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 which 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 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.

18.09.24 NEWS ... Support for the Social Democratic Party has dropped by more than 3 percentage points over the past three weeks. EKRE (Conservative People's Party of Estonia) has also lost support, with its current rating now equal to that of the Center Party, which is undergoing a shift toward conservatism.

17.09.24 NEWS ... The government plans to make €1 billion worth of cuts over the next four years, Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) said on Tuesday. Taxing company profits is expected to bring €150 million to the budget.

17.09.24 NEWS ... Tallinn City Government on Tuesday appointed Julianna Jurtšenko as the new district governor of Lasnamäe. She will assume her duties starting October 1.

17.09.24 NEWS ... A broad security tax, which itself consists of three taxes, is expected to bring in nearly €2.5 billion in additional tax revenue for the Estonian state by the end of 2028, according to a Ministry of Finance forecast.

17.09.24 NEWS ... Eesti 200's sliding ratings rebounded in August after the election of a new chairman, pollster Turu-uuringud's latest survey shows.

17.09.24 NEWS ... The government on Tuesday finally decided to go with a 2 percent tax on corporate profits as a way to finance Estonia's growing defense spending.

17.09.24 NEWS ... The government plans at a meeting Tuesday morning to hammer out exactly how businesses will be taxed in Estonia.

16.09.24 NEWS ... Estonia's Riigikogu has friendship groups with several countries with authoritarian regimes. According to their chairs, these groups are formed based on economic and foreign policy interests; the groups do not organize visits to authoritarian countries.

16.09.24 NEWS ... Minister of Interior Lauri Läänemets (SDE) said Germany's recent decision to temporarily restore control at its borders with other European Union countries is fully justified.

16.09.24 OPINION ... In public discourse, news outlets, and governmental communication, references to disinformation are increasingly omnipresent, writes Associate Professor of European Studies at the University of Tartu Stefano Braghiroli. But what exactly do we mean by disinformation and what can we do to counter it?

16.09.24 NEWS ... State Secretary Taimar Peterkop has told the Ministry of Climate the draft bill for climate-proofing Estonia's economy has several shortcomings and inaccuracies that need to be addressed.

16.09.24 NEWS ... Coalition parties are divided over introducing an extraordinary bank tax in Estonia. SDE thinks a targeted levy is reasonable, while Reform and Eesti 200 are against any such policy.

16.09.24 NEWS ... Center Party MEP Jana Toom holds incoming Lasnamäe District Elder Julianna Jurtšenko's reasons for leaving the party hypocritical. Jurtšenko claimed that she left because Jaak Madison had joined the Center Party.

15.09.24 NEWS ... On Saturday, the general assembly of the Parempoolsed party convened to elect a new chairperson, board and audit committee. The party re-elected Lavly Perling as its chairperson.

14.09.24 NEWS ... Center Party MEP Jana Toom has said she opposes the party's potential alignment with the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group at the European Parliament, adding she would likely choose to remain with the existing group she sits with, Renew Europe.

13.09.24 NEWS ... IT firm Nortal founder and CEO Priit Alamäe, who was also one of the founders and major supporters of the coalition Eesti 200, says that rumors that cropped up around him in connection with the party damaged his reputation with international business partners, adding that the time he devoted to the party should have been spent on business instead.

13.09.24 NEWS ... Feedback on the in-progress climate bill has proven to be largely critical, with the Tartu-based Estonian University of Life Sciences (Maaülikool) for one arguing that the bill raises more questions, on reading it, than it and its explanatory memorandum answers.

13.09.24 NEWS ... Almost €28 million will be allocated for the renovation of the National Library of Estonia (RaRa) and the Tallinn Art Hall, the government agreed in principle on Thursday.

13.09.24 NEWS ... Not one of the business taxation models currently under discussion at government level will enhance Estonia's competitiveness or economic growth, meaning the Reform-SDE-Eesti 200 coalition should consider its options, the head of the main employers' lobby group in Estonia said Friday.

12.09.24 NEWS ... Eesti 200 and Nortal founder Priit Alamäe announced on Thursday that he has left the party. He cited "conspiracy theories" about the party and his business Nortal as the cause.

12.09.24 NEWS ... Cuts to hobby education are coming but it is not yet known how much, said Minister of Education Kristina Kallas (Eesti 200) on Thursday. Municipalities have already voiced opposition to the measure.

12.09.24 NEWS ... Foundations and public-law institutions under the Ministry of Culture's area of administration are to be required to cut their budgets by 4 percent next year, while budgets will be frozen beyond that and until 2028, Minister Heidy Purga (Reform) has said in an interview given to ERR which follows.

12.09.24 NEWS ... Coalition party Eesti 200 is putting on pause government talks on a bill which would allow pharmacies located inside hospitals to import medicines into Estonia.

12.09.24 NEWS ... The Social Democratic Party (SDE) is prepared to support a new defense tax proposal from businesses, but it will be tied to a 12 percent increase in the minimum wage, Chairman Lauri Läänemets said on Thursday.

12.09.24 NEWS ... Whisperings about who might be Estonia's next head of state have begun, albeit at a small scale, "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported.

12.09.24 NEWS ... The government's approach to the economy is wrong because it has been shrinking for a long time, said opposition party Isamaa's Chairman Urmas Reinsalu on Wednesday. Tax rises stifle businesses in a difficult situation, he added.

12.09.24 NEWS ... Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform) said the government will discuss allocating extra money to defense this week and it is possible to partially meet the wishes of the head of the defense forces. One option is to buy cheaper ammunition from Ukraine.

12.09.24 NEWS ... Riigikogu Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi (Reform) has said sees no issue with bringing his spouse on a recent official visit to the People's Republic of China, even as her accommodation costs were covered by Beijing.

11.09.24 NEWS ... Mayor of Tallinn Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE) is planning to appoint Julianna Jurtšenko as the district elder of the Lasnamäe at the city council meeting on September 17.

11.09.24 NEWS ... Second Vice-President of the Riigikogu Arvo Aller, a member of the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE), has hired Eeva Helme, the wife of EKRE leader Martin Helme, as an assistant.

11.09.24 NEWS ... Estonia's future political landscape will evolve so that Isamaa and the Social Democratic Party will become the biggest forces, Riigikogu member Raimond Kaljulaid (SDE) believes.

11.09.24 NEWS ... The Social Democratic Party (SDE) saw an unexpected dip in support this week, a new poll from MTÜ Ühiskonnauuringute Instituut and Norstat Eesti AS show.

11.09.24 NEWS ... Funds set aside for the Estonian state's IT sector must primarily be directed toward cybersecurity. Justice and Digital Minister Liisa Pakosta (Eesti 200) said.

11.09.24 NEWS ... Deputy Riigikogu Speaker Toomas Kivimägi (Reform) was accompanied by his spouse on a recent official trip to the People's Republic of China made by several MPs and which has attracted controversy.

10.09.24 NEWS ... Minister of the Interior Lauri Läänemets (SDE) said the government will reach an agreement on the state budget next week.

10.09.24 NEWS ... The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was not involved in organizing the recent visit by several MPs to China, and Estonian Ambassador to China Hannes Hanso had warned MPs months ago already not to let China cover their travel expenses, a ministry spokesperson said Tuesday.

10.09.24 NEWS ... The Reform Party and Eesti 200 political parties, in collaboration with their lawyers, have submitted their objections to a decision by the Political Party Financing Supervision Committee (ERJK) which found advisory services provided by think tank the Liberal Citizen Foundation (SALK) to constitute a prohibited donation.

10.09.24 NEWS ... Social Democratic Party (SDE) chair Lauri Läänemets doubts whether slashing support provided for offshore wind farms will allow Estonia to secure sufficient amounts of renewable energy, and says changing the Climate Ministry's plans has not been discussed within the government.

10.09.24 NEWS ... Riigikogu MPs who took part in a recent official visit to the People's Republic of China have expressed diverging views on criticism they received before they had even returned home to Estonia.

10.09.24 NEWS ... Government-implemented tax hikes are not to blame for Estonia's rapid inflation Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi (Reform) has said.

09.09.24 NEWS ... Extended Riigikogu sessions lasting late into the night are not expected to take place this fall due to the opposition's loss of leverage. The most important topics are likely to be bills connected to the budget and climate.

09.09.24 OPINION ... President of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar (Eesti 200) on Monday opened the 2024 Fall Session of the Riigikogu, encouraging MPs in his address to engage in intense and constructive legislative work and emphasizing that Estonian citizens deserve legislation that generates quality rule of law.

09.09.24 NEWS ... Which countries to consider democratic and which not is up to every person, said the Center Party's Andrei Korobeinik after his and fellow MPs' China visit, parts of which were paid for by Beijing. According to Korobeinik, if we condemn the visit, Estonia needs to decide whether to stick with recent China relations or recall its ambassador and cut diplomatic ties.