Estonia is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea with 1.3 million inhabitants.
According to OECD’s PISA results, Estonian basic education is the best in Europe and in the top 8 globally. Estonian technology services are known worldwide: Skype revolutionized communication, TransferWise changed international money transfers, GrabCAD helps to build products faster, and Starship robots reframe local delivery. The digital signature, with legal standing equal to one made with ink, has been in wide use since 2002. The digital signature helps save the equivalent of one entire workweek per year per working-age adult. This is roughly equal to a stack of paper as high as the Eiffel Tower saved each month.
The export of Estonian products and services is over 77% of GDP. The major exports are electrical machinery and equipment, wood and wood products, and mineral products. The main export destinations are Sweden, Finland, and Latvia. Producing most of its consumed electricity from locally mined oil shale, Estonia has the lowest energy dependency rate in the EU.
Registering a new company in the electronic business registry takes minutes. State approval takes place in just a few hours. According to the World Economic Forum, Estonia is the most entrepreneurial country in Europe.
Estonia’s Aid to Ukraine
Estonia has made every effort to provide comprehensive support to Ukraine. The country has supported Ukraine politically, economically, and militarily, ensured crucial humanitarian aid, and launched reconstruction efforts with a focus on civilian sites and infrastructure.
Defense assistance – €400 million
Estonia was one of the first countries to provide Ukraine with defense assistance even before the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war on 24 February 2022, sending Javelin anti-tank missile systems that arrived in Ukraine on 22 February. Generally Estonia has provided nearly EUR 400 million, or more than 1% of GDP, worth of military assistance to Ukraine.
Humanitarian aid – €23.1 million
According to estimates, the people, state, private sector, and civil society organizations of Estonia have donated €23.1 million to Ukraine. Estonian humanitarian aid is aimed at areas worst affected by the war, at refugees and displaced persons, and international organizations.
Development cooperation and reconstruction in Ukraine – €8 million
Estonia is among the first countries to already begin reconstruction in Ukraine, focusing on the Zhytomyr Oblast. Construction on an energy-efficient kindergarten in Ovruch began in late 2022, with Estonia allocating €4.6 million for building a kindergarten for 160 children. The additional €1 million was given for rebuilding the Malyn Bridge.
Estonia supports the Olena Zelenska Foundation with €360,000 to build a family-type small group home for children orphaned by the war and is committed to continuing this cooperation by building two more houses next year.
Estonia also trains Ukrainian high-ranking civil servants to begin accession negotiations with the EU and runs projects to build capacity in the education and health sectors.
More than 40,000 refugees from Ukraine have applied for temporary protection in Estonia, which is more than 3% of its population. Ukrainian refugees can enjoy the opportunities of Estonia’s labor market, social protection, healthcare, and education. Estonia allocated around €220 million from its 2022 budget for receiving refugees from Ukraine.