Estonian officials have again refuted suggestions that the rupture of the Balticconnector gas pipeline and two data cables in the Baltic Sea by the Chinese cargo ship, NewNew Polar Bear, in October 2023 was an accident, ERR reports. “You would need to find a very stupid captain” for the incident to have been an accident,…
Estonia and the US have signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in countering information manipulation, ERR reports. The memorandum stresses the importance of media freedom in protecting the information space. Estonian state secretary Taimar Peterkop said that Estonia could share with allies its experience in dealing with Russian information attacks. The US has signed…
Estonia will chair the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) in 2025, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna announced, ERR reports. He said that Estonia’s primary objective would be to share its know-how in building an e-state. Also, Estonia’s chairmanship would focus on values of openness, transparency, access to information, and inclusion, Tsahkna added. The FOC is a group…
Estonia’s GDP will decline by 0.4% in 2024, before rising by 1.9% in 2025 and 3.0% in 2026, according to the Bank of Estonia’s latest forecast, ERR reports. Annual inflation will reach 3.5% in 2024, rising to 3.9% in 2025 and then falling again to 3.6% in 2025, the central bank projects. Inflation will rise…
The Estonian Trade Union Confederation (EAKL) and the Confederation of Estonian Employers (ETK) have begun negotiations on the minimum wage for 2025, ERR reports. EAKL demands that the minimum wage be raised by 12%. Arto Aas, managing director of ETK, has little hope of an agreement. Earlier, EAKL and ETK signed a “goodwill agreement” to…
Several ministries in Estonia have criticised the Ministry of Climate’s proposed new climate law, ERR reports. The ministries argued that the bill’s structure and purpose were unclear, and that the bill failed to define the rights and obligations under the proposed law. Interior Minister Lauri Läänemets and Justice Minister Liisa Pakosta said that the bill…
Estonia and Finland are drawing up joint plans for increased maritime defence, Major General Andrus Merilo, commander of the Estonian Defence Forces (EDF), revealed, ERR reports. Speaking in an interview with Helsingin Sanomat, Merilo said that the goal was to establish specific plans to close the Gulf of Finland to Russian ships if necessary. Earlier,…
Estonia’s housing price index rose by 6.7% in the second quarter of 2024, compared to the same period of 2023, according to Statistics Estonia, ERR reports. Compared to the first quarter of 2024, the index rose by 2.8%. Apartment prices rose by 2.9% and house prices by 2.4% over a quarter. Apartment prices rose by…
Estonia’s Ministry of Interior has instructed the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (MPEÕK) to sever all ties with the Russian Orthodox Church (RPTs), ERR reports. In a letter to MPEÕK’s Bishop Daniel (Daniel Lepisk), the ministry’s secretary general, Tarmo Miilits, noted that MPEÕK’s updated statute failed to meet the requirement. Earlier, the Estonian…