ERR News looks back at 2020 which was, if nothing else, an eventful year.
As no one needs reminding, 2020 was dominated by the coronavirus pandemic and its knock-on effects on everyday life and the economy, several EKRE-led scandals and the upcoming marriage referendum.
But other, more positive events also occurred, such as Estonia taking up its first non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.
The ERR News team has looked back over the top stories of 2020.
January
The year started with Estonia formally commencing its two-year stint as a non-permanent member on the UN Security Council (UNSC).
Estonia had been awarded the post in June the previous year, and joined Niger, Tunisia, Vietnam and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines as non-permanent members for 2020-2021.
Tallinn Zoo to build rainforest exhibition building for EUR 3.7 mln 2020-12-30 BNS/TBT Staff
TALLINN – Tallinn Zoo signed a contract with Ehitus5ECO OU for the construction of a Southeast Asia tropical rainforest exhibition building; the cost of the construction contract is over 3.7 million euros.
The construction of the exhibition building, which will be built within the framework of the Pilvemets (Cloud Forest) project, will start in the beginning of 2021. The deadline for completion of the building is July 30, 2022, Tallinn Zoo said.
The total cost of the Pilvemets project eligible for aid is approximately 5 million euros. Enterprise E.
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Covid-19, Estonia, Financial Services, Good for Business, Legislation, Markets and Companies
Estonia approves EUR 435 mln state aid report
BC, Tallinn, 18.12.2020.
Print version
The Estonian government at its sitting on December 17th approved an overview prepared by the Ministry of Finance on state aid and de minimis aid granted in Estonia last year, the total amount of which was 434.7 million euros, informs LETA/BNS.
The
largest donor of state aid in 2019 was the Ministry of Culture, which
handed out 22.7% of the total volume of aid. Aid by transmission
system operator (TSO)
Elering accounted for 21.2% of the total
volume.
The
agricultural registers authority PRIA and the Tax and Customs Board
Important fields where innovation yields a competitive edge and helps ensure subsistence are energy, food production and information technology. Estonia needs to focus its activities, Züleyxa Izmailova writes.
The Riigikogu discussed the green turn as a matter of national importance a day after it passed the state budget. It is a telling example of how things have been handled in this country for the past 10-15 years – first, we divide the money among ourselves and then we tell the people a short green fairy tale. A petition (link in Estonian - ed.) against a new shale oil mill was binned by the Riigikogu Economic Affairs Committee a day before the budget was passed.
The size of the budget of the three-year project is 1.4 mln euros.
Upsteam said in a press release that the goal of the project is to make carwash greener and bring its own technology platform to the next level. We have set supporting carbon neutrality and showcasing the need for efficient use of water as a goal, whereby to balance off the impact of the whole carwash industry on the environment,
Martin Kristerson, founder of
The cost of the project is divided equally between
Upsteam and
CityQ and it is financed by Enterprise Estonia (EAS) and Norway Grants.
Upsteam estimates to grow by close to 30% this year. Due to the pandemic, it has postponed plans for raising investments.