European news portal Politico ranked the performance of Lithuania’s EU commissioner, Virginijus Sinkevicius, highest of the three Baltic members of the outgoing European Commission, ERR reports. The outlet gave Sinkevicius, who served as the European Commissioner for Environment in 2019-2024, a score of A minus. Latvia’s Valdis Dombrovskis, who is staying on as EC Vice…
The finance committee of the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, has decided to cancel an additional 5% increase in the excise tax on alcohol that was planned for July 2025, ERR reports. Committee chairwoman Annely Akkermann said that the tax hike would have led to increased cross-border trade and grey market sales, thus reducing state budget…
The chairwoman of Estonia’s Political Party Funding Supervision Committee (ERJK), Liisa Oviir, has criticised the lack of progress on proposed amendments to the law on political parties, ERR reports. The amendments would expand the committee’s powers to supervise the financing of non-party organisations affiliated with political parties. Despite assurances from previous ministers of justice that…
The Estonian Centre Party (Keskerakond) may wait until some time in 2025 to decide which political group to join in the European Parliament, the party’s chairman, Mihhail Kõlvart, announced, ERR reports. He said that the party would not rush the decision. In the previous parliament, Keskerakond was a member of the Renew Europe/ALDE group but…
Annual alcohol consumption in Estonia amounted to 11.2 litres of pure alcohol per capita in 2022, which was down from 14.8 litres in 2007, according to a report from the National Institute for Health Development (TAI), ERR reports. The report noted that alcohol consumption declined over 2012-2018, but began rising again in 2019 after a…
Estonian transmission system operator Elering’s frequency reserve tender has attracted interest from both local and international participants, ERR reports. The tender is aimed at providing price certainty in the frequency reserve market as Estonia will withdraw from the Russian electricity system in February 2025. The total capacity to be awarded under the tender will amount…
The EU’s new foreign policy chief, former Estonian prime minister Kaja Kallas, and the President of the European Council, António Costa, are visiting Kyiv to show support for Ukraine on their first day in office, ERR reports. Kallas stressed that the situation in Ukraine was “very, very serious.” She acknowledged that it was becoming increasingly…
The Netherlands has taken over responsibility for NATO’s air policing mission at Estonia’s Ämari Air Base from the Spanish Air Force as of 1 December 2024, ERR reports. The Royal Netherlands Air Force has deployed F-35 fighter jets to the air base, which was reopened after runway repairs that lasted nine months. The Netherlands will…
Estonian President Alar Karis has expressed support for the Georgian people amid massive anti-government demonstrations across the country, ERR reports. Karis phoned Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, wishing her strength. Karis insisted that the Georgian government did not have a mandate to halt the aspiration of the majority of Georgians to join the EU. Also, he…