Estonia

International Civil Aviation Organization tells Russia to stop GNSS interference

The Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is calling on Russia to cease interference with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals, which have affected aircraft, ships and drones [..]

More international students choosing Estonia for university

This fall, more international students are expected to begin studies at Estonian universities than in recent years, with the largest numbers coming from Azerbaijan and Ukraine and strong interest in [..]

Consumer confidence gap between rich and poor wider than ever in Estonia

According to the Estonian Institute of Economic Research, Estonia’s economic situation has improved somewhat, however, the gap between the confidence of the country’s richest and poorest consumers has never been [..]

Alleged Estonian human trafficker detained at Lithuanian border after Poland boosts checks

An Estonian citizen allegedly transporting migrants who entered the EU illegally via Belarus was detained on the Poland–Lithuania border on Monday by Polish border guards. Poland introduced additional checks on [..]

Tallinn’s reunited coalition to abolish kindergarten fees from September

According to Mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski, during its meeting on Monday, Tallinn City Government decided to send a draft decree to the city council for approval, which would abolish attendance fees [..]

PPA: Helicopter crashes into sea near Estonia’s Saaremaa island

A helicopter crashed into the sea off the Estonian coast on Sunday morning. The Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) said there were no casualties. The PPA was notified of [..]

Fifth Estonian volunteer soldier killed in Ukraine

An Estonian volunteer fighting in Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade was killed in action last week near Borova in Kharkiv region, his unit confirmed Thursday. Alo Klaassepp, 25, was killed on [..]

Latvia offers Estonia stake in airBaltic matching terms offered to Lufthansa

The Estonian government will on Thursday begin discussions on a proposal from Latvia’s Ministry of Transport to acquire a stake in the airline airBaltic. Both Estonia and Lithuania are expected [..]

‘Master Chef Estonia’ winner starts petition for lower VAT on food

Jana Guzanova, winner of the first season of “MasterChef Estonia,” has launched a public initiative aimed at drawing politicians’ attention to the absurd rise in food prices — a trend [..]

Justice chancellor: State agencies can access banking secrets without rules

The Office of the Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise has found that government agencies have been accessing account holders’ banking information through the enforcement register without a proper legal basis. [..]

Finance minister: Talking about rising prices as foolish as cursing bad weather

Prices are not under government control, nor can the government cause or contain inflation, Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi (Reform) told ERR as a response to the latest inflation figures. Finance [..]

250-seat Italian restaurant LaBocca opens in downtown Tallinn at a cost of 1.3 million euros

The Italian restaurant LaBocca opened its doors in the Golden Gate building in Tallinn’s Rotermann district on Friday. A total of 1.3 million euros has been invested in the new [..]

Meteorologist: Volatile weather could haunt Estonia for most of the summer

At the moment, weather models show no signs of a prolonged warm period on the horizon, although with a bit of luck, real summer warmth could arrive in the second [..]

Vehicles no longer allowed to park or stop on sidewalks for loading starting July

Starting in July, vehicles will no longer be allowed to park or stop on sidewalks for loading and unloading goods. The legislative amendment is intended to improve pedestrian traffic safety [..]

Estonians postpone expensive dental procedures as cost of living spirals

Long waiting lists for orthodontic treatment have been a source of complaints for years, but now those queues are disappearing in Tallinn. Dentists are also seeing a decline in workload, [..]

Ministry wants to keep mail delivery on five days a week

According to a draft amendment by the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture, the requirement to deliver mail to people’s homes five days a week would remain in place going [..]

Political prisoner freed from Belarus: No one should experience such conditions

Allan Roio, an Estonian citizen who was freed from a Belarusian prison on Saturday with the help of U.S. diplomatic efforts, said upon arriving in Estonia that no one should [..]

A 126-ton giant transformer arrived at largest battery park in continental Europe

A key milestone has been reached in the construction of the largest battery park complex in continental Europe. In mid June, a 126-ton transformer was successfully delivered to the Kiisa [..]

Next US ambassador: Estonia has been called ‘megaphone for American requests’

During his nomination hearing before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week, Roman Pipko, President Donald Trump’s nominee for the next U.S. ambassador to Estonia, praised Estonia’s defense spending, [..]

Tallinn ranks among the world’s top 60 conference cities

The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) has released its 2024 global rankings for cities and countries in the conference industry. Tallinn has climbed to 57th place among cities worldwide, [..]

First of its kind in Estonia €104-million central hospital opens in Viljandi

While a much talked-about central hospital in Tallinn has been mired in politics for several years, the South Estonian town of Viljandi now has a county hospital, the first to [..]

Tallinn wants to restrict short term rental apartments in Old Town

Tallinn wants to reduce the number of Old Town apartments on the short-term rental market and bring more permanent residents to the district under a new development plan. How this [..]

Longer truck trains to start appearing on Estonia’s roads from 2026

Longer truck-trailer combinations are expected to be seen on Estonia’s roads from next year, as part of an alignment with practices across the European Union. The government’s traffic committee, which [..]

Estonia’s mobile voting delayed by auditing concerns

Concerns about how voting by mobile can be audited saw the National Electoral Committee last week narrowly vote down plans to introduce m-voting this autumn at the local elections. Estonia’s [..]

Estonian Combiwood Grupp acquired the Swedish company

Estonian wood company Combiwood Group will acquire the shares in Swedish company… [..]

Raimond Kaljulaid: Estonia must call for Ukraine to be invited into NATO

The real test of Estonia’s foreign policy resolve and consistency lies in whether we have the courage to once again raise the issue of inviting Ukraine to join NATO at [..]

Summer swim season kicks off at more than 50 beaches across Estonia

Estonia’s official swim season is here. From June 1 through August 31, dozens of beaches across the country officially open for swimming are carefully maintained and regularly tested to ensure [..]

Prime minister: Tallinn mayor seems unable to hold coalition together

Tallinn mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE) has so far failed to get the capital’s coalition to work together effectively, Prime Minister and Reform Party chair Kristen Michal said. Michal made his [..]

Swimming pools will no longer be obligated to add chlorine to pool water

Under a plan by the Ministry of Social Affairs, starting in September, pool operators will be able to choose for themselves how they purify their water. “There are options like [..]

Join UP!™ strengthens its positions in Europe with a new holding company registered in Estonia

As part of its strategic development in Europe, the international travel brand Join UP!™, currently operating in nine markets, transitions to a holding company structure. The newly established JOIN UP! [..]

E-scooter safety concerns grow in Estonia amid age and license rule debates

With summer here again, the issue of e-scooter riding is back in the spotlight, “Aktuaalne kaamera” reported, though despite safety concerns, there have been no concrete moves to either require [..]

Train timetables shift as Rail Baltica Ülemiste platform becomes available

Train schedules for eastern and southern routes will change from June 9 to 15 due to construction work at Ülemiste and Nõmmküla stations and infrastructure upgrades on the Kaarepere–Tabivere section [..]

Majority of schools in Estonia employ insufficiently qualified teachers

Only three percent of schools in Estonia have a fully qualified roster of teachers, while around 80 percent of teachers at state-run schools meet the qualification requirements. The figure for [..]

Health Board study suggests new smoking restrictions needed

Respondents to a Health Board survey want smoking in public spaces to be more strictly regulated. Politicians, however, hold differing views on the issue. A recent online survey conducted by [..]

Domestic violence reports down but many cases fail to make statistics

The number of domestic violence cases has decreased by several hundred each year over the past five years, the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) said. However, a significant portion [..]

Former mayor hits out at reboot of planned Tallinn main street project

No solutions to a planned main street (peatänav) development in central Tallinn are on the horizon, Center Party leader and former Tallinn mayor Mihhail Kõlvart said, adding that if he [..]

Hydrogen filling stations in Tallinn set to go operational by end of summer

Two hydrogen refueling stations in the Lasnamäe district of Tallinn are expected to start operating at the end of summer. The facilities are being built by fuel retailer Alexela and [..]

Tallinn may grant over a million euros for apartment emergency shelter upgrades

Tallinn mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE) has announced a support measure which aims to address the problem of inadequate emergency shelter facilities in apartment buildings in the capital. The measure will [..]

Gotland sheep drafted in to help maintain Tartu green zone

On Monday, May 26, an urban natural oasis was established in the green area of Tartu’s Maarjamõisa district thanks to a joint project between the University of Tartu and the [..]

Reform-Eesti 200 coalition deal finally released, includes tax, pension changes

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 [..]

Rail Baltica Tallinn passenger terminal contract signed

The contract to build the planned Rail Baltica international passenger terminal in the Ülemiste district of Tallinn has been inked. Rail Baltic Estonia signed the contract with construction firm Merko [..]

Estonian government begins nuclear power station planning and assessment process

The Estonian government has decided to start the process of the national special plan and strategic environmental impact assessment needed for a 600 Megawatt nuclear power plant and its infrastructure. [..]

Youth unemployment in Estonia doubles in less than a decade

The number of unemployed young people has more than doubled in less than a decade in Estonia, with the problem particularly affecting those with the lowest levels of education. As [..]

Government approves increasing the share capital of Eesti Energia by €100 million

The Government has approved the resolution to increase the share capital of AS Eesti Energia by €100 million to allow the group to make the investments planned in its strategic [..]

New Pärnu bridge nears completion

Construction work on the new Pärnu bridge is nearing completion, with the bridge set to open in a month’s time. The work has ended up being more expensive than originally [..]

Estonia lagging behind other Baltic States in foreign investment projects

The international business consulting firm EY has conducted an annual survey of foreign investments in Estonia, finding that there were eight new foreign investments projects in Estonia, the same number [..]

Baltic Sea states council should focus on hybrid threats, new report says

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, [..]

airBaltic postpones IPO, can make it to year end without additional funding

Latvian carrier airBaltic has announced it will be postponing a planned initial public offering (IPO), citing unsuitable market conditions. Speaking to “Aktuaalne kaamera,” airBaltic CFO Vitolds Jakovlevs said: “We can [..]

Bolt: Baltic States not primary market

The Baltic States are currently not the main market for the Bolt transport services and delivery platform. This was stated by the company’s president, Jevgeni Kabanov, in an interview with [..]

Tallinn greenlights tunnel under Rail Baltica line

The Tallinn City Council on Thursday approved the construction of the Kantsi tunnel beneath the Rail Baltica railway line. The tunnel will serve as an important direct connection between the [..]