Piret Hartman sworn in as Estonia's regional affairs minister

TALLINN – Piret Hartman took the oath of office as the new minister of regional affairs before the Riigikogu on Monday afternoon, thus joining the 53th composition of the government of Estonia.

"I wish Piret Hartman a lot of strength in the ministerial position," Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said.

"We have to deal with all the challenges in a very difficult financial situation, where the state purse is even thinner than we predicted. In many areas, this means large-scale reforms. The Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture is one of those that have to deal with the management of very large changes. The reduction of regional inequality or, in other words, the review of the revenue base of local governments, better connectivity or, in other words, mobility reform, the implementation of the just transition plan of East-Viru County. I believe that her experience as minister and from the public sector will help her settle in quickly in difficult times and successfully cope with the challenges of the field," she added.

Hartman is a member of the Social Democratic Party (SDE). She served as culture minister in the previous composition of the government. Prior to that, she worked as deputy secretary general of the Ministry of Culture.

Hartman has also worked as general and campaign manager of SDE. Prior to taking up this ministerial position, she worked as head of the strategy unit of the Ministry of Finance. 

She graduated from the Estonian University of Life Sciences in 2003 with a degree in agricultural economics and entrepreneurship and a master’s degree in economics and entrepreneurship in 2006. In 2022, she graduated from the Tallinn University of Technology with a degree in digital transformation in business. 

Hartman took over the position of minister of regional affairs from Madis Kallas, who stepped down of his own volition and whose term of office ended on April 16.