New Edition Released: ARL Country Profile Estonia

The updated ARL Country Profile of Estonia, authored by Kristiina Martin and Kadi Väli, provides a comprehensive overview of the country’s spatial planning and territorial development system, outlining its governance framework, institutional structure, and planning system.

The profile describes the core characteristics of Estonia’s planning framework within a unitary parliamentary republic and European Union member state. It examines governance at the national and local levels, highlighting the roles of the Riigikogu, the Government of the Republic, the President, and the country’s 79 municipalities. It also discusses oversight and supervision arrangements, the organisation of local government, and the spatial planning system.

Recent administrative reforms and territorial organisation are presented in the context of Estonia’s highly centralised governance structure. The analysis examines the distribution of responsibilities between central and local government, planning practice and planning culture, and the institutional arrangements that shape territorial development across the country.

Estonia’s profile illustrates how a highly centralised governance system combines national coordination with local self-government in the organisation of spatial planning and territorial development.

👉 Read the full Country Profile of Estonia here