Estonia’s retail trade turnover declined by 10% in May 2023, according to data from Statistics Estonia, The Baltic Guide reports. The total turnover of retail trade enterprises amounted to EUR 905mn, which was down 10% from the same month last year at constant prices. Johanna Linda Pihlak, analyst at Statistics Estonia, said that grocery stores…
The continuing rise in prices in Estonia is driven by the increase in food prices, ERR reports. In June 2023, the growth of prices slowed down to 8.9% compared to the same month last year, according to preliminary data from Statistics Estonia. Compared to May 2023, prices went up by 0.8%, however. In both annual…
The EU Affairs Committee of the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, has approved Estonia’s position on the introduction of digital travel documents in the EU, ERR reports. The committee supports the introduction of digital passports and ID cards. Committee deputy chair Maria Jufereva-Skuratovski of the Estonian Centre Party (Keskerakond) said that digital travel documents would accelerate…
Estonian pellet producer Graanul Invest reported sales of EUR 590mn in 2022, which was up 30% from 2021, ERR reports. The group’s annual net profit rose by 28% to EUR 111mn. The group produced 2.3 million tonnes of pellets in 2022, which was down from 2.5 million tonnes a year earlier. Due to raw material…
Estonia has succeeded Canada as the co-chair of the Media Freedom Coalition (MFC), which is a partnership of countries advocating for media freedom and safety of journalists worldwide, ERR reports. The chair of the coalition rotates among member states on a biannual basis. Estonia joined MFC in September 2019. Estonia ranks in the top 10…
The Estonian company, Biometaan, has signed an agreement with Finland’s Convion to start selling mobile power plants running on fuel cells in the Baltic States, ERR reports. The solid oxide fuel cell power plant will generate energy from biomethane produced from cow slurry at the Mangeni PM dairy farm in the village of Koksvere in…
Russia’s Justice Ministry has declared Alexey Gorpinchenko, St Petersburg correspondent for Estonian public broadcaster ERR’s Russian service, a "foreign agent," ERR reports. The ministry accuses Gorpinchenko of "denouncing" Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, disseminating "untruthful" information about the war, and attracting international support. The "foreign agent" designation carries a variety of restrictions and potential fines.
The National Defence Committee of Estonia’s parliament, the Riigikogu, has concluded its visit to Ukraine, Postimees reports. The MPs met with several representatives of the Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, and high-ranking officials. The committee insisted that the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius must send a clear message to Ukraine about its NATO membership prospect….
Estonia’s passenger train operator, Elron, began operating Swiss rolling stock manufacturer Stadler’s FLIRT electric trains ten years ago on 1 July 2013, ERR reports. In ten years, the trains have carried more than 66 million passengers. In 2013, train passenger numbers were at an all-time low of 4.2 million journeys. Elron will receive 16 new…