Programme

Estonian Nationalists and Conservatives

Adopted on 18 August 2024

1. In a nation-state, nation and society are one. Ethnicity is the foundation of identity and serves as a basis for the self-organisation of society. Estonia, the only state of ethnic Estonians, must remain a nation-state. All ethnic Estonians are our people. Even those ethnic Estonians who have different views or vote for other political parties are not our enemies or adversaries but belong together with us. As Estonians, we are all equal. We can only survive and prosper together, standing for the nation-state idea, the Estonian language, culture and identity.

2. A sense of nationhood does not imply that all people should be similar. We value the individuality and rights of everyone, but alongside the differences we also value the sense of community that has developed historically. We, ethnic Estonians, include not only those living in our land today but also, spiritually, the millions who have lived in this land before us.

3. We are also respectfully considerate towards people of other ethnicities who have been living in Estonia on a permanent basis if they have an Estonian identity in words and actions, and if they respect our nation-state and are loyal to Estonia. In this case, they too are truly part of the Estonian people.

4. We are open to the future but we rely on lasting values that have stood the test of time, and we responsibly place more trust in historical continuity than abstract arguments or social theorising. We stand against the transformation of Estonia into a multicultural society. A policy of radically changing the society will not produce the desired results, but it will have unintended consequences. Population-related experiments with Estonian society are not only pointless but also dangerous.

5. Estonian Nationalists and Conservatives are characterised by a national pride but not by national arrogance. Estonia is not an inferior, culturally colonisable society and does not need any copying of intellectual or political culture from elsewhere. On the basis of our first-hand experience gained during the occupation, ethnic Estonians and other native residents of Estonia are, in many respects, wiser and more sensitive than those whose opinions and teachings are based only on observation from afar. It is the duty of Estonian Nationalists and Conservatives to help other peoples of Europe become aware of how to recognise the restriction of political rights and civil liberties, hollow campaigning and problems of the kind that can be accompanied by immigration and multicultural ideology.

6. Mass immigration of non-Estonians is an existential threat to Estonia as a nation-state, exacerbating our demographic problems and holding back economic innovation and an increase in living standards. The problems of rapidly growing parts of the world will not be solved by resettlement of people to Estonia or elsewhere in Europe. Those in need can be helped without motivating them to emigrate from their cultural environments.

7. We are steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that ethnic Estonians living abroad will find and be provided the opportunity to return to our home country. This concerns not only Estonians who have left for Western countries but also Estonians and their descendants elsewhere. Guided by a desire not to deny the historical decisions and promises of the Republic of Estonia, we will give the descendants of those optants who were recognised as Estonian citizens and were forced by circumstances to stay abroad an opportunity to reestablish their native Estonian citizenship if they have an Estonian identity or wish to restore it and if they complete a certain period of adaptation here and settle in Estonia on a permanent basis.

8. National and conservative policies can only be pursued in a free society, supporting and developing freedom of thought and a culture of debate, which must not be sacrificed on the pretext of tolerance, political correctness, or any other pretext. In our view, all the classical freedoms — freedom of religion, opinion, thought, expression and the press — are rights inherent in human nature and must not be restricted. The principle of the people’s choice must be at the heart of the concept of democracy. The Estonian Nationalists and Conservatives advocate democracy, both in the form of representative democratic assemblies and referendums.

9. We feel obliged to show by our example that political processes can be influenced without a leader-centred approach or authoritarian leadership. We support the active participation of our members and other citizens in the analysis and processing of legislative and societal ideas. We aim at restoring citizens’ trust in the Estonian political system and at valuing ethics in politics, first of all through our own behaviour. As democrats, we stand up for politics to be a mission to serve the people, not just a means to personal gain. We value internal democracy in political parties and other associations and, as a political party, we strive to be a model of democratic governance.

10. One of our primary objectives is to change the Estonian Constitution so as to allow citizens to initiate referendums. By allowing referendums on major national or societal issues, we will follow the spirit of Estonia’s former constitutions and increase the cohesion of our society. The Riigikogu Election Act must be amended so that the success of the candidates is determined only by the number of votes that they have received in their constituency. The Estonian people must also have the right to directly elect a Head of State who would be in a suprapolitical position to balance the powers of political parties. Only Estonian citizens should have the right to vote in parliamentary and local elections in Estonia.

11. We are not in favour of electronic elections because their current form does not meet the requirements of democratic elections in terms of transparency, verifiability and security. Electronic elections must be abolished, and we must return to the traditional election arrangements used in the majority of Western countries until electronic elections are fully credible and comply in every aspect with the Estonian Constitution and the standards of the rule of law.

12. The family is the basic unit of society, and children are part of a natural family. We believe that it is right to have a social order where the family and marriage are not eroded. Although we see marriage naturally as a union between a man and a woman, we consider it right to hold a referendum in Estonia on the definition of marriage in order to ascertain and establish the will of the people. We respect traditional family values and oppose the elevation of individualist entertainment and consumer culture in society to a position that undermines human dignity.

13. We will consistently uphold policies aimed at increasing the birth rate to at least the replacement level necessary for the survival of our nation-state and wanted by our families. We will amend the Constitution and the electoral Acts so that the voice of children will be taken into account in policy-making: parents should also be able to vote for their minor children. We will increase child and family allowances to cover a larger share of the actual maintenance expenses for children. Average life expectancy and healthy life years of the Estonian people must increase. A steady decrease in domestic violence and abortions must be ensured by more efficient and more diversified counselling and other measures.

14. We support and value the cultures, traditions and heritages of all nations, including Europe’s common cultural heritage. We want Estonia to continue to be part of a pan-European civilisation with ancient, Christian and humanist roots. We welcome close cooperation between European nationalists and conservatives, and recognise the right of every country and society to their own policies. We support the aspirations for self-determination of all Finno-Ugric peoples who do not have their own nation state.

15. We honour Estonia’s history and our people’s struggle for freedom throughout the ages. We call for the criminalisation of communist regimes at the international level and for an international trial of the perpetrators of the crimes of communism. We recognise the people who have fought, died or suffered in the name of Estonia’s independence and freedom — including the soldiers who were forced by circumstances to fight for Estonia’s independence and against Bolshevism in the uniforms of other states, the Forest Brothers and the later independence activists — as freedom fighters.

16. Estonian ethnic culture and its heritage are our main wealth, the cultural foundation of our identity and independence. We are guided by the understanding that our roots lead us into the future. Our ethnic culture must be preserved, its active creation must be continued and it must be given greater support financially and through political choices. Ethnic studies need greater national attention.

17. We will preserve and develop the Estonian language in all its richness and diversity. We will provide support for the preservation and promotion of Estonian dialects and indigenous regional languages in school education and elsewhere. We value Estonian literature, art and film as cultural heritage and as a continuing reflection of the nation’s vitality. Art, architecture and public space with a public representative function should be consistent with Estonian traditions, culture and history.

18. The primary task of Estonia’s education system is to educate young people, provide them with the knowledge they need for their future lives and contribute to nationally-minded upbringing of children and young people and to Estonian traditional culture. It is important to maintain primary schools close to home in rural areas. We value the teaching profession by supporting teacher education and competitive salaries. We support the transition of all Estonian public general education schools to teaching in the Estonian language, while the quality of education for pupils whose mother tongue is Estonian must not deteriorate. We believe it is necessary to regulate the use of smart devices in schools in a reasonable way. The primary goal of universities in Estonia must be to provide high-quality instruction in Estonian that meets the needs of Estonian society.

19. As nationalists and conservatives, we are of the opinion that the policies of our state must not be shaped outside Estonia. As of now, Estonia has proportionally little real say in the design of EU legislation that will be applicable to us, including EU Regulations that become binding automatically in our country, and we must be vigilant and cautious in this respect. Estonia’s membership of the European Union is justified as long as the benefits to the Estonian state and people outweigh the detriment. Instead of continued federalisation, the European Union must move towards being a union of nation-states. Estonia must represent its interests more vigorously in the institutions of the European Union. If the federalisation of the European Union intensifies, we will support a new national referendum on Estonia’s membership of the European Union.

20. The foreign policies of Estonian Nationalists and Conservatives are fundamentally based on the principle of free self-determination for all nations. Russian chauvinism poses an existential threat to Estonia, which we must be wary of and cannot approve, let alone justify or support, in any context. Globalist foreign policy and imperialism, regardless of their origin, are unacceptable to us. Western countries have no right to impose their own culture or policies on the rest of the world, especially considering the demographic unsustainability currently faced by the West. Military interference in the internal affairs of other countries has exacerbated conflicts and, in many cases, led to immigration crises. Estonia must not deploy its soldiers for foreign missions that do not directly serve the purposes of Estonia’s national defence or Estonia’s security, and must represent the interests of our country and people more than before in its relations with its allies and partners. Estonia must enhance cooperation in security policy with our natural allies in Central and Eastern Europe, known as the Intermarium, as well as Northern European countries.

21. We stand for the borders of the Republic of Estonia as defined in the Constitution and established by the Tartu Peace Treaty of 1920. The Estonian Nationalists and Conservatives will not agree to the conclusion and ratification of a new, unconstitutional Estonian–Russian border treaty that would be detrimental to Estonia and represent relinquishment. In accordance with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, Estonia’s maritime border must be restored to the median line of the Gulf of Finland.

22. Nationalists and conservatives have been and continue to be committed to defending our country at all costs. Estonia will never surrender. Independent defence capability is the cornerstone of our security. Operational development of a self-sufficient defence capability that effectively meets our defence needs must be our country’s foremost priority in the current security environment. This must be taken into consideration in long-term budgetary and fiscal policy-making, as well as in making political economic decisions. In the current security situation we consider it necessary to increase defence spending to 4% of GDP and allocate at least 0.5% of GDP to building up comprehensive national defence, including civil protection. In ensuring national security, we will take into consideration the latest technological capabilities and lessons learned from military conflicts. We will support the development of the Defence League and ensure that all Defence League units are equipped to the same standards as the Defence Forces. Additionally, we will provide support for the development of the Estonian defence industry.

23. Estonia’s membership of NATO is inevitable in the current security situation. We consider it important to deepen cooperation with NATO and other allies to strengthen Estonia’s security and defence capabilities. Because of our geopolitical location, we must seek greater NATO involvement in the Baltic region through advance positioning of equipment and through arming our Defence Forces. In the current security crisis, we believe that the European Union must also contribute significantly more to increasing the defence capabilities of its Member States, especially those of the border countries at risk, to defence cooperation and to the development of defence industry.

24. It is critically important for our people that Estonia does not get into a war. Besides vigorous development of national defence, it is equally important to remain calm and maintain a dignified balance, which includes refraining from provocation but responding firmly and appropriately to any provocations or attacks.

25. We strongly support Ukraine’s fight for freedom. The Ukrainians must be able to decide the fate of their country and we will respect Ukraine’s decisions. As humanists, we are in favour of peace as soon as possible. The peace terms must guarantee the independence, security and territorial integrity of Ukraine and other European countries. The families of Ukrainian soldiers must be admitted to and supported in Estonia, but care must also be taken to ensure that Estonia does not become a convenient destination for Ukrainian adventurers, let alone deserters, and that immigration does not jeopardise the objectives laid down in our Constitution.

26. We are guided by the conservative principle that the content of the legislation is determined by the legislature at the time of the enactment. If a modification in legal relationships or perceptions is necessitated by social circumstances, such a modification must be explicitly laid down by amending the text of the legislation, not by interpreting the legislation in an opportunistically political or ideological manner. Legislative and administrative provisions must be clear and unambiguous.

27. The executive must not undermine the separation of powers by gaining control of substantive law-making and organising the judiciary. Estonian parliamentarianism must be restored through direct democratic mechanisms, and substantive law-making must return to the Riigikogu.

28. The expansion of public authorities through an increasing number of officials and bureaucracy has become costly and detrimental to Estonia. Public finances and the state budget must be clear, understandable and transparent, and we will therefore abandon the misleading activity-based methodology of state budgeting. The state apparatus needs auditing and reform. The public sector as a whole needs to shrink substantially. The necessity of a large number of state institutions and publicly-funded jobs must be critically assessed on the basis of public interest alone, not on the basis of party, departmental or private interests. Public jobs that are not indispensable must be cut. Civil society organisations must be able to act on their own, regardless of public funding. More value must be placed on those who provide essential public services, such as teachers, rescue workers, police officers etc.

29. The Estonian security agencies have the important task of protecting Estonia’s constitutional order, but interference in domestic politics or restriction of civil liberties on the pretext of facilitating the work of the security agencies is unacceptable. Multi-level control and supervision of the work of security agencies must be ensured.

30. The administrative division of Estonia must allow for community democracy on the basis of historical county and municipality boundaries and allow for a more even distribution of tax revenue across all regions of Estonia. To this end, we will correct the shortcomings of the administrative reform by creating a strong county level, which would take on some of the functions currently performed on the state or municipal level. We will increase the autonomy of the municipality and strengthen its direct democratic link with the community. We prioritise equal opportunities for living, working, learning, using services, etc. throughout Estonia. The obligations placed on municipalities must be commensurate with the financial resources allocated by the state.

31. Economic inequality in Estonia has never been as high as it is now, at the beginning of the 21st century. Inequality is not intrinsic to Estonia. As nationalists and conservatives, we must care about all segments of society and, as a people, communities and families, hold together as one. We do not need an unprofitable Rail Baltic superhighway or other pompous facilities or buildings at a time when our primary task is to ensure livelihood security for people and raise living standards. Extremely high profits of foreign capital must be taxed, which must include the introduction of a flat-rate national defence tax on international banks in return for the stable economic and political environment provided to them. The income tax rate should be linked to the number of children. Consideration should be given to introducing a progressive income tax, as has been done in most European countries. A sufficiently high tax-free income threshold must be set to allow the earning of a reasonable livelihood to be exempt from income tax each month. At the same time, the tax system must be simplified so that it is comprehensible to the common person even without a tax calculator.

32. We are in favour of greater protection for the rights of Estonian people trapped in debt, and we believe it is right to reform the debt recovery system and to support the return of those who have left Estonia because of debt. It is not acceptable to gain large profits from the debts of people in trouble. Debtors must have a realistic chance of paying off their debts so that they could continue to live their lives as full members of Estonian society, including supporting themselves and their families.

33. Globalist economic policies increase inequality and tend to homogenise societies by destroying their cultural diversity. In our view, both domestic and global economies must serve the interests of the people in contrast to a situation in which the people serve the economy. Estonia’s economic policy must ensure a fair framework for the successful functioning and development of economic activity, refraining from interference in areas that operate according to the rules of the market economy by themselves. We will create better conditions for the development of Estonian shipping trade. We will support the preservation and development of Estonian industry in a way that ensures the country’s economic independence, productivity growth and higher value-added jobs. We oppose policies that would weaken Estonia’s productive capacity and increase dependence on imports. If participation in the euro area begins to restrain our economic development, we will aim at reintroducing the Estonian kroon.

34. An increase in the volume of production at the expense of low-cost labour does not mean an increase in the average wealth of the country’s population, but it can mean economic underdevelopment. The inflow of low-cost labour is one of the reasons why Estonia’s economic innovation has stalled and the growth in productivity has dropped in comparison with our neighbouring countries. What Estonia needs is not foreign investment that requires cheap foreign labour but the kind of foreign finance that gives rise to innovative production with high added value. The backbone of the Estonian economy, both historically and today, is small and medium-sized enterprises. The legislation and policy-making, as well as the activities of the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency, must focus on providing strong support for these enterprises and on decisively reducing bureaucratic red tape in their regard.

35. Rural life and agriculture are one of the foundations of a strong Estonia. In rural areas, support for small local businesses is a priority. This is how we help create jobs across the country and prevent rural areas from falling behind and becoming peripheralised. We attach importance to multi-faceted development of the necessary infrastructure at the local level. Modern roads and other transport links, as well as high-speed internet, will contribute to revitalising local development alongside traditional ways of life. We recognise that it is in the countryside that the birth rate is higher.

36. Energy independence is one of the essential guarantees for the well-being of the Estonian people, the sound functioning of the economy and national independence. That is why the oil shale chemical industry and oil shale power industry must be preserved, supported and developed in Estonia. Energy prices must be affordable for the people and linked to the cost of production, not to a volatile and manipulable exchange price. Nuclear power generation in Estonia must be started up with the Estonian state as the majority shareholder. We stand for sensible development of renewable energy.

37. We will take into consideration and capitalise on new opportunities arising from scientific and technological progress. University laboratories should also serve as incubators for industry. Above all, Estonian science should contribute to the Estonian economy, innovation and culture. We believe it is justified to create a favourable legal environment for the development of blockchain-based technologies, including energy-efficient cryptocurrencies, insofar as autonomous currency systems based on these technologies have the potential to enhance the well-being of people in Estonia and around the world and to increase independence from major economic and political powers whose interests and goals may not align with those of the Estonian people. Nonetheless, precautions must be taken to ensure that this does not result in an increase in crime.

38. The Estonian people, culture and land are one. The national conservative nature preservation that we seek to promote is not driven by the global green transition ideology but rather by care for the local nature of our homeland. Our objective is to protect natural diversity and heritage landscapes, including bodies of water, traditional rural settlements, semi-natural biotic communities and natural forests. We cannot permit the construction of industrial plants or mines that would pose a significant threat to the purity or condition of surface water and groundwater in Estonia. We do not support phosphorite mining in Virumaa in the current circumstances. It is important to us to strengthen the protection of sacred natural sites and complete their mapping.

39. Forestry must be ecologically sustainable — only then can it be economically sustainable as well. We endorse the reorientation of the Estonian forest industry towards high-quality small-scale production that does not exert unsustainable logging pressure on the environment. It is not the purpose of Estonia’s forests to feed growing mass consumption elsewhere in the world. To this end, we will restrict the export of unprocessed timber and the sale of agricultural and forest land to foreigners. Our forests, if cut down, would only serve as short-term relief for someone’s financial problems, but as growing and lasting biotic communities they are a valuable resource for the entire nation-state. Clear-cutting in protected areas must be prohibited. All Estonian forests must be protected from logging during the nesting season. The volumes and methods of logging must preserve the integrity and species richness of Estonian forests.

40. We want to have the Animal Welfare Act strengthened to ensure respectful treatment of wildlife. We oppose animal testing for the creation of cosmetics or other products that are not vitally necessary for humans.