Estonia’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) checked around 2,000 bank statements without legal authority, Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise announced, ERR reports. FIU had obtained full bank statements via the data exchange layer connected to the enforcement register, whereas the law only allows FIU access to basic information about bank accounts. FIU told ERR that it…
The Baltic States are disappointed that the UK failed to invite them to a summit of European leaders on the war in Ukraine on 2 March 2025, Sky News reports. A diplomatic source said that the Baltic States were “truly unhappy,” noting that Russia’s leaders and the Baltic public would assess that the US, UK,…
The free world needs a new leader, the EU’s foreign policy chief, Estonia’s former prime minister Kaja Kallas, stated, ERR reports. Reacting to an acrimonious public exchange between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump in the White House on 28 February 2025, Kallas said that it was now up to Europeans to…
Estonia’s Ministry of Interior expects the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (MPEÕK) to leave the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church before summer 2025, ERR reports. Earlier, the ministry submitted a draft legislative amendment to the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, which would ban religious associations directed by countries that threaten Estonia’s public order,…
Estonian President Alar Karis has rejected an amendment to the law on the use of natural resources, ERR reports. The legislative changes would suspend oil shale mining permits until 2026, allowing time to assess the industry’s compliance with EU climate goals. The president argued that the amendment ran counter to the Constitution and imposed disproportionate…
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 chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, Marko Mihkelson, urged South Korea to consider stronger support for Ukraine, including military assistance, The Korea Herald reports. If Russia prevails in its war of aggression against Ukraine, the stability and security situation will worsen not only in Europe but also in…
Estonian parties disagree on proposed amendments to suspend the voting rights of third-country nationals, including Russian citizens, ERR reports. The Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, has approved the amendments in first reading with support from the ruling coalition’s Estonian Reform Party and Estonia 200 as well as the opposition’s Fatherland (Isamaa) and Conservative People’s Party of…
The embassy of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in Estonia has sent a note to the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, criticising the participation of several MPs in an event celebrating Taiwan’s National Day, ERR reports. The note mentioned the MPs who attended the event by name, insisting that some of them used “incorrect expressions”…