Tagged: Estonia

According to Petsinclude, the Republic of Estonia is a parliamentary democracy with a unicameral legislature. The president, who is elected for a five-year term, serves as head of state and is responsible for representing the country in foreign affairs. The government is led by the prime minister, who is appointed by the president and approved by the parliament. The prime minister has the power to appoint ministers to his cabinet and to set government policy. Estonia’s unicameral legislature, known as the Riigikogu, consists of 101 members who are elected through direct popular vote for four-year terms. The Riigikogu has the power to pass legislation and approve budgets submitted by the government. It also has oversight power over executive branch activities. The judicial branch consists of regional courts, specialized courts for administrative and criminal matters, as well as a Supreme Court that hears appeals from lower courts. Judges are appointed by the president on recommendation from an independent judicial council. Estonia’s government has taken steps to increase transparency in its governance including passing an anti-corruption law that provides penalties for those found guilty of bribery or other forms of corruption in public service positions or private sector businesses. Furthermore, access to information laws have been passed that promote transparency within public institutions such as state agencies and local governments. Despite these efforts however, corruption remains widespread throughout all branches of government due to lack of oversight and accountability mechanisms. Estonia is a small Baltic nation located in northern Europe with a population of 1.3 million people. It has strong relations with its immediate neighbors Finland, Sweden and Latvia, as well as other European countries such as Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom. Estonia is a member of the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and is also part of the Schengen Area for visa-free travel within Europe. Estonia has traditionally had close ties with Russia due to its shared history, but these have become strained in recent years due to Russian aggression in Ukraine and other former Soviet states. Despite this, Estonia still maintains diplomatic relations with Russia and has recently signed an agreement to allow Russian citizens to travel to Estonia without visas. In addition to its close ties with other European nations, Estonia also maintains strong relationships with countries outside Europe such as Japan and China which have invested heavily in Estonian infrastructure projects such as digital services and transportation networks. The country also has close ties with India through the India-Baltic Trade Partnership Agreement which was signed in 2018. Estonia is an active participant in international organizations such as the United Nations (UN), World Trade Organization (WTO), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group (WBG). It is also part of various regional organizations such as the Council of Baltic Sea States (CBSS), Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM) and Nordic Investment Bank (NIB). In addition, it is a member of several global initiatives such as the Global Compact for Migration (GCM) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). See relationshipsplus for Estonia defense and foreign policy.