Estonia Ranks 4th in Energy Transition Index

Estonia is successfully advancing its energy transition with the latest figures revealing Estonia now ranks 4th in the World Economic Forum's Energy Transition Index (ETI). Estonia outranked major industrial and economic powers such as Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan. The World Economic Forum's Energy Transition Index (ETI) 2026, produced in collaboration with Accenture, evaluated 120 countries across 44 indicators. Despite record annual global energy investment reaching $3.3 trillion, energy transition progress is fragmenting as geopolitical tensions, infrastructure bottlenecks and rising energy demand expose vulnerabilities in the global transition. Estonia remains steadfast.

Northern Europe continued to dominate the top of the index, led by Sweden for the third consecutive year: Finland came second, followed by Denmark, Estonia and Norway. Estonia stood out as one of the strongest global performers in energy efficiency improvement, recording a +7.3% gain. This progress was primarily driven by the rapid decline of oil shale extraction and a reduced reliance on energy-intensive fuels. Estonia aims to cover its electricity consumption with 100% renewable sources by 2030.

Estonian passport covers to revert back to blue

The Estonian Interior Ministry plans to redesign Estonian passports by adding new security features and returning to blue covers, starting in 2030. Estonia adopted the burgundy covers in 2004 when it joined the European Union, however, using the burgundy colour is an EU recommendation rather than a compulsory requirement. Many Estonians prefer the traditional blue colour passport covers as they were in use following the restoration of independence in 1991 and symbolise national identity.

Estonia has the northern most lavender fields in the world

Successfully cultivating lavender in Estonia is considered a unique triumph due to the country's harsh northern climate. Natively a Mediterranean plant, lavender thrives in full sun for at least 8 - 10 hours a day and dry soil.  Estonian farmers have proven that with proper care like mulching and frost protection, lavender can be successfully grown in Estonia.

(Photo: lavender grown from my garden)

There are two main lavender farms in Estonia. The Hiiumaa Lavender Farm (Lavendlitalu) and Sootsu Lavender Farm (Sootsu Lavendel).

Hiiumaa Lavender Farm is located on the edge of the Kärdla meteorite crater in Western Estonia. The farm features roughly 20,000 plants across nearly 1 hectare and produces organic goods like lavender lotions, balms, tea, jam, soap and honey.

Sootsu Lavender Farm is located in Hatu küla (Lääne-Harju vald) in Northern Estonia. Sootsu Lavender Farm is the largest in Estonia spanning 1.5 hectares with nearly 12,000 Hidcote Blue English lavender plants. The farm offers guided tours and handmade natural products.

Growing lavender has become increasingly popular in Estonia, not only with commercial farmers but also private gardeners who value the plant's alluring scent and medicinal properties. Lavender is a perennial plant that regrows every year with proper pruning and care.

A brief history of traffic in Estonia

Before traffic lights were built in Estonia, traffic was manually regulated by the police. On the 1st of April 1929, Anton Arumäe was appointed Tallinn’s first traffic police officer. It took the police considerable time to acquire the necessary skills and experience to carry out this role. For a long time, speed was estimated by eye only, and later measured using a stopwatch and special speed charts. Traffic accidents were an inevitable part of the rapidly developing traffic environment.

A traffic police officer in Suur-Karja Street Tallinn.

Speeding was often cited as the primary cause of accidents. However, the speed limit was quite low; passenger cars and motorcycles were not permitted to exceed 25 km/h in the city centre. 

One of the major issues police had was frequent drunk driving. The streets of the Old Town, particularly the narrow section of Viru Street, Town Hall Square, Nunne and Mündi streets were considered very dangerous. Many accidents also occurred on Pärnu maantee, which experienced heavy use by people from rural areas.

The first red, yellow and green traffic light in Tallinn was installed in 1947 at the intersection of Pärnu maantee and Suur-Karja tänav. The first pedestrian traffic lights in Tallinn were introduced in 1959. They were installed at the busy intersection of Pärnu mnt, Estonia pst and Freedom Square.

Estonia's first postage stamps

Estonia’s first official postage stamps were issued on the 22nd of November 1918, shortly after the end of World War I. They were known as the 'Flower Design Series' and had nominal values of 5 and 15 kopecks. The stamps were printed by the Bölau Printing House in Nõmme.

Estonia's first stamps featuring the Tallinn skyline (part of the Tallinn Skyline definitive series) were released on the 4th of May 1920. The stamps were designed by Eduard Poland and were printed until 1924.

The yellow 25 penni stamp was the most popular in the series with a total print run of 4,939,000. The Tallinn Skyline stamp series is a valued collection among philatelists.

It's apple season in Estonia!

Autumm is apple harvesting time in Estonia. Apples are the most popular and commonly grown fruit in Estonia, with over 1000 different varieties grown in the country and 53 types considered uniquely Estonian. Most houses with gardens in rural and suburban Estonia have at least one apple tree. They're ubiquitous! 

The most common apple varieties grown in Estonia are the 'Suislepp', 'Valge Klaar', 'Liivi kuldrenett', 'Tellissaare' and 'Tiina'.  During this time of year in Estonia it is common to find homeowners leaving boxes or bags of free surplus apples outside their homes for passersby to take.

Some fun facts:

Many Estonian apple varieties have human first names. For example Tiina, Meelis, Kersti, Taavi, Kaja and Krista. In total, there are 22 varieties of Estonian apples with such names. According to official statistics there are currently 4213 people in Estonia with the name Tiina, 3288 with the name Meelis and 2679 with the name Tiite. Apple (õun) is also a surname in Estonia and 629 people have this surname.

Photo flashback: Tallinn 1905

Colourised photo of  Harju Street. The intersection of Niguliste and Kullassepa streets in 1905. On the left stands the Writers' House, and on the right, the monument to Eduard Vilde.

The building on the corner belonged to Adolf Klaff who once owned Tallinn’s oldest stationery and office supply business. He established his business in 1883 at Harju Street 20, and in 1938, the business moved to Harju Street 21.

Harju Street was one of Tallinn’s oldest streets for merchants and artisans. From the 19th century onwards, the city's commercial life began to concentrate there, and by the early years of the Republic of Estonia, it had gradually developed into one of the city's most important business districts. 

Many of the buildings on Harju street were destroyed or severely damaged during the Soviet bombing raids of March 1944 but we have these old photographs to remind us how they once were.