Estonia

Economic growth of 1,2% in the fourth quarter of last year, which ended ten quarters of recession, surprised analysts, as it was significantly higher than the initial estimate of Statistics Estonia

The number of international students in Estonian higher education institutions has decreased since the 2019/2020 academic year when they accounted for 12,2% of the total student population; this year, 8,7% of the population is from abroad

The Social Democratic Party wants to limit political donations to €100.000 and intends to change the law before the next election; party chairman Lauri Läänemets stated that political decisions should not be made by a small group of people

Inequality between the skills of different generations is growing faster in Estonia than in other OECD countries, increasing the risk of marginalisation among the least qualified adults

Enefit Green and AFRY signed a contract to provide Front-End Engineering Design services for the 1.000-megawatt Liivi Bay offshore wind farm in Estonia, which could cover half of Estonia's current electricity consumption

Funding for extracurricular education has decreased by a third in the last five years, and most hobby schools are now concentrated in larger municipalities; the Saare County has seen a 60% decline

To contrast the city's off-season slump, Pärnu entrepreneurs have proposed building an indoor bathing facility downtown

Services accounted for 68% of Estonian GDP 15 years ago and this year they will reach 74,5%; the service sector of the economy is growing steadily, while the share of industrial activities is declining

Radio 2 has launched a new Christmas music channel, R2 Jõulud, a station broadcasting Christmas music 24/7 until the end of the holiday season

Starting next year, Tallinn will no longer allow advertising on the exteriors of buses, trams and trolley buses; there may only be a few exceptions, like the possibility of maintaining messages on the back of buses that encourage use of public transport

Rules for hiring foreign labour will be relaxed under new plans proposed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs; companies will be able to hire 1.300-2.500 workers who earn at least the average Estonian wage

The four parties of Tallinn's governing coalition have yet to finalise and present to the City Council the city's budget for next year, with an allocation of around €10 million that has been the subject of hours of discussion also this week