There is currently a three-tiered setup which the government office says is outdated and confusing. Some aspects of the public holidays calendar date back to the Soviet era, while church and religious holidays are also a factor.

Another consideration is the cost of holidays, both in themselves and in the effect on the economy of people being off work.

On the other hand, some parties at the Riigikogu, such as the Social Democrats, have called for changes to guarantee holiday time – for instance when a national holiday falls on a weekend.

If proposed changes took effect, some days would become public holidays, some flag days, while others would remain optional observances, or be removed from the calendar entirely.

As things stand, there are 12 public holidays in Estonia, all of them days off from work or school, and four of which are mandatory flag days for state, local government and public sector buildings.

In addition, there are 16 national commemorative days, 10 of which are flag days.

This gives a total of 20 flag days for 2025 in Estonia.

At the same time, many flag days are neither public holidays nor national commemorative days, while conversely there are observances and holidays which are not flag days.

The government office says one flag day costs the state nearly €300,000 through the year.

Gert Uiboaed, government office advisor on symbology, said that only state-mandated holidays in which people are required to be off work should exist, along with mandatory flag days. While state-mandated holidays like February 24 (Independence Day) and June 23 (Victory Day) are also flag days, there are many other instances, such as yesterday's national flag day, which do not mean taking a day of work or school.

Uiboaed pointed to the third category which he feels needs eliminating: National commemorative days.

"Personally, I don't see any practical use for them," Uiboaed said. "The state doesn't observe them, nor does the wider public. There are holidays on the list that people don't even perceive or know exist."

All Riigikogu factions agree that the current situation is confusing. A large part of the issue relates to there being two pieces of legislation, the Flag Act and the Holidays and Commemorative Days Act, governing the sector.

"These two institutional approaches do overlap, but it's unclear why these parallel worlds exist," Uiboaed continued. "The [Riigikogu] constitutional committee itself was also somewhat confused as to the reason, and if there is none, maybe they could be merged."

The Holidays and Commemorative Days Act has evolved logically over time, he said, but the Estonian state no longer defines church holidays, and doesn't need to.

Uiboaed stressed that church holidays are not at risk.

"The church community is not directly dependent on the state," he explained. "Church holidays exist regardless of whether the Riigikogu has included them in law, and the community clearly celebrates them," he continued.

Riigikogu Constitutional Affairs Committee chair Ando Kiviberg (Eesti 200), however, told ERR that changes to church holidays require careful consideration. "I don't think it's right to take anything away from anyone," he said.

The committee in its discussions picked out one example of a religious holiday which is also classified as a public holiday – even as it falls on a Sunday – namely Pentecost. The committee questioned whether this day, which in 2025 comes this Sunday, June 8, should retain its classification.

Eesti 200's faction suggested it could be turned into a flag day, agreeing with the government office that national commemorative days should be eliminated. Kiviberg said that this latter category is a leftover from the Soviet era.

The Center Party has called for simplifying the system, by removing the national commemorative day category, or alternatively by removing the flag day category.

Eesti 200 and Center are joined by the Social Democrats (SDE) in supporting making children's day a public holiday, which would make it a day off. They also call for renaming the day from its current title of Children's Protection Day.

Uiboaed said he does not recommend adding more flag days, as this may divert attention from more important holidays.

The constitutional committee also discussed potentially giving a weekday off in lieu of a public holiday if and when that public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday. In some years, for instance in the early 2020s, many holidays fall on weekends.

While SDE supports this move, Kiviberg was skeptical on the grounds that Estonia's economy had not yet reached the state where extra days off could be granted.

"To take away working days from the economy, which we need to get ourselves fully up and running. It's too early. Right now, we still need to work more and push harder," he continued.

The current debate was sparked in April after Uiboaed urged the constitutional committee to cast a critical eye over the current system.

Kiviberg said he hopes the changes will take effect in the second half of this year.

In any case, the Riigikogu breaks up for its summer recess on Thursday, June 19, returning to work on September 8.

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