Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has submitted her resignation to President Alar Karis, ERR reports. Kallas will also resign from her post as chairperson of the Estonian Reform Party. Earlier, she was nominated as the EU’s foreign policy chief. Kallas will remain acting head of the government until the new coalition is sworn into office, which…
Estonian Finance Minister Mart Võrklaev suggested floating the company coordinating the Rail Baltica railway project, RB Rail, on the stock exchange to raise more funds amidst rising construction costs, ERR reports. Construction costs in Estonia alone are estimated at EUR 3.1bn, with EUR 1.2bn secured from EU funding. Võrklaev said that the government expected to have…
Estonia’s incoming ruling coalition has agreed to implement budget cuts across all ministries, including defence and interior affairs, ERR reports. Margus Tsahkna, chairman of Estonia 200, said that each ministry would likely face a percentage-based cut to salaries and management costs, and that no new jobs would be created. The coalition plans to extend the…
Inflation in Estonia is expected to increase as of autumn 2024, with overall inflation projected to reach 4% by the end of the year, according to some analysts, ERR reports. The analysts attribute the anticipated rise to persistently high energy prices and wage growth driving up service costs. Despite a significant 40% surge in grocery…
Several countries have expressed interest in renting Estonia’s empty prison space, according to the Ministry of Justice, ERR reports. A ministry official said that neighbouring countries had shown interest, and that European statistics indicated a demand for prison space. However, legislative amendments were needed before renting out prison space, the official added. Earlier reports suggested…
Czech company Rekola Bikesharing will launch a bikesharing service in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, at the end of August 2024, ERR reports. The company will have 200 bicycles available. Currently, Rekola’s bikesharing service operates in seven cities in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Estonian car-sharing company Elmo and Swedish charging solutions provider Elonroad have opened the world’s first fully automatic charging station for teledriven cars in Tallinn, BNS reports. The stations will allow Elmo to minimise charging interruptions and reduce labour costs. Teledriving technology enables controlling vehicles remotely.
Estonia’s primary goals at the NATO summit in Washington include increasing defence spending, closing capability gaps, and maintaining a focus on the threat from Russia, ERR reports. Estonia is pushing for investments in critical defence capabilities such as air defence and ammunition. Estonia supports raising the defence spending target to 2.5-3% of GDP. Additionally, Estonia…
The constitutional and finance committees of the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, have decided to amend the car tax bill, ERR reports. Earlier, President Alar Karis rejected the bill, arguing that it violated the principle of equal treatment. Constitutional committee chairman Hendrik Johannes Terras and finance committee chairwoman Annely Akkermann said that discussions with various ministries…
