Prime Minister Kristen Michal took the oath of office in the Riigikogu this morning, after which the other members of the government also signed the oath. Taking of the oath was not attended by Hanno Pevkur, the current Minister of Defence, who is on a foreign visit to the US. Until then, the duties of the Minister of Defence will be fulfilled by the Minister of Finance. After taking the oath in the Riigikogu, Kristen Michal met with outgoing Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and the staff of the Government Office.
The government of Michal, which is the 54th government of the Republic of Estonia, consists of 14 ministers, including the prime minister. These include ministers from the previous government – Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna, Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur, Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture Piret Hartman, Minister of the Interior Lauri Läänemets, Minister of Social Protection Signe Riisalo, Minister of Health Riina Sikkut, Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas, and Minister of Culture Heidy Purga. The new ministers are Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta, Minister of Climate Yoko Alender, Minister of Infrastructure Vladimir Svet, Minister of Economic Affairs and Industry Erkki Keldo, and Minister of Finance Jürgen Ligi.
The Estonian Reform Party, the Social Democratic Party, and the party Eesti 200 will continue to work as a coalition government to ensure security for the Estonian people and businesses. The common goal of the government is to ensure the security of Estonia, grow the economy, reduce social and regional inequalities, and ensure the financial sustainability of the state.
On his first day in office, the new Estonian head of government Kristen Michal made a phonecall with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Prime Minister Michal confirmed to the Ukrainian leader that his government would continue to support Ukraine in every way possible. “Our shared objective is a Ukrainian victory,” he said. “My governing coalition has pledged that Estonia will continue to provide 0.25% of its GDP in military support to Ukraine at least until 2027. We are also actively contributing to the rebuilding of the beleaguered country, and providing it with other forms of assistance.”
Prime Minister Michal and President Zelenskyy discussed the situation on the front and the military assistance being provided by Ukraine’s allies. “Russia must get the message that we will back Ukraine for as long as it takes,” the Estonian head of government remarked. “That is why the decisions made at the recent NATO summit are so important.” He says efforts must persist to raise the cost of aggression for Russia by intensifying sanctions and preventing their circumvention. “I and my government will continue to work towards international solutions that enable frozen Russian assets to be deployed as quickly and extensively as possible in support of Ukraine,” he said.
