24.05.25 NEWS ... A recent ERR-commissioned poll shows the Center Party leading in Tallinn with 34 percent support, followed by the Reform Party, Isamaa and the Social Democrats (SDE) at 14-16 percent each. Ahead of this fall's local elections, party leaders in the Estonian capital emphasize the importance of coalition prospects and strong voter turnout.

24.05.25 NEWS ... The ruling Reform Party and Eesti 200 have released a new coalition agreement, which includes cutting the wait time for rejoining the second pension pillar, offering car tax relief for families with children, completing key defense and tax reforms and continuing the development of four-lane highways to Pärnu and Tartu.

22.05.25 NEWS ... Estonia's government spent the day working at Narva Estonian High School on Thursday (May 22) as part of a two-day visit to Ida-Viru County.

23.05.25 NEWS ... Doctors are not required to know foreign languages, but patients must receive emergency care whatever language they speak, said Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise.

23.05.25 NEWS ... Support for Isamaa rose the most, while backing for the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) declined, according to a recent survey by Kantar Emor. With local elections approaching, the Center Party remains the clear frontrunner in Tallinn.

22.05.25 NEWS ... The Political Parties Financing Surveillance Committee (ERJK) decided on Thursday that Urmas Reinsalu, the chairman of the Isamaa party, is expected to repay thousands of euros for a prohibited donation received in connection with an opinion program distributed through the Postimees news portal.

22.05.25 NEWS ... On Thursday, the Riigikogu voted in favor of the chancellor of justice's proposal to lift the parliamentary immunity of Kalle Laanet (Reform) and allow court proceedings regarding misuse of expenses benefits against him to continue.

22.05.25 NEWS ... The planned Tallinn Hospital complex in Lasnamäe has drawn criticism regarding its location, size and design — criticisms that Tallinn Mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski says he does not fully understand. Speaking on "Esimene stuudio," the mayor responded to the concerns raised about the proposed hospital reform.

22.05.25 NEWS ... One proposal in the almost finalized Reform-Eesti 200 coalition agreement would allow for the repayment of child support debt in installments. This, it is argued, would motivate debtors to make payment, and would be followed by the state lifting any sanctions imposed on them, once repayment was made.

22.05.25 NEWS ... Local politicians in Narva are ramping up ahead of the upcoming local elections, with more candidate lists already in play than the border city has seen in two decades. Still, Narva now has far fewer eligible voters, and concerns over low turnout remain.

22.05.25 NEWS ... Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) MP Varro Vooglaid has called for clothing and conduct standards for visitors to Toompea loss, home of the Riigikogu.

21.05.25 NEWS ... Prime Minister Kristen Michal and Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (both Reform) answered questions in front of the Riigikogu about the incident last week, in which Estonia almost detained a vessel belonging to the Russian shadow fleet. According to the ministers, Estonia had legal grounds to inspect the vessel, with the decision to conduct the operation taken by the EDF Headquarters chief based on a government mandate.

21.05.25 NEWS ... Social Democratic Party (SDE) chair Lauri Läänemets said Wednesday on ERR's "Otse uudistemajast" that he wouldn't rule out his party rejoining the Estonian government with the Reform Party before the next Riigikogu elections — provided Reform is willing to change.

21.05.25 NEWS ... Over the past week, there were no significant changes in party support, and Isamaa continues to hold the leading position, according to the results of the Institute for Societal Studies and Norstat poll.

20.05.25 NEWS ... Russia's shadow fleet is a big problem in the Baltic Sea and Estonia is protecting its infrastructure Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) said on Tuesday. He also discussed on pension payment problems and surveillance cameras on the monthly Vikeraadio show "Stuudios on peaminister."

20.05.25 NEWS ... President of Botswana Duma Gideon Boko is on an official state visit to Estonia this week.

20.05.25 NEWS ... Many politicians and media outlets have hit out at a European Union regulation which will require political ads to be fully labeled as such, including information on funding sources, and which will come into effect just a few days before Estonia's local elections in October, "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported.

19.05.25 NEWS ... Nine days before this year's local elections are due to take place in Estonia, a European Commission regulation will enter into force requiring election advertisements to be labeled as political advertisements. The regulation, which is not viewed positively by politicians or advertising space sellers in Estonia, also requires ads to include information on how the campaign has been financed.

19.05.25 OPINION ... In a sense, this is the darkest hour for Estonian democracy in recent times. A government with such low support inevitably struggles to govern effectively, since whatever it does is likely to go against the will of the majority of voters, writes Martin Mölder in his Vikerraadio daily commentary.

19.05.25 NEWS ... Economic Affairs and Industry Minister Erkki Keldo, a lead Reform Party negotiator, said the coalition agreement is essentially complete and likely to be approved Saturday. However, some funding decisions will await the Finance Ministry's summer forecast.

19.05.25 NEWS ... The Council of Baltic Sea States should rebrand and focus on tackling hybrid threats in the region and, if the situation deteriorates, it should be given a strategic military mandate, a new report recommends.

19.05.25 NEWS ... Estonia's Transport Administration has recommended vessels avoid Russian waters when sailing in the Gulf of Finland since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, said Kristjan Truu, head of the agency's maritime service.

18.05.25 NEWS ... Russian authorities on Sunday detained a Greek oil tanker after it left an Estonian port while sailing on a pre-agreed route in Russia's territorial waters. The incident comes several days after Estonia attempted to stop a Russian shadow fleet vessel.

18.05.25 NEWS ... Estonia is seeking permission from the European Commission to sell seal products derived from culling within the European Union, joining Finland and Sweden in the appeal.

18.05.25 NEWS ... Isamaa chair Urmas Reinsalu is seeking re-election unopposed at the party's general assembly later this month.

18.05.25 NEWS ... The coalition agreement between the Reform and Eesti 200 parties is nearly complete, with the coalition council set to discuss the document Monday.

16.05.25 NEWS ... The Estonian and Polish foreign ministers will discuss regional security at a press conference after a meeting of the Council of the Baltic Sea States at Vihula Manor, Estonia on Friday.

15.05.25 NEWS ... Employers will have more flexibility to hire foreign specialists after the government agreed to create new exemptions for wages and skills.

14.05.25 NEWS ... The Center Party has decided to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights the Supreme Court ruling that found the party guilty in a criminal case.

14.05.25 NEWS ... Peeter Ernits, an unaffiliated MP who has previously belonged to both the Center Party and EKRE - Conservative People's Party of Estonia, is rejoining the Center Party.

14.05.25 NEWS ... The Social Democratic Party, which saw an increase in support last week, gained even more this week. At the same time, the support percentages for the top three parties in the ratings table did not change significantly over the past week.

13.05.25 NEWS ... Support for the opposition Isamaa climbed to 22 percent in May, widening its lead over the Reform Party and EKRE, according to the latest poll by Turu-uuringute AS.

13.05.25 NEWS ... Isamaa party chair Urmas Reinsalu told ERR in a brief interview that he will run in this fall's local elections in Tallinn, but did not confirm whether he will also be the party's candidate for mayor of the capital.

12.05.25 NEWS ... The eight Baltic and Nordic countries have called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to accept a Europe and U.S.-backed immediate and unconditional 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine.

12.05.25 NEWS ... Plans to restore peatlands and other wetlands need to be reviewed and communicated with locals before deciding how to proceed, according to Minister of Energy and the Environment Andres Sutt (Reform).

12.05.25 NEWS ... Draft legislation to withdraw Estonia from the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention will soon be discussed by MPs in the Riigikogu, after it was greenlit by the National Defense Committee on Monday.

10.05.25 NEWS ... In a governance plan sent to the Reform Party and Eesti 200 as inspiration while they draw up a new coalition deal, the nonparliamentary Parempoolsed has proposed expanding mandatory military service — or conscription — to all citizens, including women. The party is also calling for several taxes to be lowered or repealed altogether.

09.05.25 NEWS ... For May 9, the Narva Museum placed a large poster featuring a composite portrait of Vladimir Putin and Adolf Hitler on the wall of Hermann Castle facing Russia. The image is visible from across the Narva River on the Russian side.

09.05.25 NEWS ... The captain of the Hong Kong-flagged container ship accused of breaking the undersea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia has been remanded in custody in Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post reports.

08.05.25 NEWS ... The government has approved the first set of proposals from the Council on Efficiency and Economic Growth, which primarily concern reducing workplace requirements, eliminating the alcohol registry and simplifying the refinancing of home loans.

08.05.25 NEWS ... The measure to hike VAT to 24 percent under the temporary defense tax was made permanent by the government on Thursday. The rate will rise in July.

07.05.25 NEWS ... Foreign leaders' requests to use Estonian airspace to attend Russia's May 9 celebrations are "out of the question," Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said on Wednesday, following media reports the Baltic states had denied requests from visiting dignitaries.

08.05.25 NEWS ... The world is in a cyberwar in every sense except a legal one because no side has declared war, said Mart Noorma, director of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence (CCDCOE) in Tallinn. Russian hackers' goal is to sow chaos and steal money, he said.

07.05.25 NEWS ... For the third year in a row, Russia's border city Ivangorod will host a Victory Day concert on the banks of the River Narva to project its May 9 propaganda towards Estonia.

07.05.25 NEWS ... According to May data on local government support from the research firm Norstat, the Center Party would win the elections scheduled for October 19 in Tallinn, while the Reform Party would prevail in Tartu. In Pärnu, Isamaa would dominate, and in Narva, the Center Party.

07.05.25 NEWS ... The organization of public gatherings supporting aggression has been banned by the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) this week in three countries, over the period Russia celebrates Victory Day on May 9.

07.05.25 NEWS ... Opposition parties Isamaa and the Social Democrats (SDE) both saw a rise in support over the past week, according to Norstat's latest weekly poll. In Isamaa's case, this reverses a weeks-long fall.

06.05.25 NEWS ... The Riigikogu's Constitutional Committee has decided to propose that the Churches and Congregations Act, which was not proclaimed by President Karis, should not be re-adopted by the Riigikogu without further amendments.

06.05.25 NEWS ... Estonian politicians welcomed the European Union's plans to ban Russian gas in the coming years, saying Russia has no place in the bloc's energy markets.

06.05.25 NEWS ... Belgian police have withdrawn their request to lift the parliamentary immunity of Estonian MEP Jaak Madison, ending proceedings against him, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said on Monday.