My vision for Estonia
I have been living in Estonia for three years now. Formally, I am a citizen, but without a strong command of the Estonian language it is difficult to participate meaningfully in politics or public life.

Instead, I contribute in another way — through Wikipedia and related projects. This is a tool for education and what I would call “soft lobbying”: explaining complex issues that shape Estonian politics and supporting the ideas and solutions that I consider promising.
My observations
Estonia has many strengths, but also structural challenges that hold the country back. Three of them stand out to me especially clearly.
Avoidance of conflict
Estonians not only avoid conflict but often prefer compromise at all costs. In politics, this can mean that controversial figures remain in power and that leaders postpone difficult or unpopular decisions to preserve harmony.
Demographic challenge
Estonia's population is critically small, and outside Tallinn and Tartu social and economic life is gradually declining. The country is also shrinking and ageing, while the share of working-age people who support both the young and the elderly through taxes is steadily declining.
Lack of ideas
Economic policy is reduced to cutting spending (which fails) and raising taxes (which business and society endure). Underlying it is the hope that external circumstances will eventually improve the situation — a very naïve strategy. Without fresh and original ideas, Estonia risks managing decline rather than shaping growth.
Where the potential lies
Estonia has unique strengths: a digital state, a well-educated population, and a secular and flexible culture. Its world-leading digital infrastructure is already a global benchmark and can serve as a foundation for the next stage of growth. This creates an opportunity to become a kind of "Northern Singapore" — a hub for people, talent, and capital from Europe and beyond.

For this to happen, Estonia needs to:
– move beyond nationalist self-enclosure;
– acknowledge the pervasive role of the English language;
– evaluate new residents by their contribution to the country, not their origin or native tongue.

The key question is: do they make Estonia wealthier and better? If yes — Tere tulemast!

I am convinced that Estonia's population can grow to two million people, and that this would only benefit the country. New people and new ideas are not a threat but a source of growth.
Key ideas
Economy
  • Introduce a progressive income tax scale while keeping the corporate tax at zero. This would distribute the burden more fairly while preserving one of Estonia's key advantages.
  • Encourage expats and new residents to develop businesses and settle outside the regions around Tallinn (Harjumaa) and Tartu (Tartumaa), helping to spread growth more evenly across the country.
Healthcare and social policy

  • Raise excise taxes on alcohol and tobacco to reduce high mortality.
  • Introduce a tax on sugary foods and differentiate VAT rates: higher for unhealthy food, lower for healthy. Taxation should be a tool of public health, not only a fiscal measure.
  • Expand vaccination programs: this is an investment that pays off by reducing long-term healthcare costs.
  • Address obesity, drug abuse, and high suicide rates — all preventable causes of death that substantially reduce Estonia's life expectancy.
  • Continue systematic efforts to fight HIV/AIDS, which remains a notable social problem requiring both medical and educational responses.
Urban environment
  • Establish quiet zones and enforce noise control — combining the Paris model of fines for excessive noise with the Helsinki approach of officially mapping and protecting “quiet areas” around schools, hospitals, and residential neighborhoods.
  • Accelerate the shift from wood-burning to clean heating in urban private homes — promote electricity and heat pumps instead of firewood, which is still widely used even in Tallinn. This would significantly reduce harmful PM2.5 air pollution and improve public health.
Energy and climate
  • Accelerate the shift of industry and transport to electricity.
  • Actively develop wind energy and storage systems: Estonia's potential here is vast but underused.
  • Conserve forests and restrict excessive logging.
  • Expand protected natural areas.
  • Raise awareness of global climate change and prepare the country for its consequences.
How I work
I have no ambition to be elected to the Riigikogu or hold a government position. My aim is to cooperate with NGOs, individual politicians, and perhaps parties to advance these ideas. I am aware that some of these points may sound radical, but my concern is not political office — it is real influence on Estonia's future.

My tool is information work. I have written, continue to write, and will keep contributing Wikipedia articles on critical topics such as ecology, climate, energy, and health. At the same time, I plan to monitor how Estonian politicians are represented on Wikipedia. Attempts to manipulate facts or whitewash reputations should be challenged: the encyclopedia must remain a space for honest information.