All about Kaja Kallas, the progressive liberal at the helm of Estonia
Kaja Kallas has put Estonia at the head of the EU countries that have pushed for an EU commitment without delay alongside Ukraine. The article by Pierluigi Mennitti
Before becoming one of Ukraine's staunchest supporters, Kaja Kallas, re-elected Estonian prime minister, was a shining symbol of Nordic-style progressive liberalism. Few knew it, mostly the insiders of that obscure political shed that is the European Parliament. A sober and diligent deputy in the shadow of the Alde, the liberal international dominated by that pygmalion of the Belgian Gui Verhosfstadt, Kallas cut her teeth between commissions and plenary sessions in Brussels and Strasbourg.
A privileged apprenticeship, suitable for a daughter of art. Her father, Siim Kallas, was head of government before her for two years (from 2002 to 2003) and in 1994 founded the reformist Estonian party (Eesti Reformierakond) which she leads today with unchallenged authority. He was also in Europe before her: Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Transport. In short, a marked path for the former law student at the University of Tartu, the oldest and most prestigious Estonian university founded in 1632 by the King of Sweden Gustavus Adolphus II where the country's elite is trained, then a member of the boards of directors of several Estonian companies in the innovative field of renewable energies.
THE POLITICAL CAREER OF KALLAS
In politics, his career is brilliant. In 2010 she joined her father's party, in 2011 she was elected to the national parliament and in 2014 she won one of six Estonian seats in the European Parliament, where she quickly gained international experience. Four years after his return to Tallinn, at the helm of the liberal reformers, with the decision to leave Brussels a year early and devote himself to conquering power at home. In 2019 he won the elections, but failed to build a government alliance and became leader of the opposition.
In 2021 the revenge: the government falls and Kallas is charged with forming his own. Restless and decision-maker, Kallas passes through two majorities, the first with the rivals of the Center Party, the second since 2022 with the social democrats and conservatives of Isamaa. To form the third government, she will be spoiled for choice: last Sunday's elections (over 50% voted online) gave her a landslide victory, 31%, which allows her to evaluate any option. Above all, he beat the populists precisely on the terrain of defending Ukraine, thus confirming himself as one of the most reliable liberal leaders in Europe today.
ESTONIA AT THE SIDE OF UKRAINE
In fact, in the middle of his government experience there is another date that forged his political program: February 24, 2022, the day of the Russian attack on Ukraine. At that moment she, like other leaders of the Baltic area, saw fears confirmed, never fully understood by the other European partners, about the return of Russian imperialism. And it has placed itself at the head of the group of countries that have pushed for the EU to take the toughest positions against Moscow and stand by Kiev without delay. He shuttled between the Ukrainian capital and the European ones, from Paris to Berlin, bringing little Estonia into the limelight of continental politics. Its success is also the victory of a strategy that makes this Baltic country an Atlanticist and Europeanist stronghold in the face of Russian revanchism.
The consensus obtained is such as to put it in a position to choose the coalition with which it wants to govern. There are several options on the table, the only suggestion that the President of the Republic has given you is to hurry, because the war on your doorstep requires a strong government in full possession of its functions.
But in the medium term Kaja Kallas could return to where she started, to a supranational experience. The Estonian dimension could appear too narrow to you, the call of Brussels pushing you to spend the international caliber acquired on another table. And Brussels is not only the headquarters of the European Union but also that of NATO. Where the time seems to be ripe for a female guide.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/estonia-kaja-kallas/ on Sat, 11 Mar 2023 06:31:17 +0000.