Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas arrives for a Special European Council in Brussels, Belgium, on February 1. She resigned as prime minister on Monday for a new position with the European Union. File Photo by Olivier Matthys/EPA-EFE
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas resigned on Monday to take a new leadership position with the European Union, opening up negotiations to form a new government in her country.
Kallas, from Estonia’s centrist Reform Party, is set to become the European Union’s new foreign policy chief. Estonian President Alar Karis said he will start talks with the other parliamentary parties to form the new government. Advertisement
The Reform Party, which has the largest representation in Parliament, has already selected Kristen Michal, its minister of climate, to replace Kallas as prime minister.
Kallas was named as part of the European Union’s new leadership team last month with Ursula von der Leyen winning a second term as European Commission president.
“The job of prime minister is an extremely challenging job but I have been given such an offer that I can not refuse because Estonia has never been offered such a position before,” Kallas said in a translated statement on Monday.
“This proposal has been made to me because of our work in foreign and defense policy has become noticed throughout Europe and this is a great recognition for all of us.” Advertisement
Kallas said despite the recognition, she was disappointed that domestic criticism she considered unfair. Kallas called her approach in adopting reforms “studious and knowledge-driven” and she doesn’t like making decisions “shooting from the hip.”
Kallas had already faced calls to step down after her party’s poor showing in the European elections. The Estonian government had been facing domestic pressure after spending $1.74 billion on ammunition to fill shortages, raising taxes, and pushing through unpopular budget cuts in the private sector.
Kallas faced personal pressure when the local media revealed that her husband continued to work for a company that continued trade with Russia despite its invasion of Ukraine.
