The Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, has approved amendments allowing prisoners from other countries to be housed in Estonian prisons, ERR reported. At the same time, the parliament ratified a prison leasing agreement with Sweden. Earlier, the Swedish parliament, the Riksdag, ratified the agreement, ERR reported. Under the deal, Sweden can send up to 600 adult…
This year’s Baltic Pride parade was held in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, on 6 June 2026, ERR reports. The parade progressed through Tallinn’s Old Town and ended with an open-air concert at the Telliskivi Creative City. This year’s theme was “silence will not defeat hate,” emphasising the need to speak up and take action against…
Around 63,000 children will start kindergarten in Estonia in 2026, which is down from just under 67,000 in 2025, according to the Ministry of Education, ERR reports. The number of children in kindergarten has gone down across the country due to falling birth rates, which has made it easier for parents to place their children…
Estonia’s and Latvia’s state-owned passenger train operators, Elron and Pasazieru Vilciens (Vivi), will open a regular train service from Tallinn via Tartu to the Latvian capital, Riga, on 12 January 2026, ERR reports. Elron received permission from the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) to use three new Stadler FLIRT diesel trains on Latvian railway…
The new chairman of the city council of Estonia’s second-largest city, Tartu, Tõnis Lukas, has declined to join the city council faction of his own party, Fatherland (Isamaa), ERR reports. Lukas refused to be member of the same coalition as social media influencer Kris Kärner, who has made disparaging and threatening comments about Lukas and…
The city council of Estonia’s second-largest city, Tartu, has elected Tõnis Lukas of the national conservative Fatherland (Isamaa) party as its chairman, ERR reports. At the same time, the city council elected Raimond Tamm of the liberal Estonian Reform Party as deputy chairman. Reform’s Urmas Klaas will continue to serve as the city’s mayor. Fatherland…
Altogether 126 people in Estonia renounced their Russian citizenship in the first eight months of 2025, according to data from the Estonian Ministry of Interior, ERR reports. In the whole of 2024, only 107 residents in Estonia gave up their Russian passports. The Russian embassy in Tallinn did not accept applications in the period from…
Speakers of the parliaments of six countries bordering Russia will meet in the southern Estonian city of Tartu on 3 February 2025 to discuss further support for Ukraine and legislative means to counter Russia’s hybrid warfare, LSM reports. The parliamentary speakers will also discuss relations with the US and the situation in Armenia, Belarus, Georgia,…
Estonia’s state-owned passenger train operator, Eesti Liinirongid (Elron), plans to open a direct train connection between Tartu in southern Estonia and the Latvian capital, Riga, in summer 2025, BNS reports. Elron will soon begin test runs between Valga and Riga. CEO Lauri Betlem said that the authorisation of trains in Latvia had taken much longer…