15.10.24 NEWS ... Under cabinet rules updated by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Estonia's Kaja Kallas will have a team of nine senior cabinet members.

15.10.24 NEWS ... Support for opposition party Isamaa rose over the last month data from polling company Turu-uuringute AS shows. Center and Eesti 200's declined.

15.10.24 NEWS ... Several European Union member states have started independently to tighten their policies on immigration, ignoring the bloc's rules in this area. "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported that this may lead to an increase in the number of asylum seekers arriving at Estonia's borders.

15.10.24 NEWS ... According to the state budget bill 2025, or at least its explanatory memorandum, detailed information on grants to legal entities which had typically been included in previous state budgets can no longer be found.

15.10.24 NEWS ... Riigikogu Speaker Lauri Hussar (Eesti 200) is collecting proposals from party factions on whether expense allowances for MPs should be reduced, and if so to what extent. While none of the six Riigikogu parties oppose the idea, progress beyond talking about it has not yet materialized.

14.10.24 NEWS ... One aspect of the impending austerity measures to hit Estonia's ministries and state agencies will include cuts with the culture ministry's overseas representatives, in order to consolidate resources into one, full-time cultural diplomat position in the United States.

14.10.24 NEWS ... In the third quarter, the largest financial donation to the Conservative People's Party (EKRE) was made by MEP Jaak Madison, who is now a member of the Center Party.

11.10.24 NEWS ... Bigbank owner Parvel Pruunsild donated €100,000 to the opposition Isamaa party for the third consecutive quarter in 2024. Eesti 200 took in donations from Tallinn deputy mayors.

11.10.24 NEWS ... Kalev Stoicescu (Eesti 200), head of the Riigikogu National Defense Committee, has made a statement regarding the committee's planned national defense report, in which he describes the initiative as lacking consensus and accuses the Estonian press of inventing intrigues and harming national interests.

11.10.24 NEWS ... Forestry legislation drafted by the Ministry of Climate has been met with widespread criticism from some of the other ministries and from key stakeholders.

11.10.24 NEWS ... The Riigikogu's finance committee has sent the 2025 state budget bill to a full session for voting.

10.10.24 NEWS ... Donations for the Center Party dried up considerably in the third quarter (Q3) of 2024, falling from €11,103 in Q2 to just €3,655 this time round. The SDE received just over €70,000 in donations in Q3, while non-parliamentary party Parempoolsed received as much as €89,075.

10.10.24 NEWS ... State Secretary Taimar Peterkop has said he will honor an agreement made with the prime minister to remain in office until year end.

09.10.24 NEWS ... Speaking on ETV show "Otse uudistemaja" Tallinn Deputy Mayor Pärtel-Peeter Pere (Reform) said in that in addition to those using other modes of transport, cars also have to be able to travel smoothly in Tallinn.

09.10.24 NEWS ... Hospitals in Tallinn will be merged into one, at least under a plan prepared by the Ministry of Social Affairs, and negotiations between the state and city have begun on this.

09.10.24 NEWS ... Work on tackling the issue of registering a limited company in order to avoid taxes is ongoing, Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi (Reform) said, adding that while it requires political consensus, ultimately how to go about it is up to him.

08.10.24 NEWS ... The Riigikogu's Constitutional Committee has been discussing cutting the voting age in Estonia to 16 at European Parliament elections.

08.10.24 NEWS ... The 2025 state budget bill incorporates €132 million in cuts, with some areas still undecided. The Riigikogu and the affected ministers are to work together to identify further cost-saving measures, "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported.

07.10.24 NEWS ... Before Estonia makes its next difficult choices in foreign policy, there should be a broader public discussion to avoid putting ourselves in an even more complicated situation, said Marko Mihkelson (Reform), chair of the Riigikogu Foreign Affairs Committee, following a discussion on Middle East policy in the committee.

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.