A reshuffle of responsibilities at ministries in Estonia will see 12 state-owned companies until recently managed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications move to the newly created Ministry of Climate, the Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported. This includes Nordic Aviation Group and its subsidiaries Nordica (ND, Tallinn Lennart Meri) and Xfly (Estonia).
Under an agreement of the ruling Reform Party and centrist Eesti 200 and Social Democratic Party, which formed a coalition after elections earlier this year, Nordic Aviation Group and other companies such as Tallinn Lennart Meri Airport, the Port of Tallinn, Estonian Railways, the Transport Administration, and the Environmental Board will all fall under the control of Minister of Climate Kristen Michal of the centre-right Reform Party.
According to its website, the main area of government of this ministry is the organising of national environmental and nature protection. The government order mandating the switch also makes the climate minister responsible for the execution of the transition to a greener future, climate policy, and promoting cleaner technologies and environmentally friendly transport.
The climate minister’s portfolio also includes transport and transport infrastructure, traffic organisation, transport services planning, energy, and the use of natural resources.
Tiit Riisalo of the centrist Eesti 200, Estonia’s economic affairs minister, is in charge of areas such as economic policy, industry, commerce, telecommunications, tourism, and cybersecurity.
In late June, Michal confirmed plans to merge Nordica with lessor Transpordi Varahaldus and then to privatise Nordica, a scheme that has been on the table as a condition to the flag carrier taking a total of EUR30 million euros (USD33.2 million) worth of state aid to see it through the pandemic. Preparations will continue this coming autumn to merge the companies into a single group, he said.
