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the country’s cost of living crisis, which the free market Reform party saw as populist ploys to revive the Centre party’s flagging support.
There is also speculation that Kallas made a pre-emptive move amid rumours that the Centre party had been in talks with the radical rightwing Estonian Conservative People's Party (EKRE)
to rebuild their own coalition, which broke up in January 2021.
Reform party’s support has also grown during the Ukraine crisis, boosted by Kallas’ strong stance against Russia, while Centre’s support has fallen amid the backlash against Russia because
of the party’s onetime close links with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party. A recent poll put Reform at 34%, double Centre's 17% support. Currently in the 101-seat parliament, Reform has 34 seats, Centre 26, EKRE 19, Ismaa 12 and the Social Democrats 10.
Kallas said that for her the last straw was when the bill on preschool education in the Estonian language, approved by the government by consensus, was rejected in parliament by the votes of the Centre Party and EKRE on June 1.
"I believed that February 24 [the invasion of Ukraine] and the genocide being perpetrated by Russia in Ukraine had opened the eyes of all the political parties in the Estonian parliament,
the Riigikogu, to the importance for Estonia's independence of our common understanding of the dangers that we face as a country neighbouring Russia. Unfortunately, it turned out the day before yesterday that there are two parties in the Riigikogu that, even in the current situation, are unable to pull themselves together and stand up for the protection of our independence and constitutional values," she said.
Kallas said that the Estonian language was vital to securing the future of the Estonian people.
"We will secure this future not only by increasing military spending, but first and foremost by the unity of our people
EU agrees to delist Russian orthodox leader from sanctions list after Hungarian pressure
bne IntelIiNews
The EU’s sixth sanction package against Russia can finally come into force, a month after it was first proposed, after Russian Orthodox Church leader Patriarch Kirill was removed from the EU’s sanctions list on the demand
of Hungary.
EU ambassadors agreed to drop the Russian religious leader from the list of people penalized after a threat of a veto by Budapest a day earlier. This would have meant the end to the whole sanctions package after an compromise on oil sanctions was reached earlier this week at the EU summit following weeks of haggling. The vote required unanimity from all 27 member states.
Patriarch Kirill, a long-time ally of Vladimir Putin, has been a key figure in rallying public support for the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, depicting it as a holy war. The sanctions would have led to freezing his assets abroad and a travel ban to EU countries.
Hungary's position on possible European Union sanctions against the head of the Russian Orthodox Church has long been well known, and nobody took issue with that stand at an EU summit earlier in the week, Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s cabinet said in a statement on Thursday.
"For us, this was a matter of principle, because – similar to national interests – we insist on freedom of religion," argued Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto.
Hungary’s insistence on blocking the deal has met sharp criticism from top EU politicians. "Solidarity is not a one-way street," EC Vice-President Frans Timmermans said at a forum.
"Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban apparently believes he can deal with the EU and the member states as he pleases. He got a feeling that he can do whatever he wants, and they'll accept everything," he added.
Patriarch Kirill, a long-time ally of Vladimir Putin, has been a key figure in rallying public support for the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, depicting it as a holy war.
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