Schools in Estonia have begun transitioning to education in Estonian under a plan approved by the country’s parliament, the Riigikogu, in December 2022, ERR reports. The transition will proceed gradually, with kindergartens and school grades one and four transitioning to fully Estonian education in 2024. Grades two and five will transition in 2025 and grade…
Estonia’s Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) has granted student visas to 646 foreigners for the academic year 2024/2025, ERR reports. Of the total, 65 are from China, 53 from the US, and 51 from Azerbaijan. PPA refused visas to 114 foreign students, including 28 from Nigeria, 22 from Pakistan, and 10 from India. The…
Estonia’s privately-owned gas supplier, Eesti Gaas, will raise the price of natural gas for household consumers as of 1 October 2024 due to fluctuations in European gas market prices, ERR reports. The new tariff will be EUR 0.59 per m3, including VAT. In August 2024, Eesti Gaas cut the gas price to EUR 0.525 per…
Estonia’s liberal Estonia 200 (E200) party, junior partner in the country’s current coalition government, has elected Education Minister Kristina Kallas as its new chairperson, replacing Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, ERR reports. Kallas stressed the importance of values as a “key component” in politics. E200 will now start preparing for upcoming local elections and will strive…
The Latvian government has decided to launch an initial public offering (IPO) of shares in the state-owned national air carrier, airBaltic, by the end of 2024, ERR reports. Transport Minister Kaspars Briskens said that the IPO would proceed concurrently with talks with a new strategic investor, LSM reported. He said that the state only planned…
Electricity prices in Estonia will increase significantly following the planned decoupling from the Russian electricity grid in February 2025, Postimees reports. Currently, the rate for production and consumption stands at just EUR 0.04 per MWh. Estonia’s transmission system operator, Elering, has proposed raising the rate to as much as EUR 5.31 per MWh, largely due…
The construction price index in Estonia rose by 2.2% on year in the second quarter of 2024, according to data from Statistics Estonia, ERR reports. Compared to the first quarter of 2024, the index rose by 0.7%. The cost of labour rose by 1.3%, of machinery by 2.4%, and of building materials by 0.2% over…
Ministers in Estonia’s new government led by Kristen Michal of the Estonian Reform Party have been sworn in before the country’s parliament, the Riigikogu, ERR reports. Reform has seven, the Social Democratic Party (SDE) four, and Estonia 200 three ministers in the new coalition. The cabinet of ministers includes seven men and seven women.
Estonian President Alar Karis has appointed into office a new coalition government headed by Kristen Michal of the Estonian Reform Party, ERR reports. Earlier, the government was overwhelmingly approved by the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu. The coalition consists of the same three parties as the previous government of Kaja Kallas: Reform, the Social Democratic Party…