What does Sotsiaaldemokraatlik Erakond propose?

People who earn more should pay a higher rate of income tax.

Reasoning: Its 2023 manifesto proposes a progressive income tax of 20%, rising to 28% on income above €3,000 a month, and in 2025 it was still calling for it.

Source: Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna valimisprogramm 2023, lk 8, 17/01/2023.

VAT on food should be cut, even if the state collects less money.

Reasoning: Its MPs voted in 2025 to cut VAT on staple foods to 9%, and in 2026 the party is campaigning for it while acknowledging that it reduces state tax revenue.

Source: Riigikogu hääletus, Keskerakonna fraktsiooni otsuse eelnõu põhitoidugruppide käibemaksu langetamiseks, 11.12.2025 (ERR), 11/12/2025.

The annual car tax should be abolished.

Reasoning: In 2025 its leader said the car tax was introduced because the Reform Party wanted to scrap the 'tax hump', which the SDE opposed; in 2026 he pledged to change the tax, not abolish it.

Source: ERR, 16.01.2025: Läänemets: automaks tehti, sest Reformierakond soovis maksuküüru kaotamist, 16/01/2025.

A tax on expensive property should be introduced so that taxes on work can be lowered.

Reasoning: Its leader said in 2023 that Estonia cannot avoid taxing the assets of the wealthy, but its manifestos do not set out a specific tax on expensive property.

Source: ERR News, 14.09.2023: Läänemets – no escaping asset, wealth taxes for Estonia in long run, 14/09/2023.

The standard VAT rate should be brought back down from 24%, even if public spending has to be cut.

To reduce the budget deficit, public spending should be cut rather than taxes raised.

Reasoning: Its 2023 manifesto says the era of the minimal state is over and calls for a new tax system; in 2025-2026 it accuses Reform of a low-tax dogma and criticises spending cuts.

Source: Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna valimisprogramm 2023, lk 5, 17/01/2023.

Pensions should rise faster, even if taxes have to go up to pay for it.

Reasoning: Its 2023 manifesto aims to raise the old-age pension to €1,200, at least half the average wage, and to fund its goals it proposes a new tax system with a progressive income tax.

Source: Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna valimisprogramm 2023, lk 14, 17/01/2023.

Families with three or more children should receive much larger benefits than families with one or two children.

Reasoning: Its 2026 children's plan proposes raising the benefit for the first and second child to €100 to match the third child's, to signal that every child matters to the state.

Source: Sotsiaaldemokraatide plaan „Iga laps loeb!“, 2026, lk 9, 05/05/2026.

Healthcare should rely more on people's own responsibility, for example through higher patient co-payments.

Reasoning: Its former health minister wrote in 2025 that the answer for healthcare is not higher co-payments or private insurance but more public money; it wants health insurance for everyone.

Source: Riina Sikkut, „Kahekiiruselises tervishoius kaotavad nii patsiendid kui arstid“, SDE ajaleht Suve Sõnumid, 2025, lk 2, 19/05/2025.

University education should be free for all students.

Reasoning: Its 2023 manifesto guarantees free higher education at all levels, and in 2024-2025 the party opposed proposals to introduce tuition fees.

Source: Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna valimisprogramm 2023, lk 11, 17/01/2023.

Estonia should keep defence spending at 5% of GDP or more, even if that means cuts in other areas.

Reasoning: In 2025 its leader called for defence spending of 6-7% of GDP, above the government's 5%, but wants to fund it through taxes rather than cuts and criticises the low-tax dogma.

Source: ERR, 19.03.2025: Reinsalu ja Läänemets – kaitsekulud kohe kuuele-seitsmele protsendile SKP-st, 19/03/2025.

Estonia should keep giving Ukraine military aid worth at least 0.25% of GDP every year.

Reasoning: Its 2024 European manifesto calls for more military aid to Ukraine that is continuous and uninterrupted; its 2023 manifesto already pledged military, political and economic support.

Source: Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna Euroopa Parlamendi valimisprogramm 2024, lk 3, 16/03/2024.

Women should also do compulsory military service.

Reasoning: Its 2023 manifesto seeks to boost women's involvement in defence and military service on a voluntary basis; it does not propose making conscription compulsory for women.

Source: Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna valimisprogramm 2023, lk 20, 17/01/2023.

Frozen Russian assets should be used to fund Ukraine.

Reasoning: Its 2024 European manifesto considers it very important to find a legally sound way to use frozen Russian assets to rebuild Ukraine's economy.

Source: Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna Euroopa Parlamendi valimisprogramm 2024, lk 3, 16/03/2024.

The EU should hand powers back to member states rather than take on new ones.

Reasoning: Its 2024 European manifesto wants more EU: a defence commissioner with its own funds, an EU minimum income, European taxes in some cases and reformed decision-making.

Source: Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna Euroopa Parlamendi valimisprogramm 2024, lk 4, 6, 9 ja 10, 16/03/2024.

The EU should be able to take foreign policy decisions by majority vote, without needing unanimity.

Reasoning: It calls for reforming EU decision-making for a Union of over 30 members and has backed qualified majority voting on sanctions, but not across all foreign policy.

Source: Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna Euroopa Parlamendi valimisprogramm 2024, lk 6, 16/03/2024.

Estonia should make it easier to hire workers from outside the EU when companies cannot find staff.

Reasoning: It wants the volume and wages of foreign labour agreed with employers and unions; in 2026 it did not back the law easing such hiring: five MPs voted against and most did not vote.

Source: Riigikogu hääletus, välistööjõu toomist lihtsustav seadus, 04.05.2026 (ERR), 04/05/2026.

The annual immigration quota should not be increased.

Reasoning: It has not taken a stand on the quota; in 2026 it did not back the law creating an extra quota for sectors short of workers: five MPs voted against and most did not vote.

Source: Riigikogu hääletus, välistööjõu toomist lihtsustav seadus, 04.05.2026 (ERR), 04/05/2026.

All schooling should switch to Estonian by 2030, including in schools where most pupils speak Russian.

Reasoning: Its 2023 manifesto says all children, whatever their home language, should study together in Estonian-language schools; it backs the transition, with the legal exceptions and mother-tongue classes.

Source: Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna valimisprogramm 2023, lk 10, 17/01/2023.

It should be easier for people who have lived in Estonia since before 1991 to obtain Estonian citizenship.

Reasoning: Its 2023 manifesto eases citizenship for children born in Estonia to long-term residents, but proposes nothing for adults who have lived here since before 1991.

Source: Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna valimisprogramm 2023, lk 21, 17/01/2023.

People who work with customers should be required to speak Estonian, with higher fines if they do not.

Churches in Estonia should be required to cut their ties with the Moscow Patriarchate.

Reasoning: Its parliamentary group and four of its five non-affiliated MPs voted in 2025 for the amended Churches Act, which requires the Orthodox Church to cut its subordination to Moscow.

Source: Riigikogu hääletus, kirikute ja koguduste seaduse muudatused, 09.04.2025 (ERR), 09/04/2025.

Estonian citizens should be allowed to also hold the citizenship of another EU or NATO country.

Estonia should build a nuclear power plant.

Reasoning: It was the only party to vote against the nuclear energy law in 2026; its energy plan does not support building a plant now, though it would reconsider at the end of the decade.

Source: Riigikogu hääletus, tuumaenergia ja tuumaohutuse seadus, 17.06.2026 (ERR, 18.06.2026), 18/06/2026.

Estonia should keep producing electricity from oil shale in the long term.

Reasoning: Its 2026 energy plan rules out new oil shale plants and keeps the existing boilers only as a reserve until at least 2040; renewables would be the backbone.

Source: Sotsiaaldemokraatide energiaplaan 2032, 2026, lk 8, 15/06/2026.

Estonia should pass a climate law with binding targets for cutting emissions.

Reasoning: It wants a climate law with clear, binding sectoral targets; in 2026 it said it would not back the government's watered-down bill precisely because it lacks them.

Source: Jevgeni Ossinovski (erakonna aseesimees) arvamuslugu, sotsid.ee, 01.10.2026, 01/10/2026.

More wind farms should be built on land, even if local residents oppose them.

Reasoning: Its energy plan wants more onshore wind and the government to take over and speed up planning of priority wind farms, but with benefits for local residents and not everywhere.

Source: Sotsiaaldemokraatide energiaplaan 2032, 2026, lk 6, 15/06/2026.

The amount of forest felled in Estonia each year should be reduced.

Reasoning: Its 2023 manifesto pledges to cut annual felling to about 8 million cubic metres and compensate private owners; in 2026 it still complains that there is less forest every year.

Source: Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna valimisprogramm 2023, lk 17, 17/01/2023.

The Constitution should define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

Reasoning: Its 2023 manifesto promised marriage equality, which was passed that year with SDE in government; in 2026 it opposes conservatives rolling back fundamental rights.

Source: Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna valimisprogramm 2023, lk 21, 17/01/2023.

Access to abortion in Estonia should be restricted.

Tougher punishments reduce crime more than prevention and rehabilitation do.

Reasoning: Its 2023 manifesto calls cross-sector prevention very important and promises growing, stable funding for it; it proposes tougher penalties only in specific cases such as hate crimes.

Source: Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna valimisprogramm 2023, lk 14, 17/01/2023.

Euthanasia should be allowed for terminally ill people who ask for it.

Reasoning: Its 2023 manifesto proposed launching a broad public debate on allowing euthanasia; in 2025 its former health minister said neither parliament nor society had moved towards it.

Source: ERR, 06.05.2025: Endised ministrid – oleme abistatud enesetapu teemal keerulises olukorras, 06/05/2025.

Inciting hatred against a group of people should be punished more severely.

Reasoning: Its 2023 manifesto pledges to ban hate speech and make inciting hatred an aggravating factor in crimes; in 2023 its MP chairing the legal affairs committee defended the hate speech bill.

Source: Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna valimisprogramm 2023, lk 21, 17/01/2023.

Internet voting should be kept in elections.

The President of the Republic should be elected directly by the citizens.

Reasoning: In 2026 its parliamentary group argued for electing the president in the Riigikogu through cross-party agreement and put forward Ülle Madise; it does not propose direct elections.

Source: Sotsiaaldemokraatide fraktsioon toetab presidendikandidaadina Ülle Madiset, sotsid.ee, 03.08.2026, 03/08/2026.

Citizens should be able to trigger a binding referendum by collecting signatures.

The state should keep small village schools open even if they have few pupils.

Reasoning: Its 2023 manifesto wants an education funding model that keeps rural schools going and backs small schools; in 2025 it defended the principle of schools close to home and strengthening small schools.

Source: Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna valimisprogramm 2023, lk 10 ja 18, 17/01/2023.

Public transport should be free throughout Estonia.

Reasoning: Its 2025 local election manifesto calls for affordable transport, free for older people, minors and disabled people, and free for all where the municipality can afford it; it does not seek it nationwide.

Source: Sotsiaaldemokraatliku Erakonna KOV-valimiste programm 2025 „Igaüks loeb!“, lk 5, 11/06/2025.