28.04.26 NEWS ... Expectations for a presidential candidate strong on foreign policy demonstrate the current government lacks authority in that arena, MEP Sven Mikser (SDE) said.

28.04.26 NEWS ... Estonian and Finnish Presidents Alar Karis and Alexander Stubb said a time will inevitably come when communication with Russia must be resumed after the war in Ukraine ends.

28.04.26 NEWS ... President Alar Karis and First Lady Sirje Karis are on a two-day official visit to Finland.

28.04.26 NEWS ... President Alar Karis' recent call for dialogue with Russia may prevent him from winning a second presidential term, Social Democratic Party (SDE) chair Lauri Läänemets said.

27.04.26 NEWS ... Chief State Prosecutor Taavi Pern said that communications data must be retained longer than a few months to ensure national security, not just for criminal proceedings.

27.04.26 NEWS ... Long-delayed plans to expand Alutaguse National Park in Ida-Viru County are still in motion, and the state plans to make a decision, and if necessary, it will do so without the municipality's input.

27.04.26 NEWS ... The KOOS party has told the election committee it has been unable to open a bank account in credit institutions operating in Estonia, which means it cannot pay the deposit for candidates standing in elections.

27.04.26 NEWS ... A new draft of the Personal Names Act has laid out the restrictions the law will enforce when an individual wants to change their name. It will still allow criminals to change their names when they marry or divorce.

25.04.26 NEWS ... The European Union should levy taxes on Russian imports not subject to sanctions, to help fund Ukraine's post-war reconstruction, Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) told POLITICO.

24.04.26 NEWS ... While President Alar Karis met with President of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar (Eesti 200) Friday, it remains unclear if Karis will be seeking a second term.

24.04.26 NEWS ... Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi and Justice Minister Liisa Pakosta are at odds over amendments to the Anti–Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act proposed by the Ministry of Finance. Because of these disagreements, the bill has stalled within the government.

24.04.26 NEWS ... A recent ratings survey revealed how strong a role demographics in Estonia play in voter preferences.

24.04.26 NEWS ... A new coalition in Narva has signaled it now has the votes to take power, paving the way for a change in leadership in the northeastern border city next month.

23.04.26 NEWS ... EKRE MP Varro Vooglaid has proposed "no-divorce marriages" as a way to boost Estonia's declining birth rates, sparking backlash and concerns about women's rights.

23.04.26 NEWS ... Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland formally protested the removal of a Soviet-era memorial in Tomsk, Russia on April 22, calling the act "barbaric" and accusing Russian authorities of erasing historical memory.

23.04.26 NEWS ... For the first time, Center Party Chairman Mihhail Kõlvart has topped a survey of the most popular choice for prime minister.

22.04.26 NEWS ... The government's plan to only transpose part of the European Union's Pay Transparency directive will not be enough to reduce Estonia's gender pay gap, which is the highest in the EU, Equality Commissioner Christian Veske has said.

22.04.26 NEWS ... President Alar Karis is on an official visit to Greece until Wednesday evening.

22.04.26 NEWS ... The Ministry of Economic Affairs plans to adopt parts of the European Union's Pay Transparency Directive that do not increase the administrative burden on businesses, after ministers vowed not to transpose the legislation last week.

22.04.26 NEWS ... Ismaaa's popularity has fallen by almost 3 percent over the last month, while EKRE has overtaken Reform to become the fourth most popular party, Norstat and Ühiskonnauuringute Instituut weekly poll shows.

20.04.26 NEWS ... There is a possibility that, this fall, no presidential candidate will be nominated in the Estonian parliament, in which case the election would most likely move directly to the Electoral College.

20.04.26 NEWS ... MP Varro Vooglaid has appealed to the parliament's board over the ban on entering the Riigikogu with a weapon, arguing that the restriction is unlawful.

20.04.26 NEWS ... The Ministry of Finance is drawing up new rules for the second pillar pension fund, including the one-time possibility to withdraw money. Banks say the changes may make the system more rigid.

19.04.26 NEWS ... Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said Estonia will once again not allow the flights of officials heading to Moscow for May 9 to attend Russia's Victory Day parade to travel through its airspace on the way.

19.04.26 NEWS ... Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa Pakosta, a member of Eesti 200 party, recently hired advisers from a different political party, Parempoolsed, but denies that this hints at her future affiliation.

19.04.26 NEWS ... The delay in U.S. defense deliveries mainly affects Estonia's ammunition for the HIMARS multiple rocket launcher system, some of which was supposed to arrive already this year.

18.04.26 NEWS ... The Ministry of Social Affairs wants to develop personalized medicine with the support of European Union funds and start amassing genetic data from newborns.

17.04.26 NEWS ... Minister of Justice Liisa Pakosta (Eesti 200) says planned changes to Estonia's anti-corruption law aim to clarify when criminal liability applies, reducing drawn-out cases.

17.04.26 NEWS ... With support lagging less than a year before elections, Eesti 200 has hired Johannes Merilai, former Prime Minister Jüri Ratas' chief of staff, as a communications adviser.

17.04.26 NEWS ... Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) softened his stance on the EU pay transparency directive Friday, clarifying his previous criticism targeted administrative burdens on companies rather than efforts to reduce the pay gap.

17.04.26 NEWS ... Marko Mihkelson says Spain worries Estonia: it blocks U.S. bases, rejects higher NATO spending, courts China and buys Russian fuel.

17.04.26 NEWS ... Parts of the European Union pay transparency directive should be adopted in Estonia, Education Minister Kristina Kallas (Eesti 200) said, adding the government has already in principle decided to do so.

17.04.26 NEWS ... Legislation to include both men and women on the board of Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR) passed its first reading on Wednesday after being proposed by opposition parties.

16.04.26 NEWS ... Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said his party supports rejecting the EU's equal pay directive because it is an ideologically motivated directive based on rigid rules and bans.

16.04.26 NEWS ... The Estonian government is asking the European Commission to delay the Pay Transparency Directive, arguing the new rules would severely increase the administrative burden on local businesses.

16.04.26 NEWS ... Economic affairs minister Erkki Keldo has said Estonia would rather pay a fine to postpone the EU's salary transparency legislation than increase the burden on businesses.

15.04.26 NEWS ... The fight against corruption in Estonia has taken a wrong turn if prosecutors are focusing to merely seek to prove people's friendships, said attorney-at-law and former Prosecutor General Norman Aas.

15.04.26 NEWS ... Member of the European Parliament Marina Kaljurand (SDE) has criticized recent remarks by President Alar Karis and Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, saying Estonia's leaders must communicate clearly to avoid further political tensions.

15.04.26 NEWS ... Support for the opposition Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) fell by 4 percentage points this month, according to a recent poll.

15.04.26 NEWS ... Support for Estonia's most popular political party, Isamaa, has fallen by 2.6 percentage points over the past three weeks, according to a new survey commissioned by the NGO Ühiskonnauuringute Instituut.

14.04.26 NEWS ... Politicians in the eastern border city of Narva have filed complaints and counter-complaints against one another both with the Prosecutor's Office and the Internal Security Service (ISS).

14.04.26 NEWS ... A vote in the Riigikogu to strip independent Tõnis Mölder of parliamentary immunity failed.

14.04.26 NEWS ... Leading politicians from Estonia's major parties have a range of views on a proposal to scrap the European Union's unanimity principle on foreign policy.

14.04.26 NEWS ... The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications wants to limit access to high-quality aerial photographs in the state's map application to protect people's privacy. However, this could create problems for land surveyors and farmers.

13.04.26 NEWS ... Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna questioned the value of second presidential terms, prompting Isamaa chairman Urmas Reinsalu to accuse him of pressuring President Alar Karis to drop his reelection bid.

13.04.26 NEWS ... According to Estonian politicians, Sunday's elections in Hungary showed that the public had grown tired of longtime Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, but the incoming government is certain to face a difficult period.

13.04.26 NEWS ... Estonian political party Isamaa collected over €200,000 in first-quarter donations, primarily from entrepreneurs Parvel Pruunsild and Margus Linnamäe.

13.04.26 NEWS ... The Center Party has paid off its €1 million fine, imposed for influence peddling in the Porto Franco case, as of March, the party's secretary general Anneli Ott confirmed.

13.04.26 NEWS ... The Estonian Riigikogu is advancing an amendment to the Political Parties Act to expand investigative powers of the Political Parties Financing Oversight Committee (ERJK).

10.04.26 NEWS ... On Wednesday in Tallinn, the Riigikogu debated the draft Nuclear Energy and Safety Act to establish a legal framework for a potential power plant, sparking fierce clashes between proponents and skeptics.