26.07.25 NEWS ... According to former Prime Minister and Reform Party chairman Andrus Ansip, neither Prime Minister Kristen Michal nor the Reform party headquarters should interfere in other municipalities' affairs, former prime minister Andrus Ansip said.

24.07.25 NEWS ... Prime Minister and Reform Party chair Kristen Michal on Thursday apologized for the political turmoil caused by his party in Tallinn this summer. He also ruled out cooperation with the Center Party and EKRE.

24.07.25 NEWS ... Tallinn city government is not likely to appoint new deputy mayors following the departure of the Reform Party from office earlier this week, instead dividing their duties among remaining officials, "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported.

23.07.25 NEWS ... The coalition crisis in Tallinn this summer amounts to some unbelievable nonsense, Mayor of Tallinn Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE) said. The saga damaged both the credibility of politics as a whole and the Reform Party, which instigated the crisis, Ossinovski added.

23.07.25 NEWS ... The Reform Party failed to anticipate how resolved its coalition partners in Tallinn would be, and the negative public reaction it would get when it triggered the political crisis in the capital from early June, over the proposal to abolish kindergarten fees, political scientist Tõnis Saarts said.

23.07.25 NEWS ... The coalition Reform Party's popularity has dropped to 12.2 percent when aggregated over four weeks, according to a recent survey.

22.07.25 NEWS ... The Reform Party left the Tallinn city government coalition on Tuesday evening, the day after a failed vote to abolish kindergarten fees in the capital. The party said it is impossible to fulfill pledges made to voters.

22.07.25 NEWS ... Eesti 200 chairman Kristina Kallas has refuted that there was an agreement with the party to abolish kindergarten fees in Tallinn, a claim made by Mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE). She criticized Ossinovski for changing his story.

22.07.25 NEWS ... Eesti 200 reneged on an agreement to vote in favor of abolishing kindergarten fees in Tallinn, the Reform Party says.

22.07.25 NEWS ... Tallinn's summer political rollercoaster is also reflected in the capital's residents' party preferences. Reform's ratings have fallen to 10 percent, while SDE's have surged, according to the latest survey by Kantar Emor.

22.07.25 NEWS ... Tuesday's newspaper editorials criticize the ongoing political squabbling between parties in Tallinn, the latest example of which was Monday's failed attempt in the city council to abolish kindergarten fees.

22.07.25 NEWS ... Not everything went according to plan at Monday's extraordinary city council meeting, Mayor of Tallinn Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE) said, adding that the Center Party opted to take revenge on the Reform Party by voting against abolishing kindergarten fees in the capital after earlier supporting that step.

21.07.25 NEWS ... Tallinn Deputy Mayor Pärtel-Peeter Pere (Reform) announced his resignation on Monday evening after Tallinn City Council voted against abolishing kindergarten fees in the capital, claiming he cannot make changes.

21.07.25 NEWS ... Tallinn will clear snow from all streets owned by the city this coming winter, shifting responsibility away from residents, after councillors voted for the measure on Monday. it also agreed to stop using leaf blowers.

21.07.25 NEWS ... The prime ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania met over the weekend for their annual informal meeting. Bread baking, amongst other activities, was on the agenda.

21.07.25 NEWS ... Estonia has slapped entry bans on 19 high-ranking Georgian officials responsible for the persecution of peaceful protesters, journalists, and opposition representatives.

20.07.25 NEWS ... Tallinn City Council will vote on a draft regulation to abolish kindergarten fees on Monday. The measure is likely to pass only with the support of the opposition, as coalition member Eesti 200 does not support the policy.

19.07.25 OPINION ... While the Reform Party has repeatedly replaced its coalition partners, there had almost always been an understandable rationale to the changes. However, in looking at this year's coalition changes, it seems the party is losing its earlier skill in maneuvering and ability to sense societal expectations, political commentator Tõnis Saarts finds in his Vikerraadio daily commentary.

18.07.25 NEWS ... The Ministry of Education and Research is laying off the head of the transition to Estonian-language education.

18.07.25 NEWS ... The fresh sanctions package approved by the European Union demonstrates that the bloc remains tireless and resolute in its determination to bring Russia to account for its continued war of aggression on Ukraine, Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said.

16.07.25 NEWS ... U.S. streamer IShowSpeed's visit to Tallinn was a successful and cost-effective move in terms of introducing Estonia to young audiences, a University of Tartu social media researcher has said. Other forms of marketing often cost hundreds of thousands of euros.

16.07.25 NEWS ... Support for the coalition Reform Party support has fallen by 3.2 percentage points over the past month to 14 percent, its lowest rating since 2019, according to a recent poll. The same can be said of the Reform-Eesti 200 coalition.

15.07.25 NEWS ... The Palestine solidarity group in Estonia held a demonstration in Tallinn on Tuesday to express support for Palestinians.

15.07.25 NEWS ... Estonia's Justice Ministry has begun restricting access to the enforcement register, requiring agencies to apply for exemptions. The move has sparked debate over the balance between criminal investigations and privacy. Key agencies, including the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) and the Tax and Customs Board (MTA), seek continued access, citing operational needs amid concerns over oversight and transparency.

15.07.25 NEWS ... A Ministry of Finance bill to make the state budget easier to comprehend will not substantively improve anything, some members of the Riigikogu's finance committee have said.

14.07.25 NEWS ... The campaign for this fall's local elections in Estonia is already underway. The first posters advertising political parties and politicians are already visible in the streets of Tallinn.

14.07.25 NEWS ... A four-committee Riigikogu closed-doors meeting Monday has brought clarity to law enforcement agencies gaining access to banking information and account details in Estonia, though several questions still need clarification, Reform MP Maris Lauri said.

14.07.25 NEWS ... Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) celebrated his 50th birthday last week, hosting guests in part at the government's official residence, Stenbock House. The Prime Minister's Office said Michal will personally cover all birthday-related expenses.

14.07.25 NEWS ... Not only is there still no consensus on scrapping kindergarten fees within Tallinn's ruling coalition, but even some Reform regional branches with members sitting on municipal governments are opposed to doing so, "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported.

12.07.25 NEWS ... Recent data from Estonia's political party funding watchdog show that many of the country's major political parties — the Reform Party, Isamaa, EKRE, the Social Democratic Party (SDE) and the Center Party — continue to rely heavily on state funding, with only handful drawing significant private donations in the second quarter of 2025.

12.07.25 NEWS ... Political observers say the recent power struggle in Tallinn has underscored how difficult it is to govern the Estonian capital without the Center Party. Of the four parties currently represented on Tallinn City Council, only Eesti 200 has ruled out cooperating with them.

11.07.25 NEWS ... Estonia's two Center Party MEPs, Jana Toom and Jaak Madison, voted differently both from each other and from the rest of Estonia's seven European Parliament representatives at Thursday's no-confidence motion against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

10.07.25 NEWS ... Any cuts to VAT on food would need to be covered either by larger budget cuts or by fresh taxes, Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) said, adding that comparable countries such as Latvia have been experiencing similar food prices to Estonia's, despite cutting the rate on food.

09.07.25 NEWS ... Estonia may block the adoption of the European Union's 18th sanctions package against Russia if the price cap on Russian oil is not dropped to $45, Minister of Foreign Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) has indicated.

09.07.25 NEWS ... Mayor of Tallinn Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE) said there are two possible outcomes of the upcoming local elections: either he will continue as mayor, or Mihhail Kõlvart (Center) will return to lead the council.

09.07.25 NEWS ... Support for the Reform Party has dropped to 15.9 percent in the Riigikogu election poll, the lowest level since early 2019, Norstat's latest survey shows.

09.07.25 NEWS ... Three months before the local elections, the Center Party holds the highest level of support in Tallinn. A new poll shows the recent coalition crisis in the capital boosted support for Center and weakened support for Reform.

08.07.25 NEWS ... A motion of no confidence against Tallinn Mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE) has failed. Only members of the city's opposition voted in favor of the motion at an extraordinary council meeting on Tuesday.

08.07.25 NEWS ... Although it is very difficult to justify rationally, normalizing relations with Russia seems to be a long-term priority for U.S. President Donald Trump, said Kristi Raik, director of the International Center for Defense and Security (ICDS).

07.07.25 NEWS ... According to Mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski, during its meeting on Monday, Tallinn City Government decided to send a draft decree to the city council for approval, which would abolish attendance fees at Tallinn's municipal kindergartens from September 1.

07.07.25 NEWS ... At a meeting on Monday, the Reform Party's Tallinn regional board and council, decided to continue in the Tallinn city government and not participate in the vote of no confidence against Mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski. The party deems the removal of kindergarten fees as a prerequisite for it to continue in the coalition.

07.07.25 NEWS ... Center Party leader Mihhail Kõlvart says it has been sad to see the power struggle in the Tallinn city government and that after the local elections this fall, Center is ready to hold talks with all the other parties if necessary. According to Kõlvart, a prerequisite for negotiating with the SDE would be that current Tallinn Mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski is not at the table.

07.07.25 NEWS ... Tallinn Mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE) has outlined a four-point proposal according to which the Reform Party could return to the city government alongside the three other coalition members.

05.07.25 NEWS ... MPs will discuss amendments to two pieces of legislation sent back to the Riigikogu by President Alar Karis after the summer break.

04.07.25 NEWS ... There are several possible scenarios for how the leadership of Tallinn might continue through the fall elections following a vote of no confidence in Mayor Jevgeni Ossinovski (SDE). If a new mayor is not elected after the no-confidence vote, the current city council may be dissolved and replaced by a substitute council convened just a month before the election.

04.07.25 NEWS ... The latest politician trust survey by Kantar Emor shows that Estonian residents continue to place the most trust in Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur, followed closely by Minister of Finance Jürgen Ligi. Prime Minister Kristen Michal ranks only sixth and his trust rating has declined compared to the end of last year.

03.07.25 NEWS ... Reform chairman and Prime Minister Kristen Michal said the party could have handled the situation in Tallinn City Council better and that he supported entrepreneur Urmas Sõõrumaa's decision to withdraw his bid for mayor.

03.07.25 NEWS ... Twelve percent of voters would support a coalition between the Reform Party and Center Party in Tallinn ahead of the elections, while 69 percent would not, according to a recent survey by Norstat and the Institute for Societal Studies.

02.07.25 NEWS ... The head of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), Matis Mäeker, said that as of Wednesday, the agency will no longer make inquiries about bank accounts through the enforcement register. Instead, the agency will communicate with banks via email, which takes more time and hampers efforts to prevent money laundering.

02.07.25 NEWS ... Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa Pakosta (Eesti 200) said she would conduct an audit across the Ministry of Justice to ensure that, in addition to the regulatory gaps regarding bank data requests revealed on Tuesday, there are no other unresolved issues.