Siim Kallas (; born 2 October 1948) is an
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
n politician, former
Prime Minister of Estonia
The Prime Minister of Estonia ( Estonian: ''peaminister'') is the head of government of the Republic of Estonia. The prime minister is nominated by the president after appropriate consultations with the parliamentary factions and confirmed by ...
, and former
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...
er. He served as the
European Commissioner for Transport
The European Commissioner for Transport is a member of the European Commission whose portfolio includes the planning and development of homogeneous transport policies and regulations across the Union, of the Trans-European Transport Network as we ...
between 2010 and 2014. Before that he was the European Commissioner for Administrative Affairs, Audit and Anti-Fraud between 2004 and 2009. In both
Barroso Commission
The Barroso Commission was the European Commission in office from 22 November 2004 until 31 October 2014. Its president was José Manuel Barroso, who presided over 27 other commissioners (one from each of the states composing the European Union ...
s he was also a
Vice-President
A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...
. He was twice appointed the
Acting Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs and the Euro in
Olli Rehn
Olli Ilmari Rehn (; born 31 March 1962) is a Finnish economist and public official who has been serving as governor of the Bank of Finland since 2018. A member of the Centre Party, he previously served as the European Commissioner for Enlargem ...
's stead, from 19 April 2014 to 25 May 2014 while he was on electoral campaign leave for the
2014 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2014.
* 2014 United Nations Security Council election 16 October 2014
Africa
* 2014 Algerian presidential election 17 April 2014
* 2014 Botswana general election 24 October 2014
* 2014 Comorian presi ...
to the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
and from 1 July 2014 to 16 July 2014 after he took up his seat.
Prior to his tenure as a European Commissioner, Kallas was the Prime Minister of Estonia,
Estonian Minister of Finance,
Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs
, insignia = Coat of arms of Estonia.svg
, insigniasize = 80px
, department = Ministry of Foreign Affairs
, image = File:Urmas Reinsalu 2017-05-25 (cropped).jpg
, incumbent = Urmas Reinsalu
, incumbentsince = 18 July 2022
, acting =
, fo ...
, a member of the
Supreme Council of the Soviet Union
The Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( rus, Верховный Совет Союза Советских Социалистических Республик, r=Verkhovnyy Sovet Soyuza Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respubl ...
and a member of the
Riigikogu
The Riigikogu (; from Estonian ''riigi-'', of the state, and ''kogu'', assembly) is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. In addition to approving legislation, the Parliament appoints high officials, including the Prime Minister and Chief Jus ...
. Kallas is a member and former leader of the free-market liberal
Estonian Reform Party
The Estonian Reform Party ( et, Eesti Reformierakond) is a liberal political party in Estonia. The party has been led by Kaja Kallas since 2018. It is colloquially known as the "Squirrel Party" ( et, Oravapartei).
It was founded in 1994 by Si ...
and a former vice-president of
Liberal International
Liberal International (LI) is a worldwide organization of liberal political parties - a political international. It was founded in Oxford in 1947 and has become the pre-eminent network for liberal parties, aiming to strengthen liberalism around ...
.
After leaving the European Commission, Kallas ran in the Estonian
presidential election
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
Elections by country
Albania
The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public.
Chile
The pre ...
in 2016, but was not elected. In October 2017, he started as the municipal mayor of
Viimsi Parish
Viimsi Parish ( et, Viimsi vald) is a rural municipality in Northern Estonia, located North-East and neighbouring the capital Tallinn. It occupies an area of with a population of 20 580 (). The municipality contains the Viimsi Peninsula and sev ...
.
Education
*1966–1969, 1972–1974 Budget and Finance,
University of Tartu
The University of Tartu (UT; et, Tartu Ülikool; la, Universitas Tartuensis) is a university in the city of Tartu in Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is the only classical university in the country, and also its biggest ...
, specialist
*(1969–1972 Junior Sergeant, Soviet Armed Forces Corps of Signals)
*1974–1977 Economics of environmental protection, University of Tartu,
Candidate of Sciences
Candidate of Sciences (russian: кандидат наук, translit=kandidat nauk) is the first of two doctoral level scientific degrees in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. It is formally classified as UNESCO's ISCED level 8, "do ...
Career
*1969–1972 : Signals officer in Soviet Army
*1975–1979: Specialist at the Finance Ministry Planning Committee of the
Estonian SSR
The Estonian SSR,, russian: Эстонская ССР officially the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic,, russian: Эстонская Советская Социалистическая Республика was an ethnically based adminis ...
*1979–1986: Joint Secretary of the Central Authority of the Savings Banks of the
Estonian SSR
The Estonian SSR,, russian: Эстонская ССР officially the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic,, russian: Эстонская Советская Социалистическая Республика was an ethnically based adminis ...
.
*1986–1989: Deputy chief editor of the Communist Party of Estonia newspaper
Rahva Hääl
''Rahva Hääl'' (lit. ''The People's Voice'') was the official daily newspaper of the Communist Party of Estonia during Soviet occupation of Estonia. It was founded shortly after the first Soviet takeover in 1940 based on offices and resources ...
*1989–1991: Chairman of the
Central Union of the Estonian Trade Unions
*1989–1991: Member of the
Supreme Council of the Soviet Union
The Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( rus, Верховный Совет Союза Советских Социалистических Республик, r=Verkhovnyy Sovet Soyuza Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respubl ...
*1991–1995: President of the
Bank of Estonia
Bank of Estonia ( et, Eesti Pank) is the central bank of Estonia as well as a member of the Eurosystem organisation of euro area central banks.
The Bank of Estonia also belongs to the European System of Central Banks. Until 2010, the bank ...
*1995–2004: Member of
the Parliament of the Republic of Estonia
*1995–1996: Minister of Foreign Affairs
*1996:
Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe
*1999–2002: Minister of Finance
*2002–2003: Prime minister
*2004–2004:
EU Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs, serving with Joaquín Almunia
*2004–2010:
EU Commissioner for Administrative Affairs, Audit and Anti-Fraud and Vice-president of the Commission
*2010–2014:
EU Commissioner for Transport and Vice-president of the Commission
*2017–2019: Municipal mayor of
Viimsi
Viimsi (german: Wiems) is a small borough ( et, alevik) in Harju County, Estonia, about northeast of the centre of Tallinn, just north of Tallinn's subdistrict Merivälja. Viimsi is the administrative centre of Viimsi Parish. As of the 2011 ce ...
.
Personal life
![Siim Kallas 8](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Siim_Kallas_8.JPG)
Kallas' grandfather was
Eduard Alver
Eduard Alver (15 March 1886, Valga – 15 August 1939, Tallinn) was an Estonian lawyer, policeman, politician, and the Commander of the Estonian Defence League (''Kaitseliit'') during the Estonian War of Independence.
1906-1911 he studied medic ...
, one of the founders of the
Republic of Estonia
A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
on 24 February 1918, and the Commander of the
Estonian Defence League
The Estonian Defence League ( et, Eesti Kaitseliit) is the name of the unified paramilitary armed forces of the Republic of Estonia. The Defence League is a paramilitary
A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, ...
during the
Estonian War of Independence
The Estonian War of Independence ( et, Vabadussõda, literally "Freedom War"), also known as the Estonian Liberation War, was a defensive campaign of the Estonian Army and its allies, most notably the United Kingdom, against the Bolshevik westwa ...
, and the first chief of the
Estonian Police
The Estonian Police ( et, Eesti Politsei) was the law enforcement agency of Estonia. It was subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior. In 2010, the organization was superseded by the Police and Border Guard Board.
History Formation and di ...
from 1918 to 24 May 1919.
[Even further from Russia: what is known about the new head of the Estonian government](_blank)
Europeeska Pravda, 26 January 2021 He speaks Estonian, English, Russian, Finnish, and German. Kallas is of Estonian and distant
Baltic German
Baltic Germans (german: Deutsch-Balten or , later ) were ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since their coerced resettlement in 1939, Baltic Germans have markedly declined ...
ancestry. Kallas is married to doctor Kristi Kallas. He has one son and one daughter; his daughter
Kaja Kallas
Kaja Kallas (; born 18 June 1977) is an Estonian politician who has been serving as the prime minister of Estonia since 2021. The leader of the Reform Party since 2018, she was a Member of Parliament from 2019 to 2021, and previously between 2 ...
is the current leader of the Reform party and Prime Minister of Estonia since 2021. During the
Soviet deportations from Estonia
Soviet deportations from Estonia were a series of mass deportations by the Soviet Union from Estonia in 1941 and 1945–1951. The two largest waves of deportations occurred in June 1941 and March 1949 simultaneously in all three Baltic states ...
his wife Kristi Kallas, 6 months old at the time, was deported to
Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...
with her mother and grandmother in a cattle car and lived there until she was 10 years old.
[Even further from Russia: what is known about the new head of the Estonian government]
Europeeska Pravda (26 January 2021)
Controversy
Kallas' inability to address some politically controversial issues such as corruption caused him to renounce his candidacy for the office of Prime Minister of Estonia in 2014.
References
External links
Siim Kallas, Official Media GalleryInternational Who's Who
''The International Who's Who'' is a Who's Who series of reference books of notable people worldwide that has been published annually since 1935.
History
The first edition was published in 1935 by Europa Publications.
The eighth edition (1943-44 ...
European Parliament Answers to Commissioner Designate M. Kallas
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kallas, Siim
1948 births
Estonian European Commissioners
Estonian people of Baltic German descent
Estonian Reform Party politicians
Government ministers of Estonia
Living people
Members of the Riigikogu, 1995–1999
Members of the Riigikogu, 1999–2003
Members of the Riigikogu, 2019–2023
Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
Finance ministers of Estonia
Politicians from Tallinn
Prime Ministers of Estonia
Chairmen of the Bank of Estonia
Recipients of the Order of the National Coat of Arms, 1st Class
Recipients of the Order of the National Coat of Arms, 2nd Class
Resigned Communist Party of the Soviet Union members
University of Tartu alumni
Leaders of political parties in Estonia
Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
20th-century Estonian politicians
21st-century Estonian politicians
Members of the Riigikogu, 2003–2007