Following elections in March, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas renewed her mandate to lead Estonia. One of her new Ministers is Renew Europe in the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) member Mart Võrklaev, who took office as Finance Minister on 17 April.

Commenting on his appointment, Võrklaev said:

“Prime Minister Kallas made a proposal for me to carry the portfolio of the Minister of Finance in the new government. This is a powerful challenge and I will do my best to make sure the national finances are in order; that we can manage our responsibilities and will always be prepared for unexpected crises. I thank the Prime Minister and the whole Reform Party team for this great trust.”

“I believe that our people understand a common responsibility – responsibility to our country, to Europe and the planet. And as Minister of Finance, I would add responsibility to the good handling of our public finances. These are four defining goals.”

“Security was the main topic of the election. Estonia must continue to assist Ukraine and take its national defence to a new level in order to be forever ready to stand for its freedom.”

“A green reform is just as inevitable, which will become the engine of Estonia’s future economy. In order to have much more affordable and clean renewable energy on the market in a few years, so that we will be left with clean nature, forests, swamps and bogs, we will take a separate look at the new ministers’ focus on this field.”

Võrklaev, a member of Renew Europe CoR since 2015, worked on the review of the telecom package and on boosting broadband connectivity in Europe during his tenure.