Following the imposition of sanctions on Russian timber, Estonia has seen a surge in heavy timber imports from unexpected countries, where forests are assumed to be scarce, Postimees reports. Henrik Välja, CEO of the Estonian Forest and Wood Industries Association (EMPL), said that Russian timber continued to flow into Estonia through an illegal scheme whereby…
Estonia’s Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (TTJA) has proposed legislation to ensure that media service providers uphold balanced and impartial reporting in news programmes, ERR reports. Currently, Estonian media service providers are subject to license supervision, but there is no provisional control for foreign channels. TTJA plans to consult with other state agencies, including…
Finland’s new Prime Minister, Petteri Orpo, will visit Estonia on 5 July 2023 to meet with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and President Alar Karis, ERR reports. This will be Orpo’s first official foreign visit since being sworn in on 20 June 2023. The two prime ministers will discuss bilateral relations, regional security, and EU…
Estonian energy group Alexela reported revenue of more than EUR 620mn in 2022, which was up almost 70% from around EUR 368mn in 2021, ERR reports. The group’s annual profit amounted to EUR 14.6mn, which was up 75% from EUR 8.3mn a year earlier. Alexela attributed the rise in profit to an increase in the…
Strong winds and high waves disrupted ferry services to Estonia’s smaller islands on 3 July 2023, BNS reported. Ferry operator Kihnu Veeteed cancelled departures of the Kihnu Virve and Soela passenger ferries were cancelled during the day. Also, the Ormsö passenger ferry did not accept heavy vehicles on the Sviby-Rohuküla route.
Estonia’s Ministry of Justice is undertaking efforts to improve the clarity and transparency of electronic voting rules, aligning them with the guidelines provided by the Supreme Court, BNS reports. The changes will elevate e-voting documentation to a higher decision-making level. Previously, the responsibility for the documentation largely rested with the National Electoral Committee and the…
Food prices in Estonia continued to rise sharply in June 2023 compared to the year before but remained relatively stable from a month earlier, according to data from the Estonian Institute of Economic Research (EKI), ERR reports. The price increases were particularly notable for meat and dairy products. The price of sugar has risen from…
Estonia’s Information System Authority (RIA) recorded around 550 phishing scams, where scammers tricked individuals into revealing their bank card details and PIN codes, in the first five months of 2023, ERR reports. The agency also documented around 1,200 incidents that compromised the confidentiality and availability of data or information systems. Additionally, RIA detected around 5,000…
Estonia’s Information System Authority (RIA) has launched a cyber awareness campaign aimed at raising awareness about the dangers in the Estonian cyberspace, ERR reports. The campaign aims to prevent businesses and individuals from falling victim to data breaches, loss of account access, and financial theft. The campaign emphasises the importance of increased awareness regarding online…