Estonian Public Broadcasting (ERR)

Estonian Public Broadcasting (Eesti Rahvusringhääling, ERR) is Estonia’s public-service broadcaster, a legal person in public law formed on 1 June 2007 under the Estonian Public Broadcasting Act as the legal successor to Eesti Televisioon and Eesti Raadio. It operates three television channels, five radio channels, news portals in Estonian, Russian and English, and the Jupiter streaming platform. Erik Roose has chaired its Management Board since 2017, having been elected by the Council on 15 March 2017 to succeed Margus Allikmaa.

Media assets

Television: ETV, ETV2 and the Russian-language ETV+.

Radio: Vikerraadio, Raadio 2, Klassikaraadio, the Russian-language Raadio 4 and Raadio Tallinn.

Digital: err.ee, rus.err.ee and news.err.ee; the Jupiter streaming platform, with the Russian-language Jupiter+; and the archive portal arhiiv.err.ee.

Ownership and governance

ERR’s highest body is its Council, which confirms the Management Board. The Council has comprised one representative from each parliamentary faction, serving until the end of the parliamentary term, together with experts appointed for five years; the Riigikogu currently has six factions.

In May 2026 Culture Committee chair Liina Kersna of the Reform Party proposed amending a Social Democratic bill on gender balance on the Council to add expert members, arguing that party representatives had come to outnumber experts. Isamaa’s Tõnis Lukas called the change a political manoeuvre to entrench the coalition’s influence before the election. Roose said that changing ERR’s management model shortly before an election “looks very bad“, and that it would allow each new coalition to replace the Council majority with one that suits it. The Riigikogu adopted the amendment on 17 June 2026 by 60 votes to 25, and Isamaa asked the President not to promulgate it, citing procedural flaws. President Alar Karis promulgated it on 2 July, stating that it did not conflict with the Constitution but could have a negative effect on press freedom. The law requires both sexes to be represented on the Council, one more expert than there are factions, and the selection of experts through a public competition. It took effect on 21 July 2026.

The Culture Committee chose the three new experts from 40 applicants, 38 of whom met the eligibility requirements; EKRE’s Moonika Helme left the meeting, claiming that the candidates were those on whom the Reform Party had sought consensus. On 30 September 2026 the Riigikogu appointed Veronika Kalmus, Merit Kopli and Marek Tamm by 58 votes to 24, bringing the Council to seven experts and six faction representatives. The coalition parties, the Social Democrats and some unaffiliated members voted in favour; Isamaa, the Centre Party, EKRE and some unaffiliated members voted against. The vote came after the governing coalition of the Reform Party and Eesti 200 had fallen to 50 of the 101 seats in the Riigikogu, one short of a majority. The Council recalled its chair, Rein Veidemann, by six votes to four on 9 December 2025, after his criticism of an ETV morning programme segment featuring a family with two fathers, and elected Sulev Valner chair.

After a public competition, the Council unanimously re-elected Roose in April 2022 for a further five-year term from 1 June 2022, which ends in May 2027. Since 1 April 2026 the Management Board has comprised Roose, Tiina Kaalep, Mart Luik and Joel Sarv.

In October 2026 the government approved a further amendment to the Act and sent it to the Riigikogu. It would introduce a four-year framework funding agreement, make ERR’s public task technology-neutral, establish an independent assessment of significant new media services, reorganise the management model, and place chief editors, newsroom heads and the ethics adviser on contracts of up to five years. The changes are planned to take effect on 1 January 2027.

Source of funding and budget

ERR is financed principally through allocations from the state budget. Its audited 2025 annual report recorded total revenue of EUR 58.83 million, including EUR 48.06 million recognised from the state budget and EUR 3.18 million from sales of goods and services. Expenditure reached EUR 50.86 million, producing a surplus of EUR 8.30 million. The result was influenced by investment financing for the new television complex and resilience-related projects. The broadcaster’s operating allocation of EUR 40.45 million was approximately 4 per cent lower than in 2024, prompting cuts of around EUR 2 million to operating costs, including programme production and staffing. Roose said in January 2026 that the 2025 cut had carried into an unchanged 2026 budget, with a small increase for salaries.

ERR’s revised 2026 budget, approved in May, projected EUR 66.07 million in total revenue, reflecting additional earmarked funding and revisions to its investment financing. The draft 2027 state budget allocates ERR EUR 44.76 million, against EUR 43.46 million in 2026, the increase reflecting EUR 0.53 million for wages and EUR 0.77 million of national defence funds moved from a government reserve. Roose said the bill would ensure long-term funding but not adequacy; the approved draft does not index ERR’s budget to the consumer price index or to economic growth. ERR’s 2026–2029 development plan had put the state support needed in 2026 at EUR 52.7 million.

In a letter reported in December 2025, the European Commission’s Media and Data Directorate raised concerns that ERR’s financing might not meet Article 5 of the European Media Freedom Act, particularly regarding predictability, adequacy and independence from political influence over annual budget decisions. Roose had argued in December 2024 that the funding model conflicts with the European Media Freedom Act and that ERR is politically independent but not financially independent.

Construction of a new television complex in Tallinn is under way; its cornerstone was laid on 21 November 2025.

Editorial independence

ERR has a journalism ethics adviser and publishes a journalism ethics code covering general principles, independence, relations with sources, publication rules, right of reply and advertising.

Political pressure has periodically surfaced. In April 2019, as a coalition including the Conservative People’s Party of Estonia (EKRE) was formed, commentator Ahto Lobjakas left the Raadio 2 programme he had hosted for more than four years, saying he had been given a choice between self-censorship and leaving after signals that his criticism of the incoming coalition was too sharp, and criticising ERR’s management for not defending its journalists. In November 2025 EKRE submitted a bill to dissolve ERR and privatise its portals and channels; Roose called the proposal rather absurd but a threat to freedom of speech and democracy.

No independent systematic assessment establishing sustained government-directed editorial coverage at ERR was located for this review.

AI and digital policy

Since autumn 2023 viewers have been able to select automatic subtitles generated by Kiirkirjutaja, a speech-recognition system developed at Tallinn University of Technology, for all of ETV’s and ETV2’s own Estonian-language programmes. The subtitles are not edited before display.

ERR’s 2025 annual report records further development of speech-recognition technology, including a dedicated service for the newsroom and the transcription of much of its audiovisual archive to make content searchable. The broadcaster also organised AI training for newsroom staff and other employees.

ERR’s 2026–2029 development plan states that it will introduce new AI-based tools and automation, and that it follows the best practices of European Broadcasting Union members in using AI. Beyond that commitment, no dedicated ERR policy governing the use of generative artificial intelligence in journalism was located at this update, and its journalism ethics code does not refer to it.

Classification rationale

ERR is classified as Independent State Funded (ISF) because it relies predominantly on public financing while operating under statutory protections for editorial independence. Its governing Council includes representatives of all parliamentary factions and a majority of experts selected through a public competition and appointed by Parliament. Although political influence over appointments and annual funding decisions remains a concern, the evidence reviewed does not establish effective government control of management or sustained interference in editorial coverage.

October 2026