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.

24.04.26 NEWS ... How many people security agencies wiretap and surveil in Estonia — probably no one knows for sure, but the number may be in the tens of thousands, said attorney-at-law Paul Keres.

20.04.26 NEWS ... While Estonia can follow Israel's example in economic matters and those of national security, the country's unique relationship with the U.S. cannot be copied by others, Estonian Ambassador to Israel Andres Vosman tells ERR in an interview.

17.04.26 NEWS ... Prosecutor General Astrid Asi notes that recent political criticism in Estonia has not made the Prosecutor's Office more cautious. Crimes require investigation regardless of political status to ensure impartial justice, says Asi.

17.04.26 NEWS ... During Tallinn Music Week (TMW), Resident Advisor co-founder Paul Clement spoke about his Estonian roots, global club culture and why he believes nightlife will endure.

15.04.26 NEWS ... There is a deepening and unwelcome trend among Estonian politicians to conduct foreign policy for domestic gains, said Jaap Ora, who left his post as ambassador to Kazakhstan last December.

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.

11.04.26 NEWS ... Literary scholar Sirje Olesk told ERR in an interview about the development of Estonian women's literature and its founder Lydia Koidula. She said that while there are many good female writers in Estonia today, what matters is whether the reader finds their way to them.

08.04.26 NEWS ... Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi told ERR in an interview that in a situation where the world market price of oil could hit $200, people in Estonia need to get over their fear of renewables.

02.04.26 NEWS ... Urmas Reinsalu, head of the opposition Isamaa party, told ERR that Donald Trump's positions are becoming increasingly transactional, but it is in Estonia's interest that dialogue between the United States and Europe not break down. Reinsalu also described the sharing of information with the Kremlin by Péter Szijjártó as treacherous.

02.04.26 NEWS ... European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas explained on the "Esimene stuudio" talk show why Donald Trump's attacks on NATO are painful for allies and why Ukraine must not be pressured into unfair concessions. Kallas emphasized that diplomacy and unity are the only tools to prevent brute force from prevailing in the world.

01.04.26 NEWS ... Former Air Force commander Jaak Tarien said that although individual Ukrainian drones that have strayed off course may cause anxiety, there is no reason to fear a sudden Russian attack. If an adversary were planning a deliberate strike against Estonia, intelligence services would know long before any drones appeared on radar.

31.03.26 NEWS ... Propastop co-founder Andres Lember tells ERR in an interview that foreign journalists' interest in the "Narva People's Republic" topic has become disproportionately large, but the Estonian press, not Propastop, is responsible for amplifying it.

30.03.26 NEWS ... Col. Fredi Karu, chief of staff of the Air Force, told ERR that Ukraine does not use Estonian or other NATO countries' airspace to launch attacks against Russia. Instead, drones end up in other countries' territories due to electronic jamming or technical malfunctions.

27.03.26 NEWS ... Estonia plans to amend laws to make it easier to bring down suspicious drones. In addition, the police and the EDF will gain improved capabilities to identify what type of drone is involved. It is important for the police to be able to respond to drone-related threats anywhere in Estonia, said Veiko Kommusaar, deputy director general of the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA).

24.03.26 NEWS ... Europe's greatest threat is not Russia or China, but a fracturing society and the rise of far-right extremism. To keep democracy alive, military deterrence alone is not enough — a strong welfare state must also be built, Sven Biscop, professor of political science at Ghent University and director of the Egmont Institute, tells ERR.

16.03.26 NEWS ... Social scientist and author of a recent study on Estonians' reading habits, Marju Lauristin, said that while people do read books on the whole, reading is less popular among middle-aged men who, at the same time, set the tone in society today.

02.03.26 NEWS ... Neither the U.S. nor Israel has the political will to deploy ground troops to Iran, while regime change is unlikely without a military presence, said MEP Sven Mikser.

28.02.26 NEWS ... Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration of Moldova Cristina Gherasimov said the European Union accession process is "very much an individual exercise" and each country must do its "own homework" to be accepted into the bloc.

27.02.26 NEWS ... Longtime European Commission transport chief Henrik Hololei tells ERR in an interview that flawed green transition policies, the absence of a true capital market and political indecision have left the EU in a position where talk of competitiveness has replaced real economic strength. He declined to elaborate on his disciplinary proceedings.

26.02.26 NEWS ... Academic freedom is in very good shape at Estonian universities, incoming Tallinn University rector Priit Reiska tells ERR in an interview, adding that maintaining that freedom depends on preserving the distinct profiles of universities.

25.02.26 NEWS ... Reform Party wants to announce a wind farm auction, but coalition partner Eesti 200 leader Kristina Kallas questions whether building new wind farms without energy storage would lower prices for consumers.

20.02.26 NEWS ... Tallinn University political scientist Ott Lumi told ERR Estonia's governance is overly technocratic, prompting the launch of the Chamber of Principle, an open platform offering ideas to all political parties.

12.02.26 NEWS ... Kaupo Rosin, director of the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service, said that despite Russia's efforts to portray itself as capable of waging war for decades to come, the country is in poor shape and increasingly vulnerable to each new round of sanctions.

10.02.26 NEWS ... Riigikogu Speaker Lauri Hussar (Eesti 200) told ERR in a brief interview that U.S. President Donald Trump would be a highly credible candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize if his efforts were to result in a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.

09.02.26 NEWS ... Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told ERR that if President Alar Karis has proposals to change Estonia's foreign policy, they should not be made through the media, especially not on the international stage, but rather discussed at the table. So far, the president has not done so.

06.02.26 NEWS ... Speaking in Milan, Italy, President Alar Karis told Estonian journalists that Estonia's foreign policy remains unified despite recent public debate over his comments on Ukraine. Karis advised the foreign minister and prime minister to call him directly in case of disagreements, rather than airing them through the media.

03.02.26 NEWS ... Unlike several other European countries, Estonia has long understood that the United States expects greater defense spending from its European allies, Estonian Ambassador to the U.S. Kristjan Prikk said in an interview with ERR. Prikk is set to become Estonia's ambassador to NATO in the second half of the summer.

02.02.26 NEWS ... Chef Orm Oja doesn't consider the concerns of the restaurant sector to be a national priority as there are far more pressing issues in society. However, he acknowledged that throughout his professional career, it's always been something — be it the financial crisis, COVID, tax hikes or wars — and he honestly doesn't know what "good times" in the restaurant business are supposed to look like.

29.01.26 NEWS ... Chairman of the management board of Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR) Erik Roose speaks candidly about the organization's severe financial strain and what it means for ERR and Estonian culture more broadly. Roose notes that ERR's services cost each Estonian just eight cents per day, yet the organization's inflation-adjusted budget has shrunk by one-third over the past 18 years.

28.01.26 NEWS ... In an interview with ERR, photographer Anton Corbijn said he always tried to photograph musicians in the sphere of music they create, while other photographers were more interested in their clothes and style.

28.01.26 NEWS ... Kersti Kaljulaid told ERR in an interview she has not considered running again for president of Estonia. However, she noted that some politicians have previously told her she is seen as a highly competent leader in foreign affairs — but a nuisance domestically.

27.01.26 NEWS ... Kristi Raik, director of the International Center for Defense and Security, told ERR that the U.S. fails to grasp how vital its alliances are. She added that President Donald Trump's desire for power and fame drives irrational actions, such as his wish to acquire Greenland.

26.01.26 NEWS ... In an interview with ERR, Estonian volunteer aid worker Triinu Perve, who is now in Kyiv, said the situation in the Ukrainian capital is very difficult. The lack of electricity means temperatures inside residential buildings have fallen extremely low.

26.01.26 NEWS ... Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told ERR that U.S. President Donald Trump is not erratic in his actions, but rather uses rhetoric that can be unsettling. Tsahkna advised against panicking or overreacting.

23.01.26 NEWS ... In a small fermentation lab in Tallinn, two chefs with roots stretching across continents have quietly launched something Estonia has never seen before: Its first locally produced and sold shoyu.

22.01.26 NEWS ... Even if Estonia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had an unlimited budget, it still couldn't read Donald Trump's mind, Raimond Kaljulaid (SDE) tells ERR in an interview. While Kaljulaid considers Estonian politicians' positions on the Greenland issue generally reasonable, he criticizes the lack of coordination and consistency in messaging.

20.01.26 NEWS ... According to entrepreneur Jüri Käo, a government can talk the economy down or talk it up, but when leaders claim everything is going well while people feel every day that it's not, then what the government says becomes empty talk.

18.01.26 NEWS ... Estonia's MEP Urmas Paet told ERR that Europe's biggest security issue is its ongoing dependence on the U.S., urging stronger EU defense cooperation.

18.01.26 NEWS ... Jaap Ora, the former Estonian ambassador to Kazakhstan who left his post amid a diplomatic scandal, said he never intended to end his diplomatic career this way. According to Ora, his goal during the Estonian president's state visit to Kazakhstan was to ensure a trusting and friendly working atmosphere.

18.01.26 NEWS ... In an interview with ERR, former President Toomas Hendrik Ilves said European leaders have yet to grasp the fundamental shift in relations with the United States and the emergence of a confrontation. According to Ilves, the European Union needs a restructuring in order to finally build an independent defense capability that does not rely on the U.S.

13.01.26 NEWS ... MEP and Center Party deputy chair Jaak Madison said he would leave Brussels if the Center Party joins Estonia's next governing coalition. Madison also spoke about the party's worldview and recent shifts within the European Parliament.

11.01.26 NEWS ... Former Tallinn mayor and longtime political figure Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE) doubts that the next president will be successfully elected by the Riigikogu. However, he believes the Social Democrats have every opportunity to win over many voters who have grown disillusioned with the Reform Party and currently favor Isamaa.

09.01.26 NEWS ... Astrid Lindgren's great grandson Johan Palmberg said his great grandmother had an exceptionally unusual understanding of children and was interested in the same things as them. According to Palmberg, there are no other famous writers in his family, as all the talent family went to Astrid.

09.01.26 NEWS ... Social Democratic Party chair Lauri Läänemets told ERR in an interview that if the governing coalition were to lose its parliamentary majority, the Social Democrats would immediately support a vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform). Nevertheless, he believes it is still possible to find common ground to elect the next president in the Riigikogu.

07.01.26 NEWS ... Prime Minister and Reform Party chair Kristen Michal outlined three key priorities in a wide-ranging interview on ETV's "Esimene stuudio" talk show: defense spending, economic growth and values-based policymaking.

31.12.25 NEWS ... In his year-end interview with ETV, President Alar Karis said that Estonia's hardline foreign policy sometimes needs a counterbalance. According to Karis, every country is different and getting a message across effectively requires careful consideration of what to say, where and when.

30.12.25 INTERVIEWS ... A world order where the United States sees itself as responsible for maintaining it no longer exists, while Europe must take far greater responsibility for its own security, International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS) director Kristi Raik said.

30.12.25 NEWS ... Europe and Estonia have spent the past few decades largely living in a world of wishful thinking, says journalist, historian and author Andrei Hvostov. In Donald Trump's world, many long-held assumptions have come under question, the war in Ukraine has not faded and there is little reason to expect the return of the "good old days."

29.12.25 NEWS ... Public criticism of the government, driven by tax confusion during the coalition with the Social Democrats, was behind the Reform Party's weaker local election results, Prime Minister Kristen Michal said on Vikerraadio. While some tax decisions were later reversed, the positive message never reached the public, he added.