.

04.10.24 NEWS ... The Estonian government on Thursday held its first of planned regular cabinet talks, focusing on ways to stimulate the economy. Interior Minister and Social Democrats (SDE) leader Lauri Läänemets said a fundamental shift has taken place of more of a more toward a type of state and government intervention in the economy, meaning days of fully free market regulation are over.

04.10.24 NEWS ... Motions of no confidence brought by Tallinn's opposition against Reform, Eesti 200 and Isamaa mayors were unsuccessful on Thursday.

03.10.24 NEWS ... Members of the Estonian government said on Thursday that it may not make sense to appoint a new special representative for Ida-Viru County, following the recent resignation of Jaanus Purga after less than a year a his post.

03.10.24 NEWS ... The Environment Agency wants to change the law so it is only obliged to assist protected species in distress, rather than all animals, to save resources.

03.10.24 NEWS ... The Riigikogu's Constitutional Committee is awaiting the findings of research from the University of Tartu on potential electoral reform in Estonia – including redrawing electoral district boundaries.

03.10.24 NEWS ... Coalition parties do not support an Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry proposal to save money by reducing state employees' annual vacation days, MPs said on Wednesday.

02.10.24 NEWS ... Eesti 200 wants the government to reform the immigration system and introduce a quota for skilled labor, said party chairman Kristina Kallas. This would help boost Estonia's competitiveness, she added.

02.10.24 NEWS ... Support for the Social Democratic Party (SDE) was unusually high over the summer and is now returning to normal, said political scientist Tõnis Saarts. Cuts and the debate around the Lasnamäe elder candidate have also played a part.

02.10.24 NEWS ... Minister of Health Riina Sikkut (SDE) has said a bill approved by the government last week, which allows employers to cover healthcare costs tax-free, will if it passes into law negatively affect the healthcare system funded by the Health Insurance Fund (Haigekassa) and sends out the signal that the health insurance system in Estonia is not working.

02.10.24 NEWS ... Support for the coalition Social Democratic Party (SDE) has fallen by five percentage points over the past five weeks, now placing them slightly behind both the Center Party and the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE), according to new poll.

01.10.24 INTERVIEWS ... Former prime minister and former member of the European Court of Auditors Juhan Parts is a fierce critic of current climate policy. In a lengthy interview with ERR, he said that Estonia's entire energy policy needs to be rebuilt from the ground up, since it has, he said, now become clear that there has been no proper analysis of the future of energy.

01.10.24 NEWS ... The Academy of Sciences' Cybersecurity Commission did not identify any "very high" risks in e-elections, but found possible "medium risk" threats a new report published on Tuesday shows.

01.10.24 NEWS ... Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise said she has no plans to contest the 2025 state budget at the Supreme Court, but hopes that future budgets will be drafted in a way that allows everyone to clearly understand how state funds are being spent, "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported.

30.09.24 NEWS ... The bill for next year's state budget ended up confusing and difficult for the layperson to grasp because it was drawn up too hastily this summer to take into account the goal set in coalition negotiations to improve clarity, said MP Tanel Kiik (SDE), a member of the Finance Committee of the Riigikogu. The committee deputy chair has other concerns about the bill as well.

28.09.24 NEWS ... The 2025 state budget bill as presented by the government this week likely conflicts with the Constitution, Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise said, while Auditor General Janar Holm has also hit out at the workings of the budget and its aims.

28.09.24 NEWS ... Some of Tallinn's district administrations say they are facing difficulties procuring new garbage cans due to unclear and even conflicting instructions on how to go ahead with the process.

26.09.24 NEWS ... Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) on Thursday handed over the 2025 budget and 2025−2028 budget strategy to the Riigikogu.

26.09.24 NEWS ... The Estonian Internal Security Service (ISS) invited Mart Maastik (Isamaa), a member of the Riigikogu, to a meeting regarding his visit to China, but later canceled the meeting. The agency has not explained the reasons behind the invitation or why the meeting was subsequently canceled.

26.09.24 NEWS ... Health Minister Riina Sikkut (SDE) has pledged to draft a regulation which will require primary schools to limit the use of smartphones, starting from the next school year.

26.09.24 NEWS ... The war in Ukraine was the central focus of this week's United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting in New York, attended by President of Estonia Alar Karis.

25.09.24 NEWS ... The fraud trial of Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) MP Kert Kingo was not a fair one, and for this reason, Estonia cannot be considered a state governed by the rule of law, EKRE's leader Martin Helme said.

25.09.24 NEWS ... The recent apparent shift in Estonia's stance on Israel and Palestine, when voting at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), had already been agreed on when Kaja Kallas was prime minister, Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas said Wednesday.

25.09.24 NEWS ... Narva council representatives on the Narva Museum board are boycotting meetings, making it difficult to reach decisions about the cultural institution's activities.

24.09.24 NEWS ... The Estonian Internal Security Service (ISS) on Tuesday confirmed Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform) did not reveal state secrets in a September interview with ERR's Vikerraadio.

25.09.24 NEWS ... Support for opposition party Isamaa rose slightly in September, according to a recent poll, while the coalition Social Democrats (SDE) has seen its rating decline over the past four weeks.

24.09.24 NEWS ... There are currently no developments in the Middle East that suggest a de-escalation of tensions; rather, the situation appears to be worsening, said Jonatan Vseviov, secretary general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

24.09.24 NEWS ... The Confederation of Estonian Trade Unions and the Estonian Employers' Confederation will start minimum wage negotiations for 2025 on Tuesday (September 24). Unions believe a 12 percent increase would be reasonable.

24.09.24 NEWS ... Estonia is to chair the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) in 2025, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) has announced.

23.09.24 NEWS ... Minister of Climate Yoko Alender (Reform) and Minister of Infrastructure Vladimir Svet (SDE) have proposed, among other suggestions for reducing bureaucracy, that the party responsible for authoring a bill be identified at only the ministry level.

23.09.24 NEWS ... On Monday, a court ruling took effect in a civil dispute between former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and attorney-at-law Paul Keres. The circuit court's decision requires Keres to retract his statements regarding Kallas. However, Keres is no longer required to make a €15,000 donation.

23.09.24 NEWS ... The Harju County Court has found Kert Kingo (EKRE), a member of the Riigikogu, guilty of fraud and sentenced her to a suspended prison term of one year and nine months.

23.09.24 NEWS ... Urmas Reinsalu, chair of the opposition Isamaa party, remains the most popular choice for prime minister in September, according to the regular Turu-uuringute AS poll. Incumbent Kristen Michal (Reform) has a rating of 14 percent, which falls short of former PM Kaja Kallas' support in June.

21.09.24 NEWS ... The formal process of President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen's appointing former Estonian prime minister Kaja Kallas as the union's next High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, effectively its foreign minister, is underway.

21.09.24 NEWS ... Is borrowing in order to spend on defense a good idea? This question was put to several leading politicians in Estonia by the daily Postimees after business leaders petitioned the prime minister and finance minister this week to do so.

20.09.24 NEWS ... Estonia's climate bill received significant critical feedback from both the Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Justice, whose complaints include that the bill doesn't clarify what exactly constitutes a climate-resilient economy or what new rights and obligations for institutions will arise from the law.

20.09.24 NEWS ... Voters need time to process politicians changing parties, which is why this often reflects in delayed shifts in poll ratings, Aivar Voog of pollsters Kantar Emor said Friday.

20.09.24 NEWS ... The Estonian Employers' Confederation (Tööandjate keskliit) opposes the proposed amendments to the relevant legislation which would transfer the duties of the national conciliator to the Chancellor of Justice.

20.09.24 NEWS ... The new broad-based defense tax is time-limited, but given the security situation and the need to increase defense spending, it is probably not possible to cancel the levy after the next Riigikogu elections, said Minister of the Interior Lauri Läänemets (SDE).

20.09.24 NEWS ... A government decision to allocate €1.6 billion for additional munitions procurement is a crucial and major step forward Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) Commander Maj. Gen. Andrus Merilo said, but it will not solve every problem.

20.09.24 NEWS ... Former Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) politician Jaak Madison joining the Center Party early on in his second mandate as an MEP may have signaled the latter party's shift toward a more conservative stance, but so far this has neither boosted nor harmed the party's overall support, nor has it led to greater support among native Estonian speaking voters so far, a recent survey found.

20.09.24 NEWS ... Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) joined Center Party deputies at Tallinn city council in submitting votes of no confidence against three deputy mayors Thursday.

19.09.24 NEWS ... Chair of the Riigikogu Foreign Affairs Committee, Marko Mihkelson (Reform), said he wishes to discuss a potential shift in Estonia's foreign policy with Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) and Secretary General Jonatan Vseviov, in connection with Estonia's votes on Palestine-related issues at this year's UN General Assembly.

19.09.24 NEWS ... The Riigikogu's Economic Affairs Committee is awaiting more detailed explanations from the Ministry of Justice regarding proposed amendments to a bill that would cover legally the removal of Soviet-era monuments and other relics in the public space.

19.09.24 NEWS ... Significant cuts to personnel costs will lead to layoffs under the economic ministry's umbrella, while many processes will be streamlined, Minister for Economic Affairs Erkki Keldo (Reform) has said.

19.09.24 NEWS ... A bill initiated by the Ministry of Economic Affairs to transfer the tasks of national conciliator to the Chancellor of Justice is unfortunate and will fail, as it dismantles the system of effective conciliation of collective labor disputes which has functioned for a quarter of a century, Meelis Virkebau, the incumbent national conciliator, has said.

18.09.24 NEWS ... The Estonian state does not have a completely clear picture of how much money is actually available to government agencies, Auditor General Janar Holm has said.

18.09.24 NEWS ... President Vladimir Putin and his regime believe their task is to restore the Russian empire and this opinion is common among Russians, including opposition politicians, said former president Kersti Kaljulaid.

18.09.24 NEWS ... Climate Minister Yoko Alender (Reform) and Minister of Infrastructure Vladimir Svet (SDE) believe that legislative intent initiatives (VTK) have become unnecessary in practice, serving as a formal and burdensome additional step. They suggest that the requirement for these plans should be abolished.