07.02.25 NEWS ... Despite Friday's Supreme Court ruling that found the Center Party guilty of trading in influence, the party will continue its activities and go into the local elections with the aim of winning, party chair Mihhail Kõlvart said.

07.02.25 NEWS ... On Thursday, the Estonian government did not approve amendments to the Electricity Market Act, which would establish the conditions for tenders on wind farms.

07.02.25 NEWS ... Estonia's development cooperation center and several local NGOs have put some of their work on hold after U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to halt foreign aid agency USAID's activities for 90 days. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hopes the confusion can be resolved.

06.02.25 NEWS ... Tõnis Saar, the long-serving secretary general of the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs, is set to step down from his role.

06.02.25 NEWS ... Estonia and Taiwan will cooperate to donate over 1 million medical masks to Ukraine to help Ukrainian health care institutions and units of the Ukrainian Defence Forces.

05.02.25 NEWS ... Estonia's political parties are preparing for local elections in October. Tallinn's coalition believes local issues should be in focus, but the opposition sees the vote as a referendum on the government.

05.02.25 NEWS ... Opposition party Isamaa's support continues to grow and has risen by more than 4 percent since mid-December, data from pollster Norstat and Ühiskonnauuringute Instituut shows.

03.02.25 NEWS ... The Abbess of Kuremäe Convent Filareta Kalatšova sent an open letter to members of the Riigikogu, claiming that if the amendments to the Churches and Congregations Act, initiated by the Ministry of the Interior, are approved, the convent will effectively be shut down.

02.02.25 NEWS ... At Monday's informal EU General Affairs Council meeting, European defense readiness will be discussed. Opposition MP Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa) said Estonia should use the opportunity to discuss modifying the emissions trading system (ETS) so it can be used for controllable capacities, such as oil shale power plants, for energy security.

02.02.25 NEWS ... The Conservative People's Party of Estonia's (EKRE) board has issued a directive for its members to oppose the construction of wind farms in local municipalities. The action is connected to the upcoming local elections.

02.02.25 NEWS ... Approximately 200 people gathered in Narva on Saturday to protest against rising heating prices. Protestors said utility costs have become excessively high and they are seeking assistance from the city authorities and the government.

31.01.25 NEWS ... The leaders of Estonia's three main opposition parties, Mihhail Kõlvart (Center), Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa) and Martin Helme (EKRE) consider it important to work together on the vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) and draft the corresponding text together. The motion is likely to reach the chamber of the Riigikogu in two weeks.

31.01.25 NEWS ... The Ministry of the Interior hopes the almost year-long saga with the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (MPEÕK) will be resolved by summer after it submitted new legislation to the Riigikogu this month. It wants the church to leave the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate.

31.01.25 NEWS ... Opposition party Isamaa wants to bring a motion of no-confidence against the government over its energy policy, said Chairman Urmas Reinsalu on Thursday. He called a new agreement burdensome for Estonian people and businesses.

30.01.25 NEWS ... According to a poll conducted by Turu-uuringute AS in January, Isamaa continue to be the most popular political party in Estonia. Support for non-parliamentary party Parempoolsed continues to grow and is now at 8 percent.

30.01.25 NEWS ... Estonia has created too many regulations while adopting European Union law and has often drafted legislative proposals without considering how they affect businesses and individuals, said Keit Kasemets, set to be Estonia's new State Secretary in February.

30.01.25 NEWS ... Many politicians, as well as the main watchdog body tasked with overseeing political parties in Estonia and their finances, believe that electoral alliances should become more transparent and that their oversight should be improved.

30.01.25 NEWS ... Controversy has broken in the southwestern city of Pärnu after revelations that a city official has received the maximum redundancy payoff the law allows, despite being under investigation for suspected misdemeanors.

29.01.25 NEWS ... Former Tallinn mayor and Center Party chairman Mihhail Kõlvart said on Vikerraadio's "Uudis +" program that it is difficult for him to comment on conversations between Tõnis Liinat, Andrei Novikov and other Center Party members who worked in Tallinn's city administration at the time. However, he emphasized that if a city official tries to use citizens' property for personal gain, they must be held accountable.

29.01.25 NEWS ... Support for the opposition party Isamaa continues to rise, widening its lead over the Reform Party, which is in second place, while coalition support has dropped to its lowest level since 2019, according to a recent survey.

29.01.25 NEWS ... The Estonian government is developing a new central document management system at a cost of €2.3 million, a move that has drawn criticism from the creators of existing systems.

29.01.25 NEWS ... The European Parliament almost always revokes immunity when authorities request it, one of Estonia's seven MEPs, Yana Toom (Center), said.

28.01.25 NEWS ... Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) held his first phone call with new U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday.

28.01.25 NEWS ... Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi (Reform) stated that he was deeply disturbed by the mechanism through which the leaders of the three coalition parties reached an agreement on the establishment of offshore and onshore wind farms, bypassing the government. Ligi also noted that sources spreading misinformation about onshore wind farms form a hostile and interconnected network aimed at creating global uncertainty.

28.01.25 NEWS ... Liquefied natural gas can be purchased from U.S. and Norway instead of Russia, said Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) on Tuesday, commenting on Germany's increased imports of LNG in 2024. He also pointed out Estonia has stopped using Russian gas since 2022.

28.01.25 NEWS ... Police in Belgium have requested the European Parliament lift the parliamentary immunity of MEP Jaak Madison (Center).

28.01.25 NEWS ... Isamaa leader Urmas Reinsalu has criticized Estonia's long-range energy plan as unveiled on Monday, calling it unrealistic and lacking impact assessments.

27.01.25 NEWS ... While acknowledging the need for a clearer China policy, Minister of the Interior and Social Democratic Party (SDE) chair Lauri Läänemets admits he is puzzled by recent Chinese New Year celebrations organized in cooperation with the Chinese Embassy by Kohtla-Järve Mayor and fellow party member Henri Kaselo.

27.01.25 NEWS ... Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) criticized the Chinese New Year celebrations held this weekend and said it was disheartening to see events funded by China. He said "soft power" aims to create division.

27.01.25 NEWS ... The leaders of Estonia's three coalition parties have agreed to organize reverse auctions for 2 terawatt-hours (TWh) of production each for offshore and onshore wind farms. The government is also planning a support measure for an energy storage facility in Paldiski.

27.01.25 NEWS ... Political parties are investing more in social media for their campaigns than in previous years ahead of the local elections in October. Most also intend to spend more than in previous years.

27.01.25 NEWS ... A Chinese New Year celebration held in the eastern Estonian town of Kohtla-Järve represented a cultural initiative aimed at easing tensions in relations, the city's mayor said Monday. The event was held in cooperation with the Chinese Embassy in Estonia.

27.01.25 NEWS ... A joint statement issued by the eight Nordic and Baltic countries said Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko "continues to lack any democratic legitimacy" after "sham" presidential elections were held on Sunday.

27.01.25 NEWS ... Justice Minister Liisa Pakosta (Eesti 200) has criticized Interior Minister Lauri Läänemets' (SDE) telecom infrastructure state takeover proposal, arguing it would waste taxpayer money and harm competition.

26.01.25 NEWS ... This year, the maximum salary for senior civil servants in Estonia will increase to €9,720 per month. Starting April 1, this amount will be received by President Alar Karis, Riigikogu Speaker Lauri Hussar and Supreme Court Chief Justice Villu Kõve. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Kristjan Michal will have to settle for a smaller pay increase, with his salary rising to €9,007 per month from April onward.

26.01.25 NEWS ... Head of the opposition Isamaa party Urmas Reinsalu promised at the party's council meeting in Tartu that if Isamaa comes to power in Estonia, the car tax will be abolished.

24.01.25 NEWS ... According to political analysts, Eesti 200's continuing slump the does not bode well for them in October's local elections. However, the party itself is optimistic, saying that preparations for the elections are already under way.

24.01.25 NEWS ... No country announcing plans to raise defense spending to 5 percent of GDP following Donald Trump taking office this week has an actual plan to implement it, and such statements should be avoided, Minister of Finance Jürgen Ligi (Reform) said in an interview with ERR on Friday.

24.01.25 NEWS ... The general negative economic climate and the realization of tax hikes ensure continued support for the three opposition parties, Kantar Emor research expert Aivar Voog said Friday.

24.01.25 NEWS ... Estonia has adopted European Union regulations more comprehensively than necessary, and before adopting new regulations, it should ensure that existing ones are functional, said Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa Pakosta (Eesti 200).

24.01.25 NEWS ... Opposition party Isamaa continues to top the ratings in Estonia at 26 percent support, according to a recent survey.

23.01.25 NEWS ... The Estonian Political Party Funding Supervision Committee (ERJK) has found that the participation of former Minister of Finance Mart Võrklaev (Reform) in an advertisement for a Škoda dealership should be considered as a form of prohibited donation, which Võrklaev must therefore pay for.

23.01.25 NEWS ... The non-parliamentary Parempoolsed party said that Estonia's defense spending would be nearing 7 percent of GDP if the government channeled all revenue from new taxes justified through national security needs into the field.

23.01.25 NEWS ... The leader of opposition party Isamaa, Urmas Reinsalu, has said while the party backs enhancing Estonia's defense capabilities, that does not extend to the government's leadership culture, or what he said was misleading the public on defense matters.

23.01.25 NEWS ... Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) on Thursday signed an order appointing Keit Kasemets, secretary general of the Ministry of Climate, as the new secretary of state.

23.01.25 NEWS ... Leading politicians from all six political parties represented at the Riigikogu have, despite their differences on other topics, agreed on the need to boost defense spending to 5 percent of GDP per year, as called for by new US President Donald Trump.

23.01.25 NEWS ... Estonian state-owned airline Nordica, which filed for bankruptcy at the end of last year, received a loan of €1.5 million from Kredex last spring. However, Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) denies allocating additional funds to the airline in his previous role as climate minister.

22.01.25 NEWS ... Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said he supports Prime Minister Kristen Michal's (Reform) suggestion to raise the country's defense spending to five percent of GDP. However, Tsahkna said it is down to the prime minister and finance minister, both of whom are members of the Reform Party, to find the sources needed to cover the costs.

22.01.25 NEWS ... Riigikogu member Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart stated on ERR's "Otse uudistemajast" webcast that the prime minister should apologize to the Estonian people who watched the parliamentary question-and-answer session for his use of the words, "It's hard to be stupid."

22.01.25 NEWS ... Riigikogu member Anastassia Kovalenko-Kõlvart believes the Center Party could win a majority in Tallinn in the local elections later this year, despite poor poll ratings.