Estonia is a Northern European country bordering the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland. Its capital is Tallinn, and the official language is Estonian.
The political system is a parliamentary republic where the Head of the Government is the prime minister, and the president serves as the Head of the State. The country is divided into 15 counties and 79 municipalities.
Estonia had been under the Soviet Union regime for a long time and the country regained its independence after great tribulations. Therefore, the new talks of joining another Union, the EU, were initially seen with fear and doubt. However, after considerable internal debate, the integration into the EU was accepted by many Estonians as they felt it would help redefine freedom and boost the country’s economy. It became a member country of the EU on May 1, 2004, and its currency has been the euro since 2011.
Estonia has significantly contributed to the EU’s structures. Estonia also held the presidency of the EU for six months in 2017. Six members of the Parliament are Estonians, which indicates its active involvement in EU affairs. Intra-EU trade accounts for 68 per cent of Estonia’s exports and 77 per cent of its imports come from the EU Member States.
However, Euroscepticism in Estonia has recently once again raised it head, and has led to the growing popularity of the Conservative People’s Party of Estonia.
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