"For us, the most critical economic issues are to bring the competitiveness of the Estonian economy to a new level," Kallas told ERR.

"We are no longer a country of cheap labor and cheap energy. Our competitiveness is no longer about being able to set up production here with cheap labor. And how we attract these manufacturing companies to create new jobs in Estonia, there are measures and ways in which the state could support this. And agreeing on these needs final agreement," she said.

"We have had disputes about this. But for Eesti 200, supporting economic competitiveness measures is the most important thing," Kallas, who is also minister of education and research, added.

She said it is also important to ensure the sustainability of the state.

"This applies to the way the national budget is managed, but also to the way the country works. We cannot sail very far on today's cost-income basis, we do not have a sustainable plan for how we will be able to keep the state afloat in 2035 and 2045. This means pulling back some of the state's administrative responsibilities, cutting back and looking at tax revenues," Kallas said.

The minister said the government has been through a difficult six months during which the coalition has not been able to agree on how to improve the state's finances.

Speaking on Tuesday, Reform's prime ministerial candidate Kristen Michal said Estonia's economic competitiveness must be improved.

Reform, SDE and Eesti 200 have been holding consultations since July 8.

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