In response to public anxiety over high electricity bills, right-wing opposition leader Martin Helme has proposed three radical measures: removing environmental fees from energy pricing, exiting the Nord Pool electricity market, and refocusing national policy on oil shale. The Estonian Green Party, Eestimaa Rohelised, has firmly rejected this rhetoric, labeling it a dangerous illusion that would trigger an economic and legal catastrophe for the country.
Eestimaa Rohelised Highlights the Stakes: €6 to €7 Billion in EU Funds At Risk
The Estonian Greens emphasize the necessity of countering political demagoguery with hard financial facts. For the 2021–2027 period, the total EU funding tied directly to Estonia’s climate compliance amounts to €6 to €7 billion—roughly one-third of the entire annual national budget (~€20 billion). This financial lifeline, which the EKRE plan puts at immediate risk, includes:
- CO₂ auctioning revenues (ETS): €612.3 million generated in 2023–2024 alone, funding local infrastructure like Rail Baltic and apartment building renovations.
- EU Cohesion Policy Funds: Approximately €3.5 billion.
- The Just Transition Fund: €354 million allocated to the Ida-Viru region to phase out oil shale, representing the highest per capita allocation in the EU.
The Greens’ Fact-Check of the EKRE Energy Plan
1. The Illegality of Scrapping CO₂ Quotas
Martin Helme aims to exclude the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) from consumer prices. However, Eestimaa Rohelised points out that the CO₂ quota is not a domestic tax, but a legally binding EU market mechanism under Directive 2003/87/EC. Should Estonia unilaterally stop participating, energy producers would face an automatic fine of €100 for every missing ton of CO₂, triggering immediate European Commission infringement procedures and heavy penalties.
2. Why Exiting Nord Pool Drives Prices Up
Leaving the shared Nordic-Baltic power market to establish state-regulated pricing directly violates EU single market rules. The Green party notes that this move would paradoxically make electricity more expensive for Estonian households. Without Nord Pool market integration, consumers would lose access to cheap Nordic wind and hydro energy imports during peak production hours.
Furthermore, managing network frequency and stability independently for a small grid system like Estonia’s would incur massive domestic infrastructure costs, which would be added directly to consumer bills. The Greens also highlight a critical geopolitical risk: Estonia successfully synchronized its grid with the Continental European area in February 2025 to completely cut ties with Russia. Undermining this market structure severely compromises national energy security.
3. The Oil Shale Economic Trap
Reversing agreed transition plans contradicts Estonia’s binding goals to phase out oil shale electricity by 2035. Eestimaa Rohelised cites the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) latest report, which explicitly warns that a structured exit from oil shale is essential for Estonia, as the country remains one of the most carbon-intensive economies in the EU.
The Green Warning: The Polish Lesson
To illustrate the severity of the situation, the Green party points to Poland, which was fined €500,000 per day by European courts for keeping the Turów coal mine operational against EU rulings. When Warsaw refused to pay, the European Commission directly deducted the €68.5 million total penalty from Poland’s EU allocations—a decision finalized by the courts in January 2026.
For Eestimaa Rohelised, the conclusion is clear: Helme’s energy proposals are completely incompatible with EU membership. The only realistic way to implement them would be a full exit from the European Union (an “Estxit”), stripping Estonia of its single market access, vital financial funds, and geopolitical security guarantees.
