Competence of ministers in directing ministries and areas of responsibility of ministers

The Minister of Education and Research directs the Ministry of Education and Research and is responsible for its area of government.

The Minister of Education and Research represents Estonia in the European Union Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council in issues concerning education and youth and in the Competitiveness Council in issues concerning research policy.

The Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs directs the Ministry of Justice and is responsible for its area of government.

The area of responsibility of the Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs also includes the planning and implementation of the digital society policy, organisation and supervision of digital development and cybersecurity, co-ordination of the development of state information systems, including central network and information systems, organisation of telecommunications, drafting the Gender Equality and Equal Opportunities Act, and the management of the activities of the relevant structural units of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications.

The area of responsibility of the Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs includes the Data Protection Inspectorate, the Competition Authority, the Patent Office, the Information System Authority, the Estonian Information and Communication Technology Centre, the Estonian Internet Foundation, the State Infocommunication Foundation and the Nordic Institute for Interoperability Solutions.

The Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs represents Estonia in the European Union Justice and Home Affairs Council in the issues concerning justice, and in the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council in issues concerning information technology and telecommunications.

The Minister of Defence directs the Ministry of Defence and is responsible for its area of government.

The Minister of Defence represents Estonia in the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union in the issues concerning defence policy.

The Minister of Climate directs the Ministry of Climate in the area of their responsibility, except in areas which are the responsibility of the Minister of Economic Affairs and Industry or the Minister of Infrastructure.

The area of responsibility of the Minister of Climate includes comprehensive implementation of green reform, energy, climate policy, directing of entrepreneurship towards cleaner technologies; coordinating the development of renewable energy and the implementation of renewable energy projects, management of the environment and nature conservation, organisation of the use, protection, reproduction and accounting of natural resources, organisation of environmental inspections, weather observations, nature and marine researches and water protection and use, development of the policy on the protection and use of the marine environment and policy on ambient air protection and radiation and nuclear safety, and organisation of environmental monitoring, organisation of the exploitation of subsurface resources, geological mapping and provision of national geological competence.

The area of responsibility of the Minister of Climate includes the Environmental Board, the Environment Agency, the Geological Survey of Estonia, the Environmental Investment Centre Foundation, the State Forest Management Centre, the Estonian Museum of Natural History, the Information Technology Centre of the Ministry of the Environment, the Estonian National Committee of the World Energy Council, Elering AS, Aktsiaselts A.L.A.R.A, Aktsiaselts ÖKOSIL, OÜ Eesti Keskkonnauuringute Keskus.

The Minister of Climate represents Estonia in the European Union Environment Council, and the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council in the issues concerning energy.

The Minister of Culture directs the Ministry of Culture and is responsible for its area of government.

The Minister of Culture is the Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, and the Minister is competent to designate a representative of the Council of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia pursuant to clause 2 of subsection 1 of § 11 of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia Act and to appoint a member to the Board of the National Library of Estonia pursuant to subsection 3 of § 8 of the National Library of Estonia Act.

The Minister of Culture is the minister in charge of the policy sector as referred to in the Estonian Public Broadcasting Act.

The Minister of Culture represents Estonia in the European Union Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council in cultural, sports and audiovisual issues.

The Minister of Economic Affairs and Industry directs the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications and is responsible for its area of government, except in the areas assigned to the Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs.

The area of responsibility of the Minister of Economic Affairs and Industry includes the area of foreign trade and the management of the activities of the relevant structural units of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The area of responsibility of the Minister of Economic Affairs and Industry also includes land use policy, organisation of spatial planning, performance of tasks in the land and spatial sphere, including spatial data and databases, management of spatial data services, and organisation of activities relating to land valuation, taking of land consolidation steps, guiding and completion of land reform activities, acquisition of land necessary for the state and fulfilment of tasks assigned by the administrator of state assets relating to unimproved state land, and management of the relevant structural units of the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, in coordination with the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture, decides on the transfer of valuable agricultural land and state land to a local authority.

The Minister of Economic Affairs and Industry is a member of the Supervisory Board of the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund.

The area of responsibility of the Minister of Economic Affairs and Industry includes the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority, the Labour Inspectorate, the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund, the Land Board, the non-profit association Estonian Centre for Standardisation and Accreditation, the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency, Tallinn Science Park Tehnopol Foundation, Tartu Science Park Foundation, AS Eesti Varude Keskus, Aktsiaselts KredEx Krediidikindlustus and Aktsiaselts Metrosert.

The Minister for Economic Affairs and Industry represents Estonia in the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union in the issues concerning foreign trade, in the Competitiveness Council in the issues concerning internal market, industry, tourism, innovation and space, and in the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council in the issues concerning employment, working environment, labour relations, equal treatment and gender equality.

The Minister of Finance directs the Ministry of Finance and is responsible for its area of government.

The Minister of Finance is competent to propose the approval of the amount of dividends to be paid into the state budget by state companies and companies in which the state holds at least a required interest, and to propose to the Government of the Republic the approval of the amount to be transferred into the state budget from the net profit of the State Forest Management Centre.

The Minister of Finance is the Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Financial Supervision Authority, a member of the Supervisory Board of the Health Insurance Fund and the minister in charge of the policy sector concerning the State’s participation in private legal persons as specified in the State Assets Act. The Minister of Finance is competent to appoint a representative to the Supervisory Board of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia pursuant to clause 2 of subsection 1 of § 11 of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia Act and to propose to the Government of the Republic the appointment of a member of the Supervisory Board of the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund, and the appointment of half of the members of the Supervisory Board of the Financial Supervision Authority pursuant to subsection 3 of § 8 of the Financial Supervision Authority Act. The Minister of Finance is the minister in charge of the policy sector specified in subsection 5 of § 9 of the Bank of Estonia (Eesti Pank) Act, who has the right to attend the meetings of the Supervisory Board of Eesti Pank.

The Minister of Finance represents Estonia in the Economic and Financial Affairs Council of the European Union and at Eurogroup meetings.

The Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture directs the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture and is responsible for its area of government, except in the areas assigned to the Minister of Economic Affairs and Industry.

The Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture represents Estonia in the Agriculture and Fisheries Council of the European Union.

The Minister of the Interior directs the Ministry of the Interior and is responsible for its area of government.

The Minister of the Interior represents Estonia in the Justice and Home Affairs Council of the European Union in issues concerning home affairs.

The Minister of Social Protection directs the Ministry of Social Affairs in their area of responsibility.

The area of responsibility of the Minister of Social Protection includes the planning and organisation of social security, social welfare and the pension system, cross-border co-ordination of social security systems, ensuring the rights of children and promoting their well-being, and promoting the quality of life of people with disabilities and co-ordinating activities in this area.

The area of responsibility of the Minister of Social Protection includes the Social Insurance Board, the Foundation of Estonian Disabled People and AS Hoolekandeteenused.

The Minister of Social Protection represents Estonia in the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council of the European Union in issues concerning social policy.

The Minister of Infrastructure directs the Ministry of Climate in their area of responsibility.

The area of responsibility of the Minister of Infrastructure includes the organisation of circular economy and waste management policy, housing and construction, transportation (including transport, international public transport, transit, logistics and transport infrastructure), increasing the international competitiveness of the maritime economy, developing of the sectors of the maritime economy and the state-owned fleet of vessels (except for the watercraft in the register of watercraft of the Defence Forces and the Defence League); traffic management (including rail, road and street, waterborne and air routes traffic), planning of transport systems, mobility and mobility services (including investments and procurement of public transport infrastructure, and procurement of transport infrastructure and state-owned watercraft, except for watercraft in the register of watercraft of the Defence Forces and the Defence League), and implementation of plans and increasing road safety.

The area of responsibility of the Minister of Infrastructure includes the Transport Administration, the Estonian State Fleet, Lennuliiklusteeninduse Aktsiaselts, Aktsiaselts Nordic Aviation Group, AS Operail, aktsiaselts Eesti Raudtee, aktsiaselts Saarte Liinid, aktsiaselts Tallinna Lennujaam, aktsiaselts Tallinna Sadam, osaühing Rail Baltic Estonia, Osaühing Transpordi Varahaldus and Aktsiaselts Teede Tehnokeskus.

The Minister of Infrastructure represents Estonia in the European Union Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council in the issues concerning transport.

The Minister of Health directs the Ministry of Social Affairs in their area of responsibility.

The area of responsibility of the Minister of Health includes protection of public health, health care, including occupational health, and development of the health system, health insurance, medicines and medical devices. The area of responsibility of the Minister of Health includes the State Agency of Medicines, the Health Board, the Health Insurance Fund, hospitals founded by the state and founded with state participation.

The Minister for Health is the Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Health Insurance Fund.

The Health and Welfare Information Systems Centre and the National Institute for Health Development are included in the area of responsibility of the Minister of Social Protection and the Minister of Health.

The Minister of Health represents Estonia in the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council of the European Union in issues concerning health.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs directs the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is responsible for its area of government, except in the areas assigned to the Minister of Economic Affairs and Industry.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs represents Estonia in the European Union Foreign Affairs Council and General Affairs Council.

If a ministry is directed by more than one minister, issues that fall within the area of responsibility of more than one minister are decided jointly by those ministers.