🇪🇪 Tallinn News and Events - Mon 7 July 🇪🇪

Find out the latest news and weekly events.

Jul 07, 2025

Monday: 🌧️ 21°/16°⏐ Sunrise 4:17 - Sunset 22:34 🌧️

Tuesday: 🌧️ 18°/13°⏐ Sunrise 4:18 - Sunset 22:33 🌧️

🗞️ News For You

🚁 Crash

A private helicopter with seven people on board, including five adults and two children, crashed into the sea near Estonia's Saaremaa island on Sunday morning. The aircraft overturned in the water but remained afloat thanks to automatic safety floats, allowing all passengers to escape unharmed and wait on top of the helicopter for rescue. The Vilsandi volunteer maritime rescue unit reached the crash site within 20 minutes and transported everyone to safety. Click here to learn more

🎓 University

Several Estonian universities are experiencing their highest admission numbers in years, driven by a large cohort of high school graduates and strong interest in higher education. The University of Tartu saw a 10% increase in applications, while Tallinn University and the Estonian Academy of Arts recorded nearly 5% growth. The Tartu Health Care College experienced the most dramatic surge with nearly 40% more applications than last year. The most competitive programs are in medicine, psychology, and teacher training, with some programs seeing up to 18 applicants per available spot. Click here to learn more

🚗 Sport

Estonian rally driver Ott Tänak and co-driver Martin Järveoja dominated the South Estonia Rally, winning the event with a commanding performance over the weekend. Racing in the only Rally1 car in the field, Tänak won every single stage across both days of competition on the roads of Võru and Haanjamaa. Click here to learn more

🗽 Statue

A bust of former Estonian President Arnold Rüütel was unveiled on Friday in the Rose Garden of the Presidential Palace in Kadriorg. The sculpture, created by sculptor Endel Taniloo, joins existing busts of Presidents Konstantin Päts and Lennart Meri in the garden. At the unveiling ceremony, current President Alar Karis praised Rüütel's significant contributions to Estonia's state continuity and nation-building efforts. Click here to learn more

📚 School

A new government regulation requiring Estonian schools to start at 9 a.m. or later from September will create significant additional costs for bus operators who are already facing a €50 million funding shortfall. The change will impact the entire daily schedule, with the morning rush becoming the most challenging period as everyone needs to arrive by 9 a.m. simultaneously. Click here to learn more

📖 Knowledge Centre

The Estonian government has approved the establishment of a knowledge center for the crimes of communism and imperialism at the historic Patarei Prison in Tallinn. The Estonian Institute of Historical Memory will receive €2 million from the Ministry of Justice for the project's development. The knowledge center will be housed in a 5,000-square-meter museum being developed by businessman Urmas Sõõrumaa, featuring original prison cells, an execution chamber, and other preserved features. Click here to learn more

🚝 Rail Baltica

The European Union's Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) has allocated €295.5 million in additional funding for the Rail Baltica project, with Estonia receiving €47.1 million of the total amount. Latvia will receive the largest portion at €153.5 million, while Lithuania gets nearly €94.9 million. The EU funding will accelerate construction of the southern section and demonstrate active progress toward the shared goal of establishing a cross-border rail connection by the end of 2030. Click here to learn more

🌳 Green

A new survey conducted by Tallinn Strategic Management Office shows that residents highly value urban greenery and are increasingly embracing circular economy practices. The "Green City and Circular Economy" survey found that 69% of residents have noticed more greenery in the city over the past year, with 96% regularly visiting green areas. Urban gardening is gaining popularity, with 67% aware of community gardens and 27% interested in participating, while nearly half of households grow food plants themselves. Click here to learn more

🧠 Mental Health

Tallinn City Government has approved a comprehensive 2025-2035 mental health action plan specifically targeting children and youth wellbeing. The plan focuses on creating safer, more nurturing environments across schools, public spaces, and support services through evidence-based approaches. Key initiatives include encouraging later school start times from 9 AM or later to align with young people's biological rhythms, reducing excessive homework, and implementing the KiVa anti-bullying programme in all municipal schools. The plan also prioritizes improving access to extracurricular activities and hobby education for children from all socioeconomic backgrounds, enhancing public transport safety for young users, and developing youth-friendly gathering spaces throughout the city. Click here to learn more